lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2013-05-23 00:00:00

Department of Veterans Affairs Disease Reporting and Oversight Act of 2013 - Requires the director of a Veterans Integrated Service Network, within 24 hours after confirming the presence of a notifiable infectious disease (any infectious disease that is either on a specified published list of nationally notifiable diseases or that is covered by a provision of law of a state that requires the reporting of infectious diseases) at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility under that director's jurisdiction, to notify: (1) the Central Office of the VA; (2) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (3) the state and county in which the facility is located; (4) each individual at the facility who has contracted the disease or is at risk of doing so, as well as the individual's next of kin, the individual's primary health care provider, and the county in which the individual resides; and (5) each VA employee of such facility. Requires such director to comply with any earlier notification required by the state concerned.

Requires such director to: (1) confirm receipt of such notification, (2) develop and implement an action plan to manage and control the potential spread of the disease, and (3) keep records of any such notifications for at least 10 years. Requires an annual report from the VA Inspector General to Congress on directors' compliance with the requirements of this Act. Provides for Inspector General enforcement and appropriate director disciplinary action with respect to such requirements.

Directs the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to issue a directive to the VHA's pathology team, infection prevention team, facilities management team, and other appropriate VHA groups on the actions to be taken when a notifiable infectious disease is discovered in a VHA facility.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-05-23 00:00:00

Safe Food for Seniors Act of 2013 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, for a Medicare skilled nursing facility or a Medicaid nursing facility without a full-time qualified dietitian, to require its director of food services to be: (1) a Certified Dietary Manager meeting the requirements of the Certifying Board for Dietary Managers; (2) a Dietetic Technician, Registered meeting with the requirements published by the Commission on Dietetic Registration; or (3) an individual with equivalent military or academic qualifications.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-06-12 00:00:00

Administrative Relief and Accurate Medicare Payments Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to establish a maximum period of: (1) 2 years for submission of Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) claims originally submitted by hospitals as Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) claims, and (2) 60 days for certain such submissions for one-day stays.

Reduces from 4 to 3 fiscal years the maximum look-back period under the Medicare Integrity Program for the audit and recovery activities of recovery audit contractors.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-06-25 00:00:00

Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require alignment of updates for ambulatory surgical center (ASC) services under a revised prospective payment system (PPS) with updates for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services.

Revises requirements for the reporting and applying of quality measure data by ASCs and hospital OPDs.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an ASC value-based purchasing program under which each ASC that the Secretary determines meets (or exceeds) performance standards established, with respect to selected quality measures, for the performance period for a calendar year is eligible for shared savings in the form of a payment increase determined according to a specified formula.

Revises requirements for the composition of the expert outside advisory panel the Secretary is required to consult during the annual review of the clinical integrity of the groups and payment weights in the PPS for hospital OPD services. Requires the panel to include suppliers subject to the PPS as well as at least one ASC representative.

Requires the Secretary, when excluding from a final rule updating ASC lists a procedure whose inclusion was requested during the public comment period, to cite in the final rule specific criteria based on which the procedure was excluded. Requires the Secretary also to identify the peer reviewed research or the evidence upon which the exclusion is based if certain of those criteria are cited for it. Prohibits the Secretary from using or citing as a criterion or a basis for an exclusion that the procedure can only be reported using a Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) unlisted surgical procedure code.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-06-28 00:00:00

Rural Hospital Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, to extend from January 1, 2013 to January 1, 2014, specified "hold harmless" payments for small rural hospitals and sole community hospitals under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-10 00:00:00

Critical Care Assessment and Improvement Act of 2013 - Requires studies on critical care health services in the United States by the Institute of Medicine and the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

Directs the HHS Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to establish the Critical Care Coordinating Council to coordinate the collection and analysis of information on current NIH research relating to the care of the critically ill and injured, identify gaps in such research, and make recommendations to the Director of NIH on how to improve such research.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, to carry out a demonstration project to improve the quality and efficiency of care provided to critically ill and injured patients receiving care in acute care hospitals.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-11 00:00:00

Trauma Relief Access for Universal Medical Assistance Act - Appropriates to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) $100 million, for FY2014-FY2018, for the program of grants to states to promote universal access to trauma care services provided by trauma centers and trauma-related physician specialties.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-11 00:00:00

Medicaid Information Technology to Enhance Community Health Act of 2013 or MITECH Act - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend payments to encourage the adoption and use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to qualified safety net clinics (QSNCs).

Defines a QSNC as a clinic or network of clinics operated by a private non-profit or public entity at least 30% percent of whose patient volume is attributable to needy individuals.

Defines a "QSNC-based" individual as one who furnishes substantially all of his or her professional services in a QSNC and through use of the clinic's facilities and equipment, including qualified EHRs.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a procedure through which a QSNC may demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology in order to receive incentive payments.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-23 00:00:00

Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services (PARTS) Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to state that, except with respect to high-risk or complex medical services requiring direct levels of supervision, if the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) requires supervision by a physician or non-physician practitioner for Medicare payment for therapeutic hospital outpatient services, that requirement is met if such services are furnished under the physician's or non-physician practitioner's general supervision.

Directs the Secretary of HHS to establish a process for designating therapeutic hospital outpatient services for which direct supervision may be required for the entire service or direct supervision during the initiation of the service followed by general supervision for the remainder of the service.

Declares without force or effect in law regarding Medicare requirements for direct supervision by physicians for therapeutic hospital outpatient services a specified restatement and clarification under the final rulemaking changes to the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system and calendar year 2009 payment rates, which was published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2008.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-26 00:00:00

Diabetic Testing Supply Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to deny the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) authority to restrict or eliminate a Medicare beneficiary's option of electing, regardless of delivery method (except by mail), to have diabetic testing supplies delivered to him or her by retail community pharmacies, including one that contracts with a long-term care facility, assisted living facility, group home, or other type of residential setting recognized by the state.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-30 00:00:00

Hospital Price Transparency and Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a hospital or ambulatory surgical center to report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding: (1) the frequency of occurrence of certain treatment episodes for the most frequently treated conditions or diseases in each setting, (2) the total number of treatment episodes for which care was furnished by the hospital or center, and (3) the insured and uninsured average charge by the hospital or center for such treatment episode. 

Requires the Secretary to post promptly on the HHS website: (1) such information in a manner that promotes charge comparisons among hospitals and among ambulatory surgical centers, and (2) an appropriate link to other consumer quality information maintained on such site or a site maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Requires a hospital and an ambulatory surgical center to post prominently at each admission site a notice of the availability of such data.

Authorizes civil penalties for violations of this Act.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-07-30 00:00:00

Nursing Home Patient Protection and Standards Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require testing programs in skilled nursing facility (SNF) survey and certification techniques to be sufficiently rigorous to ensure that surveyors are adequately prepared to survey and certify SNFs in a consistent and accurate manner.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish requirements: (1) for the qualification and compensation of members of a survey team, and (2) that a state employs an adequate number of individuals as members of survey teams to ensure adequate oversight of SNFs. Requires the Secretary, in addition to the training and testing program, to require that state and federal surveyors regularly complete an adequate number of continuing education courses meeting certain requirements for content and rigor of material.

Requires covered individuals to report to the Secretary instances where surveys fail to report or under report an issue in a facility that could impact the safety or quality of care of its residents. Adds whistleblower protections for such individuals.

Adds penalties for inappropriately influencing a surveyor.

Requires the Secretary to establish an advisory committee on surveys.

Requires survey team supervisors to review each conducted survey to ensure that any identified issues affecting quality of care are consistently and appropriately described and rated.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-08-01 00:00:00

Medicare VA Reimbursement Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in cooperation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), to establish a Medicare VA reimbursement program under which the HHS Secretary shall reimburse the VA Secretary, from the Medicare trust funds, for any item or service: (1) furnished to a Medicare-eligible veteran by a VA medical facility for the treatment of a non-service-connected condition, and (2) covered by Medicare or determined to be medically necessary by the VA Secretary.

Requires the HHS Secretary to enter a memorandum of understanding with the VA Secretary concerning administration of the program. Specifies required conditions in the memorandum.

Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the program every three years.

Declares the sense of Congress that the amount of funds appropriated to the VA for medical care in any fiscal year should not be reduced as a result of the implementation of the Medicare VA reimbursement program.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-09-18 00:00:00

Protect Patients Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to subject to civil monetary penalties any psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric units determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) not to have in place a discharge planning process meeting certain requirements.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into a system improvement agreement, meeting specified criteria,with a psychiatric hospital or a psychiatric unit that has been determined on multiple occasions not to have such a discharge planning process in place; and (2) appoint temporary management to oversee its operation in the event that the hospital or unit still fails to have a sufficient discharge planning process in place 45 days after entering into such an agreement.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-10-30 00:00:00

Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to the Medicare rural hospital flexibility program and criteria for designation of critical access hospitals, specifically the requirement to provide not more than 25 acute care inpatient beds for inpatient care for up to 96 hours per patient as an annual average.

Permits a facility that was designated a critical access hospital before enactment of this Act, in the alternative, to satisfy such requirement by providing not more than 20 acute care inpatient beds.

Requires all beds to be occupied for the bed count to meet this critical access hospital criterion.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-11-19 00:00:00

Creating Access to Rehabilitation for Every Senior (CARES) Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to coverage of extended care services without regard to the three-day prior hospitalization requirement (non-post-hospital extended care services).

Restricts such coverage to non-post-hospital extended care services in a qualified skilled nursing facility.

Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to study the cost of impact of this Act.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2013-11-21 00:00:00

VA Construction Assistance Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the management of the major medical center construction projects of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been an abysmal failure; and (2) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should fully implement all recommendations made by the Comptroller General in an April 2013 report to improve VA construction procedures.

(Sec. 3) Requires the Secretary, for any construction or alteration project that is a major medical facility project, to: (1) use the services of a medical equipment planner as part of the architectural and engineering firm for the project, (2) develop and use a project management plan to ensure clear and consistent communication among all parties, (3) subject the project to construction peer excellence review, (4) develop a metrics program to enable the monitoring of change-order processing time and goals for the change-order process consistent with the best practices of other federal agencies, and (5) use design-build processes to minimize multiple change orders.

(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to procure the services of the Army Corps of Engineers with respect to appointing not less than one special project manager who has experience in managing construction projects that exceed $60 million to oversee such covered projects until completion. Requires a special project manager to submit to specified congressional committees detailed plans of a covered project and progress reports, which shall include an analysis of all changes ordered by the VA and recommendations for improving the operation of any construction-related activity to reduce costs or complete the project in a more timely manner.

Defines "covered projects" to mean each construction project that is a major medical facility project that: (1) was the subject of a report by the Comptroller General (GAO) titled "Additional Actions Needed to Decrease Delays and Lower Costs of Major Medical-Facility Projects," published in April 2013; and (2) has not been activated to accept patients as of this Act's enactment.

(Sec. 5) Prohibits additional funds from being authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-11-21 00:00:00

Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to payment to hospitals for inpatient hospital services, to revise the payment formula for certain "subsection (d) hospitals" under Medicare.

(Generally, a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS], when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)

Specifies as the kind of subsection (d) hospital to which this payment formula applies any hospital that: (1) first received a payment in 1986 which has an average inpatient length of stay of more than 20 days, and (2) has 80% or more of its annual Medicare inpatient discharges with a principal diagnosis that reflects a finding of neoplastic disease in the 12-month cost reporting period ending in FY1997.

Requires payments for inpatient operating costs, in the case of such hospitals, for cost reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2014, to be based upon the established target amount per discharge, increased for each succeeding cost reporting period by the market basket percentage increase.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-12-11 00:00:00

Two-Midnight Rule Delay Act of 2013 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing the two-midnight rule to a hospital for which payment is made under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for admissions occurring before October 1, 2014.

(The two-midnight rule allows Medicare coverage of only hospital stays for which a physician admits to a hospital a beneficiary expected to require care that crosses two midnights, but generally denies coverage of care expected to require less than a two-midnight stay.)

Applies such prohibition to Medicare review contracts.

Prohibits Medicare review contractors from denying a claim for inpartient hospital services furnished by a hospital, or inpatient critical access hospital services furnished by a critical access hospital, for discharges occurring before October 1, 2014: (1) for medical necessity due to the length of an inpatient stay in such hospital or due to a determination that the services could have been provided on an outpatient basis; or (2) for requirements for orders, certifications, or recertifications, and associated documentation relating to such matters.

Prohibits the Secretary from increasing the sample of claims selected for prepayment review under the Medicare Probe and Educate program above the number and type established by the Secretary as of November 4, 2013.

Directs the Secretary to develop: (1) a Medicare hospital payment methodology for short inpatient hospital stays; (2) general equivalency maps to link the relevant International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)-10 codes (used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures) to relevant Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and the relevant CPT codes to relevant ICD-10 codes, in order to permit comparison of inpatient hospital services and hospital outpatient department servives; and (3) a second crosswalk between Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) codes for inpatient hospital services and Ambulatory Payment Class codes for outpatient hospital services.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-12-11 00:00:00

Medicare CGM Coverage Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to cover continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) (including a transmitter, receiver, sensors, and test strips required for use) as durable medical equipment (DME).
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-12-12 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), during a specified extension period, to extend the therapy supervision nonenforcement instruction (the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals, as extended for calendar year 2013 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services).

Directs the Secretary to study the impact (including the economic impact and the impact upon hospital staffing needs, if any) on critical access hospitals and small rural hospitals of not extending the therapy supervision nonenforcement instruction.
Topic: Health — Medical Facilities
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-12-16 00:00:00

Stark Administrative Simplification Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to prescribe a single civil monetary penalty as an alternative sanction to those already established for compensation arrangements between a physician (or an immediate family member) and a person or entity that is in violation of the limitation on certain physician referrals (Stark Law) solely due to technical noncompliance.

(The Stark law, or Stark Rule, prohibits physician referrals of certain health services for Medicare and Medicaid patients to a specified entity if the physician, or an immediate family member, has a financial relationship with that entity.)

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to accept the voluntary disclosure of a technically noncomplaint compensation arrangement by a person or entity in violation of the Stark Law under certain circumstances.