S. 1974 — ABC-ED Act of 2025

This section expands the authorized uses of public health data modernization grants under Section 2823 of the Public Health Service Act to include awarding grants or cooperative agreements for developing state- or region-wide, real-time (or near real-time), accurate, and scalable systems to track (1) hospital bed capacity and (2) how such capacity affects emergency department boarding rates, wait times for treatment, and emergency medical services offload times in emergency departments. The section further authorizes such grants for establishing or maintaining public-facing dashboards of the tracked information, redacted in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

This section directs the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMI) to test two additional payment and service delivery models under Medicare (subchapter XVIII) and Medicaid (subchapter XIX). (As background, the CMI tests models to reduce program expenditures while preserving or enhancing care quality for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.) The required models are (1) promoting research-based improvements to emergency care for older adult beneficiaries, including through flexible interdisciplinary staffing and staff education, emergency department infrastructure changes, geriatric-focused policies and quality metrics, and enhanced coordination with post-acute care facilities (e.g., skilled nursing, assisted living, and independent living facilities); and (2) promoting research-based improvements to emergency care for beneficiaries experiencing acute psychiatric crises, including through dedicated emergency department units and expedited transfers to post-acute care facilities.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on (1) best practices for developing and maintaining public health data systems for tracking hospital capacity—including systems supported under section 2823(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act—to ensure state- or region-wide, real-time (or near real-time), accurate, and scalable tracking of emergency departments, adult and pediatric intensive care units, inpatient psychiatric services, skilled nursing facilities, and other facilities, with seamless integration into hospital electronic medical records; and (2) the effects of such systems on emergency department boarding rates (as measured by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality metrics and accreditation entities), wait times for treatment and discharge, and emergency medical services offload times. Not later than one year after enactment, the Comptroller General must complete the study and submit a report to Congress on the results.