Nutrition Screening Research Act

Nutrition Screening Research Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a three-year nutrition screening and intervention activities study on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of currently conducted nutrition screening and intervention activities and of a program that would institutionalize such screening and intervention activities. Directs the Secretary, in evaluating such a program, to determine: (1) if health or quality of life is measurably improved for older individuals who receive routine nutritional screening and treatment: (2) if federally subsidized home or institutional care is reduced because of increased independence of older individuals resulting from improved nutritional status; (3) if a multidisciplinary approach to nutritional care is effective in addressing the nutritional needs of older individuals; and (4) if reimbursement for nutrition screening and intervention activities is a cost-effective approach to improving the health status of older individuals. Specifies the populations of older individuals in which the study will be conducted. Directs the Secretary to conduct and report to the Congress on a three-year study to determine the extent of malnutrition in older individuals in hospitals and long-term care facilities and in older individuals who are living independently, including a determination regarding whether a program to institutionalize nutrition screening and intervention activities should be adopted and rationale for the determination. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory panel to oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of both studies. Authorizes appropriations.