Weekly Legislative & Regulatory Round-up
Week of July 11 - 17
| GAO reports |
VA Health Care: Preliminary Findings on VA's Provision of Health Care Services to Women Veterans GAO-09-884T, July 14, 2009
Electronic Health Records: Program Office Improvements Needed to Strengthen Management of VA and DOD Efforts to Achieve Full Interoperability GAO-09-895T, July 14, 2009
Coast Guard Retiree Health Care: Coast Guard Contributions to and Payments from the DOD Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund (MERHCF) GAO-09-857R, July 15, 2009
VA Health Care: Preliminary Findings on VA's Provision of Health Care
Services to Women Veterans
GAO-09-899T, July 16, 2009
| OIG reports |
Review of North Carolina’s Accounts Receivable System for Medicaid Provider Overpayments (A-04-06-07009)
Review of Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments Made by Pennsylvania to
State-Operated Institutions for Mental Diseases
(A-03-08-00202)
| Bills introduced |
|
Number/ Title |
Date Introduced | Sponsor | Description |
H.R. 3172 |
7/10/09 |
TAMMY BALDWIN (D-WI) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for advanced illness care management services for Medicare beneficiaries, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
H.R. 3184 |
7/13/09 |
JAMES LANGEVIN (D-RI) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to eliminate the in the home restriction for Medicare coverage of mobility devices for individuals with expected long-term needs; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
H.R. 3185 |
7/13/09 |
LOIS CAPPS (D-CA) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide payment to hospitals for costs of expanded advanced practice nurse training programs; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
S. 1445 |
7/14/09 |
FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-NJ) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the health of children and reduce the occurrence of sudden unexpected infant death and to enhance public health activities related to stillbirth; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
S. 1446 |
7/14/09 |
KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY) |
A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide incentives for increased use of HIV screening tests under the Medicaid program; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
H.R. 3200 |
7/14/09 |
JOHN DINGELL (D-MI) |
A bill to provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and Labor, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget. |
H.R. 3212 |
7/14/09 |
FRANK PALLONE (D-NJ) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to improve the health of children and reduce the occurrence of sudden unexpected infant death and to enhance public health activities related to stillbirth; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 3217 |
7/14/09 |
JOHN SHADEGG (R-AZ) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for cooperative governing of individual health insurance coverage offered in interstate commerce; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 3218 |
7/14/09 |
JOHN SHADEGG (R-AZ) |
A bill to provide a refundable tax credit for medical costs, to expand access to health insurance coverage through individual membership associations (IMAs), and to assist in the establishment of high risk pools; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
H.R. 3219 |
7/15/09 |
DEBORAH HALVORSON (D-IL) |
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs relating to insurance and health care, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
H.R. 3220 |
7/15/09 |
MIKE ROSS (D-AR) |
A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform Medicare coverage and reimbursement for home oxygen therapy services; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
S. 1459 |
7/16/09 |
JIM DEMINT (R-SC) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for cooperative governing of individual health insurance coverage offered in interstate commerce; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
H.R. 3242 |
7/16/09 |
CAROLYN MALONEY (D-NY) |
A bill to improve the health of women through the establishment of Offices of Women's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
| Federal Register notices |
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Program; Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee
Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2010
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: This proposed rule would address proposed changes to Medicare
Part B payment policy. We are proposing these changes to ensure that
our payment systems are updated to reflect changes in medical practice
and the relative value of services. This proposed rule discusses:
Refinements to resource-based work, practice expense and malpractice
relative value units (RVUs); geographic practice cost indices (GPCIs);
telehealth services; several coding issues; physician fee schedule
update for CY 2010; payment for covered part B outpatient drugs and
biologicals; the competitive acquisition program (CAP); payment for
renal dialysis services; the chiropractic services demonstration;
comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities; physician self-
referral; the ambulance fee schedule; the clinical laboratory fee
schedule; durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and
supplies (DMEPOS); and certain provisions of the Medicare Improvements
for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. (See the Table of contents for
a listing of the specific issues.)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice announces the intention of the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to request that the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approve the proposed information collection
under the project: ``Evaluation of AHRQ's Effective Health Care
Program.'' In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), AHRQ invites the public to
comment on this proposed information collection.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicaid Program and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP);
Revisions to the Medicaid Eligibility Quality Control and Payment Error
Rate Measurement Programs
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: This proposed rule would implement provisions from the
Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
(CHIPRA) (Pub. L. 111-3) with regard to the Medicaid Eligibility
Quality Control (MEQC) and Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM)
programs. This proposed rule would also codify several procedural
aspects of the process for estimating improper payments in Medicaid and
the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
No relevant notices
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
1. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicare
Advantage and Prescription Drug Program: Final Marketing Provisions.
2. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Information
Collection Requirements in QIO Reconsiderations and Appeals.
3. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Children's Health
Insurance Program (CHIP) Report on Payables and Receivables.
4. Type of Information Collection Request: Extension of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicaid Report
on Payables and Receivables.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
1. Type of Information Collection Request: New Collection; Title of
Information Collection: Children's Health Insurance Program
Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009, State Option Pre-print to Include
Pregnant Women in Title XXI.
2. Type of Information Collection Request: Reinstatement without
change of a previously approved collection; Title of Information
Collection: Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction.
3. Type of Information Collection Request: New Collection; Title of
Information Collection: State Plan Amendment Template for Transitional
Medical Assistance for Low-Income Families.