HBA-MPM H.B. 342 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 342
By: McClendon
Public Health
7/9/2001
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The House Committee on Public Health, in its Interim Report to the 77th
Legislature, indicated that disease management is a growing trend in both
public and privately funded health care delivery systems.  The focus of
disease management is on improving quality and containing total cost to
provide a more effective and systematic approach to managing patients with
chronic illnesses.  The Subcommittee on Disease Management, in addressing
the charge of evaluating the role and potential of disease management in
public health programs serving chronically ill populations, recommended
that a disease management pilot study be conducted to study asthma.  More
than one million  Texans suffer from asthma and one-third are children.
Asthma, which is a chronic, potentially fatal disease, appears to be an
ideal target for disease management, as it has the potential through
disease management for cost-effectiveness while improving the quality of
care.  House Bill 342 establishes a children's asthma disease management
pilot study and an asthma and allergy research advisory committee. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking
authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Department of Health in
SECTION 1 (Section 95.001, Health and Safety Code). 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 342 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Texas
Department of Health (TDH) by rule to establish a children's asthma disease
management pilot study using techniques that are transferable to private
practice.  The bill requires TDH to compare preventative disease management
methods with traditional methods.  The pilot study may measure the
following outcomes: school absenteeism, hospitalization, frequency of
asthma symptoms, impact of asthma on the family, and economic effects of
asthma.  TDH is authorized to use the expertise of an academic institution
or nonprofit organization in conducting the study and is also authorized to
use prospective simulation-based analysis to project the outcomes.  The
bill requires TDH to submit to the legislature an interim report by
November 1, 2002, and a final report by November 1, 2003 containing the
findings and recommendations of the pilot study.  The pilot study expires
September 1, 2005. 

H.B. 342 requires the commissioner of public health (commissioner) to
establish an asthma and allergy research advisory committee (committee).
No later than December 1, 2002, the commissioner is required to submit a
report prepared by the committee to the governor, lieutenant governor, and
speaker of the house of representatives regarding asthma and allergy.  The
committee is abolished January 1, 2003, and related provisions expire
September 1, 2003.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.