Title V, SEC. 5008. REGIONAL PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATIONS. (a) Establishment. The National Health Board shall establish and oversee regional professional foundations to perform the duties specified in subsection (c). (b) Structure and Membership. (1) In general. The National Quality Consortium established under section 5009 shall oversee the establishment of regional professional foundations, the membership requirements for each foundation, and any other requirement for the internal operation of each foundation. (2) Entities eligible for membership. Each regional professional foundation shall include at least one academic health center (as defined in section 3101(c)). The following entities also shall be eligible to serve as members of the regional professional foundation for the region in which the entity is located: (A) Schools of public health (as defined in section 799 of the Public Health Service Act). (B) Other schools and programs defined in such section. (C) Health plans. (D) Regional alliances. (E) Corporate alliances. (F) Health care providers. (c) Duties. A regional professional foundation shall carry out the following duties for the region in which the foundation is located (such region to be demarcated by the National Health Board with the advice of the National Quality Consortium established under section 5009): (1) Developing programs in lifetime learning for health professionals (as defined in section 1112(c)(1)) to ensure the delivery of quality health care. (2) Fostering collaboration among health plans and health care providers to improve the quality of primary and specialized health care. (3) Disseminating information about successful quality improvement programs, practice guidelines, and research findings. (4) Disseminating information on innovative uses of health professionals. (5) Developing innovative patient education systems that enhance patient involvement in decisions relating their health care. (6) Applying for and conducting research described in section 5007. (d) Programs in Lifetime Learning. The programs described in subsection (c)(1) shall ensure that health professionals remain abreast of new knowledge, acquire new skills, and adopt new roles as technology and societal demands change.