S. 1217 · 108th Congress

Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2003

Stage
Passed a chamber
Introduced
2003-06-09
Latest action
2004-12-01 · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summary

Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2003 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Administration on Aging within the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) oversee and support a three-year national education campaign by the National Safety Council focusing on ways to reduce the risk of elder falls and prevent repeat falls; and (2) provide grants for State coalitions for local education campaigns addressing reduction and prevention of elder falls.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct and support research concerning various topics, including: high-risk elders, risk and protective factors, fall reduction strategies, fall prevention interventions, diagnosis and treatment of victims, barriers to adopting proven interventions, and the effectiveness of community programs in preventing assisted living and nursing home falls; (2) support the development of ways to reduce falls among very high risk elders; and (3) award grants to enable organizations to provide professional education for physicians and health professionals in elder fall prevention.Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to oversee and support demonstration and research projects to be carried out by the Council and other qualified organizations in the following areas: (1) a multi-State demonstration project assessing the utility of targeted fall risk screening and referral programs; (2) programs designed for community-dwelling elderly; (3) programs targeting newly-discharged fall victims at high risk for second falls; and (4) private-public partnerships to develop technologies to prevent falls and prevent or reduce injuries from falls. Requires the Secretary to provide grants to design and implement fall prevention programs in residential and institutional settings and to provide one or more grants for a multi-State demonstration project to implement and evaluate fall prevention programs.Directs the Secretary to review the effects of falls on the costs of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs and the potential for reducing costs by expanding covered services. States that such review shall include a review of reimbursement policies.