Title: Physicians for Underserved Areas Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Physicians for Underserved Areas Act
This bill modifies how a hospital's residency positions are redistributed after it closes for purposes of graduate medical education payments under Medicare.
Under current law, if a hospital with an approved medical residency program closes, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must redistribute the hospital's residency positions to other hospitals in the following order: (1) hospitals in the same core-based statistical area as the closed hospital, (2) hospitals in the same state as the closed hospital, (3) hospitals in the same region of the country as the closed hospital, and (4) other remaining hospitals. In order to receive the additional positions, hospitals must demonstrate a likelihood of filling the positions within three years.
The bill removes the requirement that the CMS prioritize hospitals in the same region of the country as the closed hospital. It also requires hospitals to demonstrate a likelihood of (1) starting to use the positions within two years, and (2) filling the positions within five years.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4234 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4234

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to make improvements to 
the redistribution of residency slots under the Medicare program after 
                           a hospital closes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 17, 2022

Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mr. Boozman) 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 make improvements to 
the redistribution of residency slots under the Medicare program after 
                           a hospital closes.

    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 ``Physicians for Underserved Areas 
Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE REDISTRIBUTION OF RESIDENCY SLOTS UNDER THE 
              MEDICARE PROGRAM AFTER A HOSPITAL CLOSES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1886(h)(4)(H)(vi) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(h)(4)(H)(vi)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (II)--
                    (A) by striking item (cc) and redesignating item 
                (dd) as item (cc); and
                    (B) in item (cc), as redesignated under 
                subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) by striking ``Fourth'' and inserting 
                        ``Third''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``item (cc)'' and 
                        inserting ``item (bb)''; and
            (2) in subclause (III), by striking ``likelihood of 
        filling'' and all that follows and inserting the following: 
        ``likelihood of--
                                            ``(aa) starting to utilize 
                                        the positions made available 
                                        under this clause within 2 
                                        years; and
                                            ``(bb) filling the 
                                        positions made available under 
                                        this clause within 5 years.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to the redistribution of residency slots with respect to 
hospitals that close on or after the date of enactment of this Act.
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