Congressman Dan Burton has always been a leader in policy areas concerning physicians. Below are some examples of this leadership.

H.R. 2580, a bill sponsored by Rep. Burton also known as The HEALTH Act.

Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2007 -Sets forth provisions regulating lawsuits for health care liability claims concerning the provision of health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce.

The bill:

  • Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions.
  • Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility.
  • Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded.
  • Prescribes qualifications for expert witnesses.
  • Allows the introduction of collateral source benefits and the amount paid to secure such benefits as evidence. Prohibits a provider of such benefits from recovering any amount from an award in a health care lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death.
  • Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000.
  • Limits the liability of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and providers of medical products that comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards.
  • Provides for periodic payments of future damage awards.



H.R. 2716, a bill authored by Rep. Burton to reduce the risk of fraudulent and counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require the incorporation of counterfeit-resistant technologies into the packaging of prescription drugs, and for other purposes.

 

Learn about H.R. 5886, a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Burton in 2006 to modernize the physician payment system for Medicare.

The bill would:

  • Make quality improvement assistance available to all health care providers, practitioners, and plans that want help improving care.
  • Reform the Medicare beneficiary complaint process by making it more transparent and accountable to consumers, and allowing QIOs to conduct outreach to beneficiaries and teach providers proven methods for promptly resolving consumer concerns.
  • Increase the breadth of experience and consumer representation in QIO governing bodies.
  • Secure local stakeholder and national expert input on quality and patient safety goals.
  • Increase competition for QIO contracts from three to five years, with a 10 year contract cap.
  • Strengthen evaluations of impact on health care quality for both individual QIOs and the national QIO program.
  • Guarantee a funding floor for the program and ensure the allocation of increased resources for expanded responsibilities.
  • Offer states the opportunity to improve the quality of health care for Medicaid beneficiaries through the QIO program.