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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1602 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1602

   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to allow certain 
  hospitals in Puerto Rico to qualify for incentives for adoption and 
meaningful use of certified EHR Technology under the Medicare program, 
                        and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2015

  Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Nelson) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to allow certain 
  hospitals in Puerto Rico to qualify for incentives for adoption and 
meaningful use of certified EHR Technology under the Medicare program, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Puerto Rico Hospital HITECH 
Amendments Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF MEDICARE HITECH PAYMENTS TO HOSPITALS IN PUERTO 
              RICO.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (n)(6)(B) of section 1886 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww) is amended by striking ``subsection (d) 
hospital'' and inserting ``hospital that is a subsection (d) hospital 
or a subsection (d) Puerto Rico hospital''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Subsection (b)(3)(B)(ix) of section 1886 of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww) is amended--
                    (A) in subclause (I), by striking ``(n)(6)(A)'' and 
                inserting ``(n)(6)(B)''; and
                    (B) in subclause (II), by striking ``a subsection 
                (d) hospital'' and inserting ``an eligible hospital''.
            (2) Paragraphs (2) and (4)(A) of section 1853(m) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-23(m)) are each amended by 
        striking ``1886(n)(6)(A)'' and inserting ``1886(n)(6)(B)''.
    (c) Implementation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services may implement the amendments 
made by this section by program instruction or otherwise.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply as if included in the enactment of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), except that, in order to 
take into account delays in the implementation of this section, in 
applying subsections (b)(3)(B)(ix), (n)(2)(E)(ii), and (n)(2)(G)(i) of 
section 1886 of the Social Security Act, as amended by this section, 
any reference in such subsections to a particular year shall be treated 
with respect to a subsection (d) Puerto Rico hospital as a reference to 
the year that is 5 years after such particular year (or 7 years after 
such particular year in the case of applying subsection (b)(3)(B)(ix) 
of such section).
                                 <all>
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