Cliff Stearns: “I would first like to say that I support H.R. 2506, to reauthorize the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, I…”

“I would first like to say that I support H.R. 2506, to reauthorize the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, I guess it is called the Health Care Quality Agency. This agency is an invaluable resource because the outcomes of research it provides improves the quality of health care for all of us. Under this reauthorization, the new agency would refocus and its responsibilities would be to promote quality by sharing information, building public-private partnerships, providing cost and quality care reports on an annual basis, supporting new technologies, and assisting in providing access to those in underserved areas. Mr. Chairman, the amendment I am offering adds a new section to section 916 entitled 'Certain Technologies and Practices Regarding Survival Rates for Cardiac Arrest.' By adding this language, we are merely attempting to point out how valuable we believe automatic external defibrillators are, AEDs, to saving the lives of individuals who experience cardiac arrest. We are asking the Director to develop recommendations regarding the placement of AEDs in Federal buildings. Mr. Chairman, more than 1,000 Americans each and every day suffer from cardiac arrest. Of those, more than 95 percent die. That is unacceptable, because we have the means at our disposal to change those statistics. Studies show that 250 lives can be saved each and every day from cardiac arrest by using automatic external defibrillators, AEDs.”