Weekly Legislative & Regulatory Round-up
Week of July 18 - 24
| GAO reports |
Improper Payments: Responses to Posthearing Questions Related to
Eliminating Waste and Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid
GAO-09-838R
Medicaid and CHIP: Opportunities Exist to Improve U.S. Insular Area
Demographic Data That Could Be Used to Help Determine Federal Funding
GAO-09-558R
Food and Drug Administration: FDA Faces Challenges Meeting Its Growing
Medical Product Responsibilities and Should Develop Complete Estimates of
Its Resource Needs
GAO-09-581
Project BioShield Act: HHS Has Supported
Development, Procurement, and Emergency Use of Medical Countermeasures to
Address Health Threats.
GAO-09-878R
| OIG reports |
July 22, 2009
Accuracy of Drug Categorizations for Medicaid Rebates (PDF)
(OEI-03-08-00300)
| Bills introduced |
|
Number/ Title |
Date Introduced | Sponsor | Description |
H.R. 3256 |
7/17/09 |
ADRIAN SMITH (R-NE) |
A bill to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to extend the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
S. 1473 |
7/20/09 |
KAY HAGAN (D-NC) |
A bill to catalyze change in the care and treatment of diabetes in the United States; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
H.R. 3261 |
7/20/09 |
DAN BURTON (R-IN) |
A bill to permit an individual to be treated by a health care practitioner with any method of medical treatment such individual requests, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. |
H.R. 3263 |
7/20/09 |
DAN BURTON (R-IN) |
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that amounts paid for foods for special dietary use, dietary supplements, or medical foods shall be treated as medical expenses; Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. |
S. 1479 |
7/21/09 |
AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN) |
A bill to provide for the treatment of certain hospitals; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 1488 |
7/21/09 |
ROLAND BURRIS (D-IL) |
A bill to extend temporarily the 18-month period of continuation coverage under group health plans required under COBRA continuation coverage provisions so as to provide for a total period of continuation coverage of up to 24 months; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
H.R. 3279 |
7/21/09 |
CIRO RODRIGUEZ (D-TX) |
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs centers of excellence for rural health research, education, and clinical activities, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. |
S. 1492 |
7/22/09 |
HARRY REID (D-NV) |
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to fund breakthroughs in Alzheimer's disease research while providing more help to caregivers and increasing public education about prevention; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
S. 1511 |
7/23/09 |
BENJAMIN CARDIN (D-MD) |
A bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to improve awareness and access to colorectal cancer screening tests under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and for other purposes; Referred to the Committee on Finance. |
S. 1512 |
7/23/09 |
RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL) |
A bill to fund comprehensive programs to ensure an adequate supply of nurses; Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. |
| Federal Register notices |
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Program: Proposed Changes to the Hospital Outpatient
Prospective Payment System and CY 2010 Payment Rates; Proposed Changes
to the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System and CY 2010 Payment
Rates
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: This proposed rule would revise the Medicare hospital
outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) to implement applicable
statutory requirements and changes arising from our continuing
experience with this system.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Stored
Biologic Specimens: Guidelines for Proposals to Use Samples and
Proposed Cost Schedule
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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
project: ``Health Literacy Item Set Supplemental to CAHPS Hospital
Survey--Pretest of Proposed Questions and Methodology.''
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
project: ``Study of Factors Influencing Consumer Choices Among Health
Plans and Clinicians.''
No relevant notices.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Application of the Accreditation
Commission for Health Care for Deeming Authority for Hospices
ACTION: Proposed notice.
SUMMARY: This proposed notice acknowledges the receipt of a deeming
application from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)
for recognition as a national accrediting organization for hospices
that wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Section
1865(a)(3)(A) of the Social Security Act requires that within 60 days
of receipt of an organization's complete application, we publish a
notice that identifies the national accrediting body making the
request, describes the nature of the request, and provides at least a
30-day public comment period.
DATES: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of
the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m. on August 24, 2009.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Resolicitation of Proposals for
the Private, For-Profit Demonstration Project for the Program of All-
Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and Announcement of Closing Date
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice resolicits proposals for the private, for-profit
demonstration project for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the
Elderly (PACE) and announces a closing date for the solicitation. We
previously solicited proposals from private, for-profit organizations
for a fully capitated joint Medicare and Medicaid demonstration.
DATES: Closing Date: Proposals must be submitted by July 26, 2010.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, HHS.
1.Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently
approved collection; Title of Information Collection: Medicaid and
Children's Health Insurance (CHIP) Managed Care; Use: The Payment Error
Rate Measurement (PERM) program measures improper payments for Medicaid
and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Program; Announcement of Five New Members to the
Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification Groups
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice announces five new members selected to serve on
the Advisory Panel on Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) Groups
(the Panel). The purpose of the Panel is to review the APC groups and
their associated weights and to advise the Secretary of DHHS (the
Secretary) and the Administrator of CMS (the Administrator) concerning
the clinical integrity of the APC groups and their associated weights.
We will consider the Panel's advice as we prepare the annual updates of
the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS).
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Program; Request for Nominations and Meeting of the
Practicing Physicians Advisory Council, August 31, 2009
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: This notice invites all organizations representing physicians
to submit nominations for consideration to fill four seats on the
Practicing Physicians Advisory Council (the Council) that will be
vacated by current Council members in 2010. This notice also announces
a quarterly meeting of the Council. The Council will meet to discuss
certain proposed changes in regulations and manual instructions related
to physicians' services, as identified by the Secretary of Health and
Human Services (the Secretary). This meeting is open to the public.
DATES: Meeting Date: Monday, August 31, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
e.d.t.
ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: The meeting will be held in the Hubert H.
Humphrey Building, (Room TBD), 200 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20201.