(1) employ such auditors, attorneys, investiga-
tors, and other necessary personnel; 
(2) be organized in such a manner; and 
(3) provide sufficient resources (as specified by 
the Board), 
as is necessary to promote the effective and efficient con-
duct of the unit’s activities. 
(e) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The fraud unit 
must have cooperative agreements (as specified by the 
Board) with— 
(1) similar fraud units in other States; 
(2) the Inspector General; and 
(3) the Attorney General of the United States. 
(f) REPORTS.—The fraud unit must submit to the 
Inspector General an application and annual reports con-
taining such information as the Inspector General deter-
mines to be necessary to determine whether the unit meets 
the previous requirements of this section. 
TITLE V—QUALITY ASSESSMENT 
SEC. 501. AMERICAN HEALTH SECURITY QUALITY COUNCIL. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 
an American Health Security Quality Council (in this title 
referred to as the ‘‘Council’’). 
(b) DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL.—The Council shall 
perform the following duties:
(1) PRACTICE GUIDELINES.—The Council shall 
review and evaluate each practice guideline devel-
oped under part B of title IX of the Public Health 
Service Act. The Council shall determine whether 
the guideline should be recognized as a national 
practice guideline to be used under section 204(d) 
for purposes of determining payments under a State 
health security program. 
(2) STANDARDS
OF
QUALITY, PERFORMANCE 
MEASURES, AND MEDICAL REVIEW CRITERIA.—The 
Council shall review and evaluate each standard of 
quality, performance measure, and medical review 
criterion developed under part B of title IX of the 
Public Health Service Act. The Council shall deter-
mine whether the standard, measure, or criterion is 
appropriate for use in assessing or reviewing the 
quality of services provided by State health security 
programs, health care institutions, or health care 
professionals. 
(3) CRITERIA
FOR
ENTITIES
CONDUCTING 
QUALITY REVIEWS.—The Council shall develop min-
imum criteria for competence for entities that can 
qualify to conduct ongoing and continuous external 
quality review for State quality review programs 
under section 503. Such criteria shall require such
an entity to be administratively independent of the 
individual or board that administers the State health 
security program and shall ensure that such entities 
do not provide financial incentives to reviewers to 
favor one pattern of practice over another. The 
Council shall ensure coordination and reporting by 
such entities to assure national consistency in qual-
ity standards. 
(4) REPORTING.—The Council shall report to 
the Board annually on the conduct of activities 
under such title and shall report to the Board annu-
ally specifically on findings from outcomes research 
and development of practice guidelines that may af-
fect the Board’s determination of coverage of serv-
ices under section 401(f)(1)(G). 
(5) OTHER
FUNCTIONS.—The Council shall 
perform the functions of the Council described in 
section 502. 
(c) APPOINTMENT AND TERMS OF MEMBERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com-
posed of 10 members appointed by the President. 
The President shall first appoint individuals on a 
timely basis so as to provide for the operation of the 
Council by not later than January 1, 2006.