[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3890 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3890
To amend the Public Health Service Act to address physician assistant
training needs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 15, 2021
Ms. Bass introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to address physician assistant
training needs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Physician Assistant Education Public
Health Initiatives Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. EXPANDING CLINICAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section
749A of such Act (42 U.S.C. 293l-1) the following:
``SEC. 749A-1. EXPANDING CLINICAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award grants
to physician assistant education programs to establish or expand
clinical education and training for physician assistants at underserved
sites including Federally qualified health centers, critical access
hospitals, and rural health clinics.
``(b) Allocation for Rural Sites.--Of the amount made available to
carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allocate
50 percent of such amount for clinical education and training at
underserved sites that are located in rural areas.
``(c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to physician assistant education programs
proposing to establish or expand clinical rotations for physician
assistants in pediatrics, women's health, or behavioral health.
``(d) Reporting to Congress.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) not later than March 1, 2024, submit an interim
report to the Congress on the implementation of this section;
and
``(2) not later than March 1, 2027, submit a final report
to the Congress on such implementation.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2022 through 2026.''.
SEC. 3. PROMOTING TELEHEALTH EDUCATION FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
STUDENTS.
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section
749A-1 of such Act, as added by section 2, the following:
``SEC. 749A-2. PROMOTING TELEHEALTH EDUCATION FOR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT
STUDENTS.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award grants
to physician assistant education programs to develop and implement
telehealth curricula for students who are enrolled at such programs.
``(b) Use of Funds.--Recipients of grants under this section shall
use the grants to develop and implement curricula that improve student
knowledge on telehealth delivery, including--
``(1) effective patient communication principles;
``(2) legal requirements pertaining to privacy and
security;
``(3) social, cultural, physical, and linguistic barriers
to the use of telehealth services; and
``(4) patient safety and criteria for care escalation
during a telehealth encounter.
``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2022 through 2026.''.
SEC. 4. RESEARCH TO ENHANCE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION.
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section
749A-2 of such Act, as added by section 3, the following:
``SEC. 749A-3. RESEARCH TO ENHANCE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT EDUCATION.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Administrator
of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award grants
to eligible entities to fund research on physician assistant education
enhancement and innovation.
``(b) Use of Funds.--Recipients of grants under this section shall
use the grants to fund research on physician assistant education
enhancement and innovation, including--
``(1) the use of simulation to mitigate clinical training
site shortages;
``(2) barriers to integrating physician assistant students
into the delivery of telehealth services; or
``(3) recruitment and retention strategies for faculty and
students underrepresented in physician assistant education
programs and the physician assistant profession.
``(c) Report Requirement.--Recipients of grants under this section
shall provide to the Secretary with respect to each year covered by the
grant a report on the activities conducted using such funds,
including--
``(1) the number of researchers supported during such year
by such recipient using such funds;
``(2) a list of the researchers counted under paragraph
(1), organized by researcher, including--
``(A) the research topic of each such researcher;
and
``(B) citations to published clinical and
scientific research by each such researcher that is
attributable to support under this section;
``(3) an evaluation of the benefits of grants under this
section; and
``(4) any other information the Secretary may request.
``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means an
organization that has demonstrated expertise in physician
assistant education and is--
``(A) a nonprofit organization; or
``(B) an institution of higher education.
``(2) Physician assistant education.--The term `physician
assistant education' means selecting, educating, and graduating
students in accredited graduate physician assistant education
programs.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2022 through 2026.''.
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