A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide health care fraud and abuse guidance, and for other purposes.

Summary: Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) annually to publish in the Federal Register a notice soliciting proposals for: (1) modifications to existing safe harbors issued pursuant to the Medicare and Medicaid Patient and Program Protection Act of 1987; (2) additional safe harbors specifying payment practices that shall not be treated as criminal offenses or serve as the basis for an exclusion; and (3) certain interpretive rulings and special fraud alerts. Prescribes the rulemaking process to follow, including criteria for modifying and establishing safe harbors. 
Authorizes any person to present, at any time, a request to the Inspector General of HHS for:  (1) a statement (interpretive ruling) of the current interpretation of the meaning of a specific aspect of Social Security Act civil and criminal prohibitions with respect to Medicare and Medicaid; and (2) a notice (special fraud alert) which informs the public of practices considered suspect or of particular concern under specified kickback, bribe, or rebate prohibitions. Specifies criteria for such rulings and alerts.

SECTION 1. HEALTH CARE FRAUD AND ABUSE GUIDANCE.

    (a) Solicitation and Publication of Modifications to Existing Safe 
Harbors and New Safe Harbors.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Solicitation of proposals for safe harbors.--
                Not later than January 1, 1995, and not less than 
                annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services (hereafter in this section referred to as the 
                ``Secretary'') shall publish a notice in the Federal 
                Register soliciting proposals, which will be accepted 
                during a 60-day period, for--
                            (i) modifications to existing safe harbors 
                        issued pursuant to section 14(a) of the 
                        Medicare and Medicaid Patient and Program 
                        Protection Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b 
                        note);
                            (ii) additional safe harbors specifying 
                        payment practices that shall not be treated as 
                        a criminal offense under section 1128B(b) of 
                        the Social Security Act the (42 U.S.C. 1320a-
                        7b(b)) and shall not serve as the basis for an 
                        exclusion under section 1128(b)(7) of such Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7(b)(7));
                            (iii) interpretive rulings to be issued 
                        pursuant to subsection (b); and
                            (iv) special fraud alerts to be issued 
                        pursuant to subsection (c).
                    (B) Publication of proposed modifications and 
                proposed additional state harbors.--After considering 
                the proposals described in clauses (i) and (ii) of 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary, in consultation with 
                the Attorney General, shall publish in the Federal 
                Register proposed modifications to existing safe 
                harbors and proposed additional safe harbors, if 
                appropriate, with a 60-day comment period. After 
                considering any public comments received during this 
                period, the Secretary shall issue final rules modifying 
                the existing safe harbors and establishing new safe 
                harbors, as appropriate.
                    (C) Report.--The Inspector General of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services (hereafter in 
                this section referred to as the ``Inspector General'') 
                shall, in an annual report to Congress or as part of 
                the year-end semiannual report required by section 5 of 
                the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), 
                describe the proposals received under clauses (i) and 
                (ii) of subparagraph (A) and explain which proposals 
                were included in the publication described in 
                subparagraph (B), which proposals were not included in 
                that publication, and the reasons for the rejection of 
                the proposals that were not included.
            (2) Criteria for modifying and establishing safe harbors.--
        In modifying and establishing safe harbors under paragraph 
        (1)(B), the Secretary may consider the extent to which 
        providing a safe harbor for the specified payment practice may 
        result in any of the following:
                    (A) An increase or decrease in access to health 
                care services.
                    (B) An increase or decrease in the quality of 
                health care services.
                    (C) An increase or decrease in patient freedom of 
                choice among health care providers.
                    (D) An increase or decrease in competition among 
                health care providers.
                    (E) An increase or decrease in the ability of 
                health care facilities to provide services in medically 
                underserved areas or to medically underserved 
                populations.
                    (F) An increase or decrease in the cost to 
                Government health care programs.
                    (G) An increase or decrease in the potential 
                overutilization of health care services.
                    (H) The existence or nonexistence of any potential 
                financial benefit to a health care professional or 
                provider which may vary based on their decisions of--
                            (i) whether to order a health care item or 
                        service; or
                            (ii) whether to arrange for a referral of 
                        health care items or services to a particular 
                        practitioner or provider.
                    (I) Any other factors the Secretary deems 
                appropriate in the interest of preventing fraud and 
                abuse in Government health care programs.
    (b)  Interpretive Rulings.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Request for interpretive ruling.--Any person 
                may present, at any time, a request to the Inspector 
                General for a statement of the Inspector General's 
                current interpretation of the meaning of a specific 
                aspect of the application of sections 1128A and 1128B 
                of the Social Security Act (hereafter in this section 
                referred to as an ``interpretive ruling'').
                    (B) Issuance and effect of interpretive ruling.--
                            (i) In general.--If appropriate, the 
                        Inspector General shall in consultation with 
                        the Attorney General, issue an interpretive 
                        ruling in response to a request described in 
                        subparagraph (A). Interpretive rulings shall 
                        not have the force of law and shall be treated 
                        as an interpretive rule within the meaning of 
                        section 553(b) of title 5, United States Code. 
                        All interpretive rulings issued pursuant to 
                        this provision shall be published in the 
                        Federal Register or otherwise made available 
                        for public inspection.
                            (ii) Reasons for denial.--If the Inspector 
                        General does not issue an interpretive ruling 
                        in response to a request described in 
                        subparagraph (A), the Inspector General shall 
                        notify the requesting party of such decision 
                        and shall identify the reasons for such 
                        decision.
            (2) Criteria for interpretive rulings.--
                    (A) In general.--In determining whether to issue an 
                interpretive ruling under paragraph (1)(B), the 
                Inspector General may consider--
                            (i) whether and to what extent the request 
                        identifies an ambiguity within the language of 
                        the statute, the existing safe harbors, or 
                        previous interpretive rulings; and
                            (ii) whether the subject of the requested 
                        interpretive ruling can be adequately addressed 
                        by interpretation of the language of the 
                        statute, the existing safe harbor rules, or 
                        previous interpretive rulings, or whether the 
                        request would require a substantive ruling not 
                        authorized under this subsection.
                    (B) No rulings on factual issues.--The Inspector 
                General shall not give an interpretive ruling on any 
                factual issue, including the intent of the parties or 
                the fair market value of particular leased space or 
                equipment.
    (c) Special Fraud Alerts.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Request for special fraud alerts.--Any person 
                may present, at any time, a request to the Inspector 
                General for a notice which informs the public of 
                practices which the Inspector General considers to be 
                suspect or of particular concern under section 1128B(b) 
                of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b)) 
                (hereafter in this subsection referred to as a 
                ``special fraud alert'').
                    (B) Issuance and publication of special fraud 
                alerts.--Upon receipt of a request described in 
                subparagraph (A), the Inspector General shall 
                investigate the subject matter of the request to 
                determine whether a special fraud alert should be 
                issued. If appropriate, the Inspector General shall in 
                consultation with the Attorney General, issue a special 
                fraud alert in response to the request. All special 
                fraud alerts issued pursuant to this subparagraph shall 
                be published in the Federal Register.
            (2) Criteria for special fraud alerts.--In determining 
        whether to issue a special fraud alert upon a request described 
        in paragraph (1), the Inspector General may consider--
                    (A) whether and to what extent the practices that 
                would be identified in the special fraud alert may 
                result in any of the consequences described in 
                subsection (a)(2); and
                    (B) the volume and frequency of the conduct that 
                would be identified in the special fraud alert.