HEALTTH Act

Helping Ensure Accountability, Leadership, and Trust in Tribal Healthcare Act or the HEALTTH Act This bill amends the Indian Health Care Improvement Act by requiring the Indian Health Service (IHS) to implement a pilot program for testing the use of long-term contracts for the operation of rural IHS hospitals with governance structures that include tribal input. IHS must: (1) establish standards to measure the timeliness of the provision of health care services in IHS facilities, and (2) develop a process for those facilities to report data to the IHS with respect to those standards. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code by excluding from gross income payments under the IHS loan repayment program. The bill expands the IHS loan repayment program by allowing loan repayment awards for: (1) health care management, health care administration, or hospital administration professions; and (2) individuals who work part time if they serve for at least four years. The IHS must implement mandatory training programs for cultural competency for individuals who work at IHS facilities and whose employment requires regular direct patient access. IHS must centralize its credentials system for licensed health professionals who seek to volunteer at IHS facilities. The bill establishes requirements for capping payments to certain non-IHS or non-tribal healthcare providers and suppliers. The IHS must implement within three years a new revised distribution formula for the Purchased/Referred Care program, which was formerly referred to as the contract health services program. The IHS must also implement a system to prioritize any backlog of unpaid balances under the program for each IHS area.