Title: Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2019
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2019
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Medicare payment on a reasonable-cost basis for anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in a rural hospital. Specifically, the CMS shall provide payment for such services in the same manner as payment is provided under current law for services furnished in a rural hospital by a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2666 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2666

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide payment 
  under part A of the Medicare Program on a reasonable cost basis for 
 anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in certain rural 
 hospitals in the same manner as payments are provided for anesthesia 
    services furnished by anesthesiologist assistants and certified 
    registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals, and for other 
                               purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2019

  Mr. Cleaver (for himself and Mr. Smith of Missouri) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide payment 
  under part A of the Medicare Program on a reasonable cost basis for 
 anesthesia services furnished by an anesthesiologist in certain rural 
 hospitals in the same manner as payments are provided for anesthesia 
    services furnished by anesthesiologist assistants and certified 
    registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals, 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 ``Medicare Access to Rural 
Anesthesiology Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE PART A PAYMENT FOR ANESTHESIOLOGIST SERVICES IN 
              CERTAIN RURAL HOSPITALS BASED ON CRNA PASS-THROUGH RULES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1814 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395f) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

    ``Anesthesiologist Services Provided in Certain Rural Hospitals

    ``(m)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, 
coverage and payment shall be provided under this part for physicians' 
services that are anesthesia services furnished by a physician who is 
an anesthesiologist in a rural hospital described in paragraph (3) in 
the same manner as payment is made under the exception provided in 
section 9320(k) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, as 
amended by section 6132 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 
1989 (42 U.S.C. 1395k note) (relating to payment on a reasonable cost, 
pass-through basis), for certified registered nurse anesthetist 
services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetist in a 
hospital described in such section.
    ``(2) No payment shall be made under any other provision of this 
title for physicians' services for which payment is made under this 
subsection.
    ``(3) A rural hospital described in this paragraph is a hospital 
described in section 9320(k) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 
of 1986, as so amended (42 U.S.C. 1395k note), except that--
            ``(A) any reference in such section to a `certified 
        registered nurse anesthetist' or `anesthetist' is deemed a 
        reference to a `physician who is an anesthesiologist' or 
        `anesthesiologist', respectively; and
            ``(B) any reference to `January 1, 1988' or `1987' is 
        deemed a reference to such date and year as the Secretary shall 
        specify.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to services furnished during cost reporting periods beginning on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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