Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-1157
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad, Kent [D-ND]
Introduced: 2009-05-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Emergency medical services and trauma care
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel
Health technology, devices, supplies
Home and outpatient care
Hospital care
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
Mental health
Rural conditions and development
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2009-05-21
text: 
Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment for rural hospitals; (2) revision of the temporary increase in payments to certain rural hospitals (Medicare hold harmless provision); (3) the definition of low-volume hospital for purposes of the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment (MIHPA); (4) Medicare wage index reclassifications for certain hospitals; (5) Medicare reasonable costs payments for certain clinical diagnostic laboratory tests furnished to hospitals in certain rural areas; (6) critical access hospitals; (7) the capital infrastructure revolving loan program; (8) the Medicare incentive payment program for physician scarcity areas; (9) the 1.00 floor on Medicare work geographic adjustment to payments for physician services; (10) permission for physician assistants to order post-hospital extended care services or hospice care; (11) Medicare home health care planning; (12) rural health clinics; (13) community health center collaborative access; (14) the temporary Medicare payment increase for home health services furnished in a rural area; (15) increased Medicare payments for rural ground ambulance services; and (16) coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance).
 
Amends the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 to provide for the extension of treatment of certain physician pathology services under Medicare. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) conduct pilot projects to provide incentives to home health agencies to utilize remote home monitoring and communications technologies; and (2) facilitate the provision of telehealth services across state lines.
 
 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) coverage and payment, on a reasonable cost basis, to anesthesia services furnished by a physician anesthesiologist in certain rural hospitals in the same manner as payment is made for anesthesia services furnished by a certified registered nurse anesthetists in such hospitals.
 
Establishes the floor at 1.00 on: (1) the practice expense geographic index for services furnished during a specified period in certain rural areas under the Medicare physician fee schedule; and (2) the Medicare hospital area wage index for certain hospitals for discharges during the same period.
 
Revises the standard for designation of sole community hospitals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-05-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2009-05-21
text: Introduced in Senate