zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to permit the designation of a certain critical access hospital in Cass County, Minnesota, by exempting it from the requirement that it be certified by the state on or after January 1, 2006, as being a necessary provider of health care services to residents in the area. (Thus restores to Minnesota state authority to waive the application of the 35-mile rule.)

Date: 2007-02-15
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
VA Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative to report on health care quality in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. Requires the Secretary, at least semiannually, to publish reports on VA hospital quality, including assessments of effectiveness, safety, timeliness, and efficiency.

Date: 2007-02-27
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Imposes a two-year moratorium on implementation of a proposed rule ("Medicaid Program; Cost Limit for Providers Operated by Units of Government and Provisions To Ensure the Integrity of Federal-State Financial Partnership") relating to the federal-state financial partnerships under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) under titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act.

Date: 2007-03-07
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Now Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require the President to furnish assistance for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, and elimination.(Current law authorizes such assistance.) Gives priority to activities described in the Stop TB Strategy (as defined by this Act). Revises related fund use provisions. Authorizes the President, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to provide increased resources to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership to improve the capacity of countries with high TB rates and other affected countries to implement the Stop TB Strategy and specific strategies related to addressing drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Authorizes: (1) FY2008-FY2009 appropriations for the President to carry activities to combat tuberculosis; and (2) set-asides from such amounts for global tuberculosis activities by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Date: 2007-03-22
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: International affairs
Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to permit the designation of certain critical access hospitals in Cass County, Minnesota, and Kemper County, Mississippi, by exempting them from the requirement that they be certified by the state on or after January 1, 2006, as being a necessary provider of health care services to residents in the area. (Thus restores to Minnesota and Mississippi state authority to waive the application of the 35-mile rule.)

Date: 2007-03-27
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2007 - Establishes the United States Bipartisan Commission on Access to Emergency Medical Services to: (1) identify and examine factors in the health care delivery, financing, and legal systems that affect the effective delivery of screening and stabilization services furnished in hospitals that have emergency departments pursuant to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA); and (2) make specific recommendations to Congress with respect to federal programs, policies, and financing needed to assure the availability of such screening and stabilization services and the coordination of state, local, and federal programs for responding to disasters and emergencies. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for additional payments for certain physicians' emergency services furnished pursuant to EMTALA. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to convene a working group that includes experts in emergency care, inpatient critical care, hospital operations management, nursing, and other relevant disciplines to develop boarding and diversion standards for hospitals and guidelines, measures, and incentives for implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of such standards. Requires the CMS working group to: (1) identify barriers contributing to delays in timely processing of patients requiring admission as inpatients who initially sought care through the hospital's emergency department; (2) identify best practices to improve patient flow within hospitals; and (3) report to Congress and the Secretary a detailed description of the standards, guidelines, measures, and incentives developed, as well as identified barriers and best practices. Directs the Secretary to establish a mechanism to make public information regarding any hospital that fails to report information requested by the CMS working group.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Helping Fill the Medicare Rx Gap Act of 2007 - Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA), with respect to the annual out of pocket threshold, to count costs incurred in providing prescription drugs by the Indian Health Service, a federally-qualified health center, an AIDS drug assistance program, certain hospitals, or a pharmaceutical manufacturer patient assistance program.

Date: 2007-04-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Critical Access to Clinical Lab Services Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide that clinical diagnostic laboratory services furnished by a critical access hospital shall be treated as being furnished as part of outpatient critical access services without regard to whether: (1) the individual for whom the services are furnished is physically present in the critical access hospital at the time the specimen is collected; (2) such individual is registered as an outpatient on the records of, and receives such services directly from, the critical access hospital; or (3) payment is available for such services under the fee schedule established for clinical diagnostic laboratory tests.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Amends the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 to increase the authorization of appropriations for a major medical facility project to consolidate the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers at the University Drive and H. John Heinz III divisions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Date: 2007-05-15
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a major medical facility project for the modernization of inpatient wards at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia.

Date: 2007-05-15
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Preservation Act of 2007 - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from declaring as excess to the needs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or otherwise disposing or reducing the acreage of, federal land and improvements at the West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, California. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to the congressional veterans and appropriations committees a master plan for the use of such land and improvements; and (2) appoint an advisory committee to advise in developing the master plan.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act - (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program to identify efficient, effective, and economical procedures for long-term care (LTC) facilities or providers to conduct background checks on prospective direct patient access employees on a nationwide basis. (Sec. 4) Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for mandatory state use of the National Correct Coding Initiative administered by the Secretary to promote correct coding and to control improper coding leading to inappropriate payment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify those methodologies of the National Correct Coding Initiative compatible to Medicaid claims; (2) identify those methodologies that should be incorporated into Medicaid claims with respect to items or services for which no national correct coding methodologies have been established under such Initiative; and (3) notify states of such methodologies and how they are to incorporate them into Medicaid claims. (Sec. 5) Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, to extend through FY2017 and increase funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to state Medicare rural hospital flexibility programs, in particular the criteria for designation of critical access hospitals. Revises requirements for the counting of beds for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital. Allows a facility to provide a maximum of 20 (currently 25) acute care inpatient beds, as determined on an annual, average basis. Declares that only occupied beds shall be counted.

Date: 2007-06-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive, where appropriate, the requirement for state designation of a critical access hospital that it be more than a 35-mile drive (or, in the case of mountainous terrain or in areas with only secondary roads available, a 15-mile drive) from another hospital or medical facility.

Date: 2007-06-28
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Hospital Quality Report Card Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to establish a Hospital Quality Report Card Initiative under the Medicare program to report on health care quality in subsection (d) hospitals.Directs the Administrator to establish the Hospital Quality Advisory Committee to advise on the submission, collection, and reporting of quality measures data.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Improving Emergency Medical Care and Response Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting though the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, to award contracts or competitive grants to support demonstration programs that design, implement, and evaluate innovative models of regionalized, comprehensive, and accountable emergency care systems. Requires the Secretary to give priority to entities that serve a population in a medically underserved area. Directs the Secretary to: (1) support federal programs involved in improving the emergency care system to expand and accelerate research in emergency medical care systems and emergency medicine; and (2) support research to determine the estimated economic impact of, and savings that result from, the implementation of coordinated emergency care systems.

Date: 2007-07-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Continuing the Advancement of Quality Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act to require any utilization and quality control peer review organization (also known as a Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)) entering into a contract with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to perform only the function of providing technical assistance for quality improvement and performance measurement to providers, practitioners, and Medicare Advantage organizations offering Medicare Advantage plans under part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII.Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a transition plan for the transfer to Medicare provider review organizations (MPROs) of all other current functions of QIOs.Specifies requirements for an MPRO with responsibility for addressing beneficiary complaints.Requires the Secretary to establish priorities for selection of technical assistance providers.Authorizes a QIO and an MPRO to share individual-specific data obtained from another provider or practitioner with a provider or practitioner who is treating the individual, for quality improvement and patient safety purposes.Directs the Secretary to conduct a comprehensive review of the data-sharing systems, processes, and regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services in order to identify best practices and procedures, including abstraction of medical chart data.Revises qualifications for QIOs.Declares that funding for contracts for peer review of utilization and quality of health care services shall be used solely for providing technical assistance for quality improvement and performance measurement.Revises requirements for annual reports to specified congressional committees on QIOs.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Build, Update, Improve, Lift, and Design Health Centers Act of 2007 or the BUILD Act  Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to health centers to: (1) modernize, expand, and replace existing facilities; and (2) construct new facilities at such centers. Requires the Secretary to establish a loan guarantee program for loans to health centers for capital need projects, including: (1) acquiring, leasing, modernizing, expanding, or replacing existing facilities; (2) constructing new facilities; (3) purchasing or leasing equipment; and (4) the costs of refinancing loans made for any such projects.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate, establish, and operate at least six Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care facilities as locations for epilepsy centers of excellence. Requires the Under Secretary for Health of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to establish a peer review panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals for the designation of such centers. Prohibits the Secretary from designating a VA facility as a center of excellence unless the peer review panel has determined that the proposal submitted by such facility is among those that meet the highest competitive standards of scientific and clinical merit. Requires the Secretary to designate a VHA national coordinator for epilepsy programs to: (1) supervise the operation of the centers; (2) coordinate and support throughout the VA health-care system better access to diagnosis, research, care, and education for epilepsy and traumatic brain injury; and (3) conduct regular evaluations of the centers. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Pain Care Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out at each Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facility an initiative on pain care which shall include, for each individual receiving treatment at such facility: (1) an assessment for pain at the time of admission or initial treatment, and periodic assessments thereafter; and (2) appropriate pain care including, when necessary, access to specialty pain management services. Directs the Secretary to carry out within the Medical and Prosthetic Research Service of the Veterans Health Administration a program of research and training on acute and chronic pain. Requires the Secretary, under such program, to designate cooperative centers for research and education on pain, with at least one center as a lead center for research on pain attributable to central and peripheral nervous system damage commonly associated with battlefield injuries characteristic of modern warfare.

Date: 2007-10-15
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Ambulatory Surgical Center Medicare Payment Modernization Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the requirements and the formula for payments for services, including an implantable medical device, furnished to individuals in ambulatory surgical centers.

Date: 2007-10-26
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Urban Health Care Delivery Act of 2007 - Revises requirements for adjustments in payments made by a state under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for inpatient hospital services furnished by a disproportionate share hospital (DSH). Provides that DSH payment adjustments made by a state to a state- or local government- owned or operated hospital providing up to 450 inpatient beds, and meeting certain other criteria, shall be made without regard, and in addition, to the standard DSH allotment limitation on federal financial participation. Caps such adjustments at 175% of the costs of furnishing such services. Prescribes criteria for such a hospital, including operation of a community mental health center, a burn center serving the entire state, and a Level I trauma center with at least 100,000 encounters per year.

Date: 2007-10-29
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) establish, and appoint the Director of, the Office of Antimicrobial Resistance to develop plans for addressing antimicrobial resistance in the United States and internationally; (2) establish the Public Health Antimicrobial Advisory Board to assist the Director; and (3) develop an antimicrobial resistance strategic research plan. Renews the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force and sets forth its membership and duties.Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the submission of human and animal drug distribution data to the Office of Antimicrobial Resistance, the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force, and the Public Health Antimicrobial Advisory Board. Requires the Director to make drug distribution data publicly available by antimicrobial drug class.Requires the Secretary to establish at least 10 Antimicrobial Resistance Clinical Research and Public Health Network sites to describe outbreaks of antimicrobial resistant pathogens and monitor the patterns of such pathogens in individuals.

Date: 2007-11-06
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
National Trauma Center Stabilization Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the grant program for trauma care centers by: (1) establishing three programs to award grants to public, non-profit, Indian Health Service, Indian tribal, and urban Indian trauma centers to assist in defraying substantial uncompensated care costs, further the core mission of such trauma centers, and provide emergency relief to trauma centers at risk of closing; and (2) setting forth minimum qualifications for trauma centers, including requirements for the treatment of charity or self-pay patients.

Date: 2007-11-07
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Medicare Sole Community Hospital Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, particularly the transitional adjustment for sole community hospitals to limit any decline in payment. Holds sole community hospitals permanently harmless from any decline in payment. Increases the payment for covered OPD services in a sole community hospital by the amount of any difference between the pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (pre-BBA) amount and a lesser PPS amount.Specifies the rebasing of the payment-to-cost ratio for sole community hospitals for cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2007.

Date: 2007-11-16
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Medicare Quality Improvement Organization Modernization Act of 2007 - Amends title XI of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require utilization and quality control peer review organizations to offer quality improvement assistance to providers, practitioners who provide health care items and services to individuals dually eligible for benefits under SSA titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid), and programs that provide items and services to such individuals. Requires the organization to establish a Medicare quality accountability program. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, to contract with an entity to conduct a medical review audit to evaluate whether quality improvement organizations are making appropriate noncompliance determinations and sanction recommendations to the Secretary regarding health care practitioners and providers with respect to a corrective action plan. Revises requirements for the quality improvement program (QIO), including program administration, data disclosure, use of evaluation and competition, quality improvement organization program funding, and qualifications for QIOs under part B (Peer Review) of SSA title XI.

Date: 2007-11-16
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Nursing Home Quality and Transparency Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disclose, through the use of the Internet website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the identities of those long-term care facilities that appear on the list of special focus facilities (poor-performing nursing homes) under the Special Focus Facility Program of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Date: 2007-12-13
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Skilled Trades Second Responders Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to establish a national program for the training, certification, registration, tracking, and integration of skilled construction workers to assist first responders in responding to disasters, including natural and manmade disasters and terrorist attacks.Requires the Director to coordinate and consult with the Department of Homeland Security, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), other relevant agencies, and private organizations, including construction industry contractors, joint labor-management training funds, and building trade unions, that are experienced in providing rescue and recovery assistance to first responders and in the cleanup, demolition, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of disaster sites after recovery operations.

Date: 2007-12-18
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Emergency management
State Fiscal Relief Act of 2008 - Provides that, if the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) determined without regard to this Act under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act for a state for FY2008 is less than the FMAP as so determined for FY2007, the FY2007 FMAP shall be substituted for the state's otherwise applicable FMAP for the second, third, and fourth calendar quarters of FY2008. Provides also that, if the FMAP determined without regard to this Act for a state for FY2009 is less than the FMAP as so determined for FY2008, the FY2008 FMAP shall be substituted for the state's otherwise applicable FMAP for the first and second calendar quarters of FY2009. Provides that, for each eligible state for the second, third, and, fourth calendar quarters of FY2008, and for the first and second calendar quarters of FY2009, the FMAP shall be increased by 1.225% points. Provides for an increase in cap on Medicaid payments to territories. Makes a state eligible for such an FMAP increase, and a territory for an increase in a cap amount, only if eligibility under its Medicaid plan is no more restrictive than the eligibility under such plan (or waiver) as in effect on December 31, 2007. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2009 for payments to states (temporary state fiscal relief) for use in: (1) providing government services; (2) covering the costs of complying with any federal intergovernmental mandate to the extent that the federal government has not provided funds to cover such costs; or (3) compensating for a decline in federal funding to the state.

Date: 2008-01-31
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to direct skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities to make available, upon request, ownership and affiliated parties information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and other responsible parties. Outlines accountability requirements for such institutions. Requires specified additional information to appear on the Department of Health and Human Services Nursing Home Compare Website. Requires SNFs to separately report expenditures for wages and benefits for different levels of nursing staff. Directs the Secretary to develop a standardized form for use by a resident (or a person acting on the resident's behalf) in filing a complaint about a SNF with a state survey and certification agency or long-term care ombudsman program. Requires a state to establish a complaint resolution process. Directs the Secretary to establish a program for SNFs to report staffing information based on payroll data. Increases certain civil monetary penalties for SNF violations. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on: (1) the financial status, resident care, and performance of SNFs and nursing facilities in the Special Focus Facility (or a successor) program of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services relative to a comparable sample of facilities outside such program; and (2) best practices for, and barriers to, the appointment of temporary management for SNFs with a record of poor care. Directs the Secretary to provide for an national independent monitoring program to oversee interstate and large intrastate chains of SNFs. Requires a SNF administrator to notify the Secretary and other responsible parties of an impending closure of the facility. Directs the Secretary to conduct demonstration projects on culture change and use of information technology in SNFs and nursing facilities. Provides for dementia management training and patient abuse prevention training. Directs the Secretary to study and report to Congress on training for certified nurse aides and supervisory staff of SNFs and nursing facilities.

Date: 2008-02-14
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out major medical facility projects (projects) in FY2009 in: (1) Palo Alto, California; (2) Lee County, Florida; (3) San Juan, Puerto Rico; and (4) San Antonio, Texas. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out projects in FY2009, as originally authorized under the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in Denver, Colorado, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out specified major medical facility leases (leases) in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Authorizes appropriations for projects and leases authorized under this Act.

Date: 2008-04-02
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt certain rural hospitals from the 12% cap on disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustment percentages.

Date: 2008-04-14
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide coordination and assistance for the maintenance of the nationwide toll-free phone number to access poison control centers. Requires the Secretary to carry out and expand upon a national media campaign to educate the public and health care providers about poison prevention and the availability of poison control center resources in local communities. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with nationally recognized organizations in the field of poison control and national media firms for the development and implementation of a nationwide poison prevention and poison control center awareness campaign. Expands the poison control center grant program to allow the Secretary to award grants for poison control centers to comply with the operational requirements needed to sustain certification. Adds as the purposes for which such grants may be used: (1) to establish and evaluate best practices in the United States for poison prevention, poison control center outreach, and emergency and preparedness programs; (2) to implement standard patient management guidelines for commonly encountered toxic exposures; (3) to develop, support, and enhance technology and capabilities of professional organizations in the field of poison control to collect national poisoning, toxic occurrence, and related public health data; and (4) to develop initiatives to foster the enhanced public health utilization of national poison data. Eliminates matching requirements for such grants.Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2014.

Date: 2008-04-29
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
American Energy Production Act of 2008 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permit projected lines of states adjacent to the subsoil and seabed of the outer Continental Shelf to be used for oil and gas preleasing and leasing activities. Authorizes the governor of a state with a new producing area within the offshore administrative boundaries beyond the submerged land of the state to petition the Secretary of Energy requesting that the Secretary make new producing areas available for oil and gas leasing.Provides for disposition of outer Continental Shelf revenues from new producing areas to the Treasury and to new producing states and coastal political subdivisions.Sets forth a lease sales program for oil and gas development within the Coastal Plain located on a certain map entitled "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Prescribes environmental protection procedures for the Coastal Plain.Requires the State of Alaska to establish in is state treasury the "Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund," to assist designated Alaska entities impacted by the oil and gas exploration and production.Prohibits exportation of oil or gas produced under this Act. Prescribes a refinery permitting process.Suspends petroleum acquisition for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.Amends the Clean Air Act to include renewable biomass within its purview.Sets forth an advanced battery manufacturing incentive program.Instructs the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency to implement a research and development program for adding materials to biofuels to make the biofuels more compatible with infrastructure used to store and deliver petroleum-based fuels.Instructs the Secretary of Energy to study and report to Congress on: (1) the feasibility of increasing consumption in the United States of ethanol-blended gasoline with specified levels of ethanol; and (2) specified diesel vehicle attributes.Clean Coal-Derived Fuels for Energy Security Act of 2008 - Directs the President to promulgate regulations to ensure that covered fuel introduced into commerce in the United States on an annual average basis contains a specified volume and percentage of clean coal-derived fuel. Grants a temporary exemption to small refineries.Amends the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008 to repeal the proscription against final regulations for commercial oil shale leasing program on public land.Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal the proscription against federal agency contracts for procurement of alternative or synthetic fuel. Authorizes the Department of Defense to enter into multiyear contracts to purchase synthetic fuels.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Energy
Outpatient Mental Health Modernization Act of 2008 - Establishes a moratorium between January 1, 2009, and January 1, 2010, on changes in the Medicare outpatient department (OPD) fee schedule amount established for partial hospital (episode and visit) services. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) establish an accreditation program for community mental health centers providing partial hospitalization services; (2) require a specified reduction in the OPD fee schedule increase factor for any such center that fails to submit required data on its partial hospitalization services; and (3) establish a minimum number of four units of items and services as a requirement for coverage of such services. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require fiscal intermediaries under the Medicare program to file the cost reports of providers of partial hospitalization services into the Healthcare Provider Cost Reporting Information System (HCRIS) maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Date: 2008-06-11
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) submit to Congress a plan to introduce pay-for-performance mechanisms into contracts which compensate Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contractors for the provision of veterans' health care services through community-based outpatient clinics (clinics); (2) commence plan implementation within 60 days after submission, unless Congress enacts a law prohibiting or modifying plan implementation; and (3) report semiannually to Congress on the advisability of utilizing such mechanisms in the provision of VA health care services by means in addition to such clinics.

Date: 2008-06-26
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Rural Hospital Assistance Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the additional inpatient hospital service payment (payment adjustment) for low-volume hospitals (usually meaning a "subsection (d) hospital" located more than 25 road miles from another subsection (d) hospital and having less than 800 discharges during the fiscal year.) Redefines low-volume hospital, for discharges occurring during FY2009 only, as a "subsection (d) hospital" located more than 15 (instead of 25) road miles from another "subsection (d) hospital" and having less than 1,500 (instead of 800) discharges of individuals entitled to, or enrolled for, Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) benefits ("tweeners,'' or hospitals too large to be critical access hospitals, but too small to be financially viable under the Medicare hospital prospective payment system (PPS)). Revises, for FY2009 only, the temporary applicable percentage in the formula for determining the payment adjustment for such hospitals. Requires the use of the non-wage adjusted prospective payment rate (PPS) rate during FY2009 under the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program. Prescribes requirements for hospitals to qualify for a Medicare hospital exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which such physicians have an ownership or investment interest in the entity. (Eliminates the Medicare hospital exception for physician-owned hospitals, but provides a limited exception for existing facilities.)

Date: 2008-07-22
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Green Hospitals, Healthy Hospitals Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting in conjunction with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to provide nonprofit hospitals and health care institutions with 30-year no interest loans to enable such institutions to comply with the guidelines of the Green Guide for Health Care or successor regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on green building technologies.Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine for a report on the use of green building technologies, waste management techniques, and other environmentally sustainable practices to improve employee performance, reduce health care costs, and improve patient outcomes. Requires the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to include in its annual report on health care quality a summary of the most recent research on green health care and the ways in which environmentally sustainable practices can improve employee performance, reduce health care costs, and improve patient outcomes.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Healthy Food for Healthy Lives Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide demonstration grants to eligible entities to purchase eligible local or regional products from participating vendors to improve the availability of nutritious meals for: (1) patients and employees of, and visitors to, eligible hospitals, including Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical and nursing facilities; and (2) clients of eligible social service organizations that provide nutrition services.

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Nevada Cancer Institute Expansion Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to accept the relinquishment of all or part of the Alta-Hualapai Site by the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Directs the Secretary, after relinquishment of all or part of the Alta-Hualapai Site, to convey to the Nevada Cancer Institute (the Institute) in Las Vegas, the part of the Site that is necessary for the development of a nonprofit cancer institute. Requires the Secretary, after a request from the city, to convey to the city any remaining part of the Alta-Hualapai Site necessary for ancillary medical or nonprofit use compatible with the Institute's mission. Requires the Secretary to submit a report on all transactions conducted under Public Law 105-263 (the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998). Authorizes the Secretary to grant rights-of-way to the Las Vegas Valley Water District on a portion of the Alta-Hualapai Site for a flood control project and a water pumping facility.

Date: 2009-01-07
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Rural Hospital Assistance Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the additional inpatient hospital service payment (payment adjustment) for low-volume hospitals (usually meaning a "subsection (d) hospital" located more than 25 road miles from another subsection (d) hospital and having less than 800 discharges during the fiscal year.) (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.) Redefines low-volume hospital, for discharges occurring during FY2009 only, as a subsection (d) hospital located more than 15 (instead of 25) road miles from another subsection (d) hospital and having less than 1,500 (instead of 800) discharges of individuals entitled to, or enrolled for, Medicare part A (Hospital Insurance) benefits ("tweeners,'' or hospitals too large to be critical access hospitals, but too small to be financially viable under the Medicare hospital prospective payment system (PPS)). Revises, for FY2010 only, the temporary applicable percentage in the formula for determining the payment adjustment for such hospitals. Requires the use of the non-wage adjusted prospective payment rate (PPS) rate during FY2010 under the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program. Prescribes requirements for hospitals to qualify for a Medicare hospital exception to the prohibition on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which such physicians have an ownership or investment interest in the entity. (Eliminates the Medicare hospital exception for physician-owned hospitals, but provides a limited exception for existing facilities.)

Date: 2009-01-09
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Waives the 35-mile requirement for designation of a critical access hospital (CAH) under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for a hospital located in Osceola, Missouri.

Date: 2009-01-13
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to state Medicare rural hospital flexibility programs, in particular the criteria for designation of critical access hospitals. Revises requirements for the counting of beds for purposes of determining whether a hospital may be designated as a critical access hospital. Allows a facility to provide a maximum of 20 (currently 25) acute care inpatient beds, as determined on an annual, average basis. Declares that only occupied beds shall be counted. Exempts from the critical access hospital inpatient bed limitation beds provided to certain veterans.

Date: 2009-01-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
National Trauma Center Stabilization Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions governing grants to trauma centers. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish four programs to award grants to public or nonprofit trauma centers to: (1) assist in defraying substantial uncompensated care costs; (2) further a center's core mission; (3) provide emergency relief to ensure continued and future availability of trauma service; and (4) support the development and maintenance of innovative information technology systems. Sets forth: (1) minimum qualifications of eligible centers, including requirements for levels of uncompensated care provided; and (2) preferences for awarding grants among level I, II, III, and IV trauma centers and among centers based on the changing availability of or demand for trauma care in the area served and financial need. Requires grantees to submit a long-term plan for providing trauma care.Requires the Secretary to: (1) annually determine and notify centers of their eligibility to receive a grant; and (2) periodically report on the status of such grants, the financial stability of the centers, the populations using the centers, and the effectiveness and efficiency of center activities.Authorizes appropriations for such grants for FY2010-FY2015 and specifies percentages to be reserved for the different types of grants.

Date: 2009-02-10
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Sole Community Hospital Preservation Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to the prospective payment system (PPS) for hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, particularly the transitional adjustment for sole community hospitals to limit any decline in payment. Continues to hold sole community hospitals harmless from any decline in payment. Increases the payment for covered OPD services furnished on or after January 1, 2010, in a sole community hospital by the amount of any difference between the pre-Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (pre-BBA) amount and a lesser PPS amount. Prescribes an increase of 7.1% in payment for such services (before the application of outliers and coinsurance). Permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise such percentage based on a study comparing costs incurred by sole community hospitals located in rural areas by ambulatory payment classification groups (APCs) to costs incurred by hospitals located in urban areas. Bars any such increase in payment for devices, drugs, or biologicals.

Date: 2009-02-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
RECOVER Act (Restoring Essential Care for Our Veterans for Effective Recovery) - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, if a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility that would otherwise provide covered medical services to veterans residing in an area for which a major disaster is declared is unable to provide such services for at least 180 days due to such disaster, to contract with one or more non-VA facilities in that area to provide such services to veterans who reside within 150 miles of the VA facility that is unable to provide the services. Makes such requirement inapplicable to a VA facility that is closed, or that the Secretary intends to close, as part of the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process. Makes this Act applicable to any VA facility unable to provide covered services on or after August 29, 2005, by reason of a major disaster.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Long Term Care Quality Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require skilled nursing facilities to separately report expenditures for wages and benefits for nursing staff (by staff level, breaking out (at a minimum) registered nurses, licensed professional nurses, and certified nurse assistants).

Date: 2009-02-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Liver Research Enhancement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Center on Liver Disease Research in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to ensure the development of increased understanding of, and better treatments and cures for, liver disease. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the Liver Disease Research Advisory Board to: (1) advise and assist the Director of the Center concerning matters relating to liver disease research; and (2) develop the Liver Disease Research Action Plan to identify scientific opportunities and priorities of liver disease research. Requires the Director of each institute or center within NIH to allocate for liver disease research amounts necessary to: (1) fund existing scientific research opportunities; and (2) carry out the recommendations of the Plan.

Date: 2009-02-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Pay for all your Undocumented Procedures (PAY UP!) Act of 2009 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to make permanent the program of federal reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens. Requires a reallotment of unspent program funds in a fiscal year among eligible providers in full expenditure states according to a specified ratio. Requires addition of such funds to the aggregate amount available for allotment for the succeeding fiscal year in the event there is no full expenditure state.

Date: 2009-03-09
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Designates the circle drive in front of the main entrance of the Oscar G. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility in Iron Mountain, Michigan, as "Sergeant First Class James D. Priestap Drive."

Date: 2009-03-10
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Puerto Rico Medicare Reimbursement Equity Act of 2009 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise the formula for the Medicare inpatient hospital services payment rate for Puerto Rico hospitals to: (1) reduce the applicable Puerto Rico percentage from 25% to zero; and (2) increase the applicable federal percentage from 75% to 100%.

Date: 2009-03-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health