The Baby Observation Act (BO’s Act) would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study on the use of home cardiorespiratory monitors for infants as a potential tool to prevent sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Within one year of enactment, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress detailing the study results, including evidence on the monitors’ effectiveness, accuracy, and performance; new care models to improve the infant’s home sleeping environment (including monitors); criteria for when health care plans should cover these monitors; and recommendations on whether product efficacy supports coverage under public or private health insurance plans. The act authorizes the study under the Public Health Service Act but does not itself authorize funding or require immediate changes in practice or coverage. The bill designates the devices as part of evaluating infant safety and care at home, and it frames the report around both clinical effectiveness and coverage considerations, potentially influencing future policy on insurability and reimbursement for at-home монитор devices.
Key Points
- 1Short title: The act may be cited as the Baby Observation Act or BO’s Act.
- 2Study requirement: The Secretary must conduct a study on the use of home cardiorespiratory monitors for infants to help prevent SUID, as defined by law.
- 3Report deadline: A report describing the study results must be submitted to Congress within 1 year after enactment.
- 4Report contents: (1) evidence of effectiveness, performance, and accuracy of monitors that track heart rate, oxygen levels, and other infant vital signs; (2) new care models to improve the home sleeping environment, including the use of monitors; (3) criteria for medically appropriate coverage of monitors in health care plans; (4) recommendations on whether product efficacy supports coverage under public or private health insurance.
- 5Authority and basis: Study authorized under section 1121(a) of the Public Health Service Act; relates to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/SUID definitions in section 1121(e).