SLS 22RS-981 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 77
BY SENATOR FRED MILLS
HEALTH CARE. Requests the Louisiana Department of Health to study and make
recommendations on best practices for coordinating services for patients with cancer.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to study and make
3 recommendations on best practices for coordinating healthcare services for patients
4 with cancer.
5 WHEREAS, cancer is a complex disease, requiring multiple doctor appointments,
6 medications, and treatments as well as support and follow-up care; and
7 WHEREAS, according to a study by the Institute of Medicine, patients with cancer
8 often receive poorly coordinated care in multiple settings from many providers; and
9 WHEREAS, coordination of care is critical in order for all of the healthcare needs
10 of a patient to be met including ensuring that all chronic conditions are under control during
11 cancer treatment; and
12 WHEREAS, a lack of care coordination increases the risk for poor outcomes, limits
13 the patient's quality of life, and can lead to higher healthcare costs; and
14 WHEREAS, care coordination includes communication and the sharing of
15 knowledge between healthcare providers and assistance with transitions of care; and
16 WHEREAS, one way to promote care coordination is the use of an electronic health
17 record which allows healthcare providers treating people in a variety of settings to exchange
18 and continuously update a patient's clinical data and then present that information in a format
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SLS 22RS-981 ORIGINAL
1 that other providers can access easily; and
2 WHEREAS, many existing electronic health record systems currently use
3 incompatible means of acquiring, processing, storing, and communicating data; and
4 WHEREAS, some healthcare facilities may not provide patients effective access to
5 their own data; and
6 WHEREAS, this lack of interoperability may ultimately result in the patient
7 undergoing duplicate tests or procedures which is burdensome on the patient and
8 unnecessarily increases healthcare costs; and
9 WHEREAS, closing communication gaps between healthcare providers can lead to
10 more effective care coordination, with increasing awareness of how each healthcare
11 provider's actions impact other provider's actions; and
12 WHEREAS, innovative ways to improve care coordination for patients with cancer
13 are needed to achieve better healthcare outcomes, improve patient experience of care, and
14 lower healthcare costs.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
16 does hereby urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to study and make
17 recommendations on best practices for coordinating healthcare services for patients with
18 cancer.
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED in completing the study, the department shall focus
20 on the following areas:
21 (1)The use of electronic health records to facilitate a patient's access to his own
22 records.
23 (2)The need for interoperability between electronic health record systems to
24 limit duplication of healthcare services and decrease healthcare costs.
25 (3)Efforts to facilitate unhindered communication and encourage cooperation
26 between healthcare providers as a key element of care coordination.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED in completing the study, the department shall seek
28 input from interested stakeholders, including but not limited to healthcare providers, health
29 insurance issuers, and cancer advocacy groups.
30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no later than February 1, 2023, the department
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SLS 22RS-981 ORIGINAL
1 shall prepare and submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Senate
2 Committee on Health and Welfare.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
4 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Brandi Cannon.
DIGEST
SR 77 Original 2022 Regular Session Fred Mills
Requests the La. Dept. of Health to study and make recommendations on best practices for
coordinating services for patients with cancer.
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