zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Nursing School Clinics Act of 2011 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of nursing school clinic services.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain support organizations for tax-exempt teaching hospitals to acquire debt secured by income-producing real property used to provide financial support for such hospitals.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Taxation
Designates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) telehealth clinic in Craig, Colorado, as the "Major William Edward Adams Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic."

Date: 2011-02-14
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Meeting the Inpatient Health Care Needs of Far South Texas Veterans Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) ensure that the South Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Harlingen, Texas, includes a full-service VA inpatient health care facility; and (2) if needed, modify the existing facility to meet this requirement. Requires the Secretary to report on specific actions to be taken to satisfy such requirement.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to prohibit any federal or state requirement to increase energy efficient lighting in public buildings from requiring a hospital, school, day care center, mental health facility, or nursing home to install or use energy efficient lighting that contains mercury.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Energy
Community Hospital Jobs Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to deem to meet the criteria for a sole community hospital (SCH), with respect to discharges during FY2011-FY2013, any hospital with Medicare provider number 51-0047. (An SCH is one which: (1) is more than 50 miles from any similar hospital, (2) is the exclusive provider of services to at least 75% of its service area populations, or (3) has been designated as an SCH under previous rules. An SCH is allowed special payment options under the Medicare Diagnostic Related Group [DRG] program.)

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Clinical Social Work Medicare Equity Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude clinical social worker services from coverage under the Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (thus permitting direct payment under the Medicare program for clinical social worker services provided to SNF residents).

Date: 2011-03-15
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the northern Rockies or the Dakotas. Requires the Fort Harrison Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, to be evaluated as a potential location for such a Center or Site.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Puerto Rico Hospital HITECH Amendments of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to apply Medicare HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ) payments to subsection (d) hospitals in Puerto Rico. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)

Date: 2011-03-30
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Title X Transparency and Verification Act - Requires the  Secretary of Health and Human Services to disclose on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website the results of audits of entities that receive funds for activities under title X (Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs) of the Public Health Service Act.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from using bid savings on a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) major medical facility project to expand or change the scope of a project unless the Secretary submits to the congressional veterans and appropriations committees a description of such expansion or change, along with notification of: (1) the project that is the source of the bid savings, (2) the project for which the expansion or change is to be used, and (3) the amounts which the Secretary intends to obligate for the expansion or change.

Date: 2011-05-10
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement a staffing plan that includes a minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratio by unit, adjustments above the minimum ratio under appropriate circumstances, and compliance with minimum licensed practical nurse staffing requirements. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a national acuity tool to establish nurse staffing requirements above minimum ratios. Directs the Secretary to adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs incurred in providing services to Medicare beneficiaries that are attributable to compliance with such ratios. Gives a nurse the right to act as the patient's advocate, including by initiating action to improve health care or to change decisions or activities that are against the interests and wishes of the patient and by giving the patient an opportunity to make informed decision about health care before it is provided. Authorizes a nurse to refuse to accept an assignment if it would violate minimum ratios under this Act or if the nurse is not prepared by education, training, or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of any patient or jeopardizing the license of the nurse. Prohibits a hospital from: (1) taking specified actions against a nurse based on the nurse's refusal to accept an assignment for such a reason; or (2) discriminating against any patient, employee, or any other individual for good faith complaints or grievances relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or of any affiliated or related facilities. Prohibits actions by hospitals to restrain such rights. Includes stipends in the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program. Expands the nurse retention grant program to authorize programs to implement nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Pharmacy Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirements Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Internal Revenue Code, and part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to prohibit a group or individual health plan from entering into a contract with any pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) to manage the prescription drug coverage provided under such plan or to control the costs of such coverage, unless the PBM satisfies the requirements of this Act. Directs a PBM to provide at least annually a report to each plan sponsor that includes information on the number and total costs of prescriptions under the contract, payments to pharmacies, payments from pharmaceutical manufacturers, and generic drugs and brand name drugs dispensed. Sets forth provisions governing the interaction between a PBM and pharmacies that contract with the PBM, including requiring a PBM to: (1) include in contracts drug pricing information and agree to provide timely updates on pricing, (2) agree to pay pharmacies promptly for clean claims, (3) not exclude qualifying pharmacies willing to accept terms and conditions of PBM, and (4) require each pharmacy to sign a contract before assuming responsibility to fill prescriptions for a PBM. Prohibits a PBM from mandating or providing incentives to beneficiaries for use of a pharmacy in which the PBM has an ownership interest. Sets forth limits on audits of pharmacy providers by PBM, including with respect to record keeping, appeals, and recoupment. Establishes limits and notice requirements related to PBM's selling claims or utilization data.

Date: 2011-05-24
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Alaska Hero's Card Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a two-year pilot program assessing the feasibility and advisability of carrying out a program by which certain veterans entitled to VA services residing in communities in the state of Alaska that are inaccessible by motor vehicle can, subject to exceptions, receive necessary hospital care or medical services at any hospital or medical facility or from any medical provider eligible to receive payments under: (1) titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act, (2) the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program), or (3) the Indian health program. Requires the cost of any hospital care or medical service provided under the pilot program to be borne by the United States from amounts other than amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for an Indian health program. Directs the Secretary to take measures ensuring that covered veterans are not billed for hospital care and medical services received under the pilot program. Requires the Secretary, in carrying out the pilot program, to issue to each covered veteran a card to be known as an "Alaska Hero Card" that such veteran may present to an authorized provider to establish the covered veteran's eligibility for hospital care and medical services under the pilot program. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a list of authorized providers from whom a covered veteran may receive hospital care and medical services under the pilot program.

Date: 2011-06-06
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Ambulatory Surgical Center Quality and Access Act of 2011 - 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 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 of HHS 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. States that the conditions for coverage of ASC services specified by the Secretary shall not prohibit ASCs from providing individuals with any notice of rights or other required notice on the date of a procedure if more advanced notice is not feasible under the circumstances, including when a procedure is scheduled and performed on the same day.

Date: 2011-06-09
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, region that is within a reasonable driving distance of Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, and Holloman Air Force Base. Requires the Fort Bayard Medical Center in Grant County, New Mexico, to be evaluated as a potential location for such a Center or Site.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) a center for technical assistance to assist non-VA health providers who furnish care to veterans in rural areas. Makes the head of such center the Director of the Rural Veterans Health Care Technical Assistance Center. Requires the Secretary, in selecting the center's location, to give preference to a location that, among other things: (1) has a high number of veterans in rural and highly rural areas, and (2) is near one or more entities carrying out programs and activities relating to health care for rural populations.

Date: 2011-09-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
National Disaster Medical System Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to: (1) authorize appropriations for providing for the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the operations of the National Disaster Medical System for FY2012-FY2016, and (2) authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to determine and pay claims for reimbursement for health-related social services, other human services, and auxiliary services to respond to the needs of victims of a a public health emergency directly or by contract providing for payment in advance or by way of reimbursement.

Date: 2011-11-07
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Medical Surge Capacity Act - Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive or modify certain requirements with respect to health care items and services furnished by a health care provider in a geographical area in which, and in a period during which, one (current law requires both) of the following exists: (1) an emergency or disaster declared by the President pursuant to the National Emergencies Act or the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, or (2) a public health emergency declared by the Secretary. Allows the Secretary to deem an emergency area to include a geographical area into which individuals from the emergency area are evacuated and receiving care. Extends the limitation on the duration of waivers of certain actions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act and certain sanctions and penalties under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) from 72 to 96 hours beginning upon implementation of a hospital disaster protocol.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Urban Medicare-Dependent Hospitals Preservation Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2011, and before October 1, 2014, to revise the criteria and payment formula for "subsection (d) hospitals" which are urban Medicare-dependent hospitals. (Generally a subsection (d) hospital is an acute care hospital particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)

Date: 2011-11-17
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Conrad State 30 Improvement Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to make the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program permanent. Includes in the priority worker preference allocation for employment-based immigrants alien physicians who have completed service requirements of a state waiver or exemption, plus an additional two years at the waiver-identified location or in a health care shortage area (including alien physicians who completed such service prior to enactment of this Act). Exempts H-1B nonimmigrant aliens seeking to enter the United States to pursue graduate medical education or training from specified entry limitations (including permitting extension of the six-year authorized period of admission under specified circumstances). Increases the number of alien physicians that a state may be allocated from 30 to 35 per fiscal year under specified circumstances. Permits an alien physician, after fulfilling a three-year service period with a health care employer, to apply for employment with a new health care employer in a health care shortage area.

Date: 2011-12-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Immigration
Community Integrated Nursing Care Homes Demonstration Program Act or the CINCH Demonstration Program Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish the CINCH demonstration program to test the viability of multiple small-house nursing care homes that are embedded within residential neighborhoods and collectively certified to provide services through a single eligible operating entity in order to reduce administrative costs and provide cost savings to Medicare and Medicaid programs. Sets forth requirements a small-house nursing care home must meet to be eligible to participate, including requirements to: (1) be certified by a government entity to operate a nursing home; (2) operate in compliance with any direct care and certified nurse assistant staffing requirements under federal, state, and local law; (3) provide nursing home services that shall not be less comprehensive or high-acuity than services provided by the eligible operating entity within the immediate surrounding community; (4) provide for meals cooked in the nursing home; (5) meet specified staffing, care, service, and training levels; and (6) consist of a specified physical environment that is designed to look and feel like a home, rather than an institution. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct the program for a five-year period; (2) select up to six sites to participate, each to be operated by a different entity, with not less than two sites located in rural areas; (3) develop a process to allow a site, after the demonstration program, to continue operation through a single entity and to receive certification as a single provider for purposes of Medicare and Medicaid; and (4) select a technical assistance provider responsible for selecting, assisting, and evaluating the performance of eligible operating entities and ensuring that small-house nursing care homes satisfy this Act's requirements.

Date: 2011-12-16
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2013: (1) the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program; and (2) increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program.

Date: 2012-05-07
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a major medical facility lease for a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinic at Ewa Plain, Oahu, Hawaii. Designates such clinic as the "Daniel Kahikina Akaka Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic."

Date: 2012-06-21
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require personnel who perform or plan the technical component of either medical imaging examinations or radiation therapy procedures for medical purposes to possess, effective 42 months after enactment of this Act: (1) certification in each medical imaging or radiation therapy modality and service they plan or perform from a certification organization designated under this Act; and (2) state licensure or certification where such services and modalities are within the scope of practice as defined by the state for such profession, if the state requires licensure, certification, or registration. Exempts physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants from the requirements of this Act. Gives individuals who are enrolled in specified training or certification programs when the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) publishes the list of approved certification organizations an additional six months from the date of completion of the training program to become fully qualified under this Act. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program for designating certification organizations after consideration of specified criteria; (2) provide a process for individuals whose training or experience is determined to be equal to, or in excess of, that of a graduate of an accredited educational program in that specialty to demonstrate that their experience meets the educational standards for qualified personnel in their imaging modality or radiation therapy procedures; and (3) publish a list of designated certification organizations. Authorizes the Secretary to waive standards under this Act or to develop alternative standards for rural or health professional shortage areas as appropriate. Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow Medicare payment for medical imaging and radiation therapy services furnished on or after 42 months after enactment of this Act, only if the examination or procedure is planned or performed by an individual who meets this Act's requirements.

Date: 2012-06-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to transport individuals to and from facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in connection with vocational rehabilitation, counseling, examination, treatment, or care.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Improving Dementia Care Treatment for Older Adults Act of 2012 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to establish and implement prescriber education programs to promote high quality evidence-based treatment through the development and dissemination of objective, educational, and informational materials to physicians and other prescribing practitioners, including such a program developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Amends SSA titles XVIII and XIX (Medicaid) with respect to the review and reporting of antipsychotics prescribed to skilled nursing facility (SNF) and nursing facility residents with dementia. Directs the Secretary to develop a standardized protocol for such facilities to obtain informed consent from an older adult with dementia before prescribing an antipsychotic to him or her for a use not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Directs the Comptroller General to study state laws and regulations concerning informed consent with respect to the administration of a psychoactive medication with regard to the effectiveness of such laws and practices in changing the frequency of prescribing of such medications to older adults with dementia. Directs the Secretary to include a measure of the utilization of antipsychotics for each such facility for inclusion on the Nursing Home Compare Website as part of the quality measures or health inspection measures, or both such measures, under the Five-Star Quality Rating System. Directs the Comptroller General to study the impact of the standardized protocol for obtaining informed consent under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies to study appropriate prescribing of antipsychotics for hospital inpatients and whether documentation of antipsychotic use in patients with dementia is provided during transitions of care from hospitals to other care settings.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Veterans Timely Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that the standard for access to care for a veteran seeking hospital care and medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is 30 days from the date the veteran contacts the VA.

Directs the Secretary to periodically review the performance of VA medical facilities in meeting such standard.

Requires quarterly reports from the Secretary to the congressional veterans' committees on the VA's experience with respect to appointment waiting times.

Date: 2013-01-14
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Physician Availability Act of 2013 - Requires each covered hospital to have a qualified physician available in the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to attend to the needs of the hospital's inpatients. Defines a "covered hospital" to: (1) include hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid or receiving federal funds, and (2) exclude hospitals in a federal facility or hospitals that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines have fewer than 100 licensed beds.

 Considers a physician to be available if: (1) the physician is physically present in the hospital; (2) the physician's primary responsibility is to be in attendance to serve the needs of the hospital's inpatients without delay; and (3) the physician is not physically present in, assigned to, serving in, or expected to cover the hospital's emergency room or emergency department.

Sets forth penalties for violations.

Date: 2013-01-14
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Safe Food for Seniors Act of 2013 - Amends titles XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require the full-time director of food services at a Medicare skilled nursing facility or a Medicaid nursing facility, if not a qualified dietitian, to be a Certified Dietary Manager meeting the requirements of the Certifying Board for Dietary Managers or have equivalent military or academic qualifications.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Meeting the Inpatient Health Care Needs of Far South Texas Veterans Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) ensure that the South Texas Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Harlingen, Texas, includes a full-service VA inpatient health care facility; and (2) if needed, modify the existing facility to meet this requirement.

Requires the Secretary to report on specific actions to be taken to satisfy such requirement.

Date: 2013-02-06
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Efficiencies Through Savings Act of 2013 or VETS Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the provision of medical care by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for: (1) any 75 square mile area where three or more VA outpatient clinics are located, and (2) any 100 square mile area where two or more VA hospitals are located.

Date: 2013-02-26
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Rural Health Clinic Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare: (1) electronic health record (EHR) incentives to eligible professionals practicing in rural health clinics, and (2) electronic prescribing (eRx) and quality reporting incentives to such clinics.

Revises requirements for incentive payments to such professionals who are meaningful EHR users or who submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) satisfactory quality data reports. Directs the Secretary to reduce the applicable incentive payments that would otherwise be determined by a budget-neutral amount calculated according to a specified formula to ensure that estimated aggregate payments are not increased as a result of this Act.

Date: 2013-03-06
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to deem an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital to be an inpatient with respect to satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital requirement in order to entitle the individual to Medicare coverage of any post-hospital extended care services in a skilled nursing facility (SNF).

Date: 2013-03-14
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act of 2013 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to require state Medicaid plans to provide that the state will establish and maintain laws to require disclosure of information on hospital charges, to make such information available to the public, and to provide individuals with information about estimated out-of-pocket costs for health care services.

Directs the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to research and report to Congress on: (1) the types of information on the charges and out-of-pocket costs for health care services that individuals find useful in making decisions about where, when, and from whom to receive care; (2) how such types of information vary by whether they have health benefits coverage, and what kinds; and (3) ways in which such information may be available on a timely basis and in easy-to-understand form to individuals facing such decisions.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Electronic Health Records Improvement Act - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exempt certain eligible physicians in solo practice and physicians near early retirement age from the application of the Medicare payment adjustment for not demonstrating electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use for certain payment years.

Establishes a special rebate for eligible professionals who receive a negative adjustment to their payments for failure to establish an EHR process but subsequently do establish a process meeting the criteria for establishing meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

Creates specified additional exceptions to the application of the Medicare negative payment adjustment for certain Medicaid providers participating in the Medicaid EHR incentive program and hospital-based eligible professionals not demonstrating EHR meaningful use.

Adds as a criterion for meaningful EHR user that an eligible professional satisfactorily uses a qualified national specialty registry system that measures quality improvement or improves patient safety.

Directs the Secretary to specify criteria for determining: (1) if a national specialty registry system is qualified under this Act, and (2) if an eligible professional has demonstrated satisfactory use of such a system for a period.

Extends: (1) Medicare EHR incentives (increased payments and adjustments) to eligible professionals practicing in rural health clinics, and (2) Medicare Electronic Prescribing (ERx) and quality reporting incentives to rural health clinics.

Disqualifies claims for items or services furnished by an eligible professional at an ambulatory surgical center during performance years for the 2015, 2016, or 2017 payment determinations from inclusion in data used to determine if the eligible professional is a meaningful EHR user.

Exempts certain eligible professionals from certain EHR meaningful use requirements for purposes of the Medicare payment adjustment.

Creates a process for eligible professionals to appeal a determination that they did not qualify as a meaningful EHR user.

Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to make certain requirements of this Act inapplicable to eligible professional Medicaid provider incentives to encourage the adoption and use of certified EHR technology.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Puerto Rico Hospital HITECH Amendments Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to apply Medicare HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) payments to subsection (d) hospitals in Puerto Rico to allow them to qualify for incentives for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) Technology.

(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.)

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Urban Medicare-Dependent Hospitals Preservation Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act, with respect to cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 2013, and before October 1, 2016, to revise the criteria and payment formula for "subsection (d) hospitals" which are urban Medicare-dependent hospitals.

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

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Medicare Payment Rate Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make publicly available on the official Medicare Internet site during a specified initial period: (1) Medicare payment rates for frequently reimbursed hospital inpatient and outpatient procedures and services, as well as for physicians' services; and (2) the period for which payment rates are applicable. Requires posting also after the initial period of an expanded selection of such items.

Directs the Secretary to select at least 30 procedures and services for the basic posting and at least 100 procedures and services for the expanded posting.

Date: 2013-04-11
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Veterans' Privacy Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prescribe regulations to ensure that any visual recording made of a patient during the course of furnishing care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is carried out only with the full and informed consent of that patient or, in appropriate cases, a representative thereof.

Allows the Secretary to waive such requirement if the recording is made: (1) upon a determination by a physician or psychologist that the recording is medically necessary, (2) pursuant to a warrant or order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (3) in a public setting where a person would not have a reasonable expectation to privacy (such as a waiting room or hallway) and the recording is for general security purposes not particularized to the patient.

Date: 2013-04-11
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Rural Hospital Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend through FY2014: (1) the Medicare-dependent hospital program, and (2) increased payments under the Medicare low-volume hospital program.

Date: 2013-04-26
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Infectious Disease Reporting Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report each case of reportable infectious disease (a disease that a state requires to be reported) that occurs at a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the appropriate state entity, as well as to the accrediting organization of such facility.

Requires the Secretary, upon a failure to report, to pay to a state the same penalty that a non-federal facility of such state would pay for a failure to report. Allows a state to file a civil action against the VA for the recovery of such amount.

Date: 2013-04-26
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require each Medicare participating hospital to implement a hospital-wide staffing plan for nursing services furnished in the hospital.

Requires the plan to require that an appropriate number of registered nurses provide direct patient care in each unit and on each shift of the hospital to ensure staffing levels that: (1) address the unique characteristics of the patients and hospital units; and (2) result in the delivery of safe, quality patient care consistent with specified requirements.

Requires each participating hospital to establish a hospital nurse staffing committee which shall implement such plan.

Specifies civil monetary and other penalties for violation of the requirements of this Act.

Sets forth whistleblower protections against discrimination and retaliation involving patients or employees of the hospital for their grievances, complaints, or involvement in investigations relating to such plan.

Date: 2013-04-30
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require hospitals to implement a staffing plan that includes a minimum direct care registered nurse-to-patient ratio by unit, adjustments above the minimum ratio under appropriate circumstances, and compliance with minimum licensed practical nurse staffing requirements. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a national acuity tool to establish nurse staffing requirements above minimum ratios.

Directs the Secretary to adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs incurred in providing services to Medicare beneficiaries that are attributable to compliance with such ratios.

Authorizes a nurse to object to, or refuse to participate in, any activity, policy, practice, assignment or task if in good faith it would violate minimum ratios under this Act or if the nurse is not prepared by education, training, or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of any patient or jeopardizing the license of the nurse. Prohibits a hospital from: (1) taking specified actions against a nurse based on the nurse's refusal to accept an assignment for such a reason; or (2) discriminating against any patient, employee, or any other individual for good faith complaints or grievances relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or of any affiliated or related facilities. Prohibits actions by hospitals to restrain such rights. Sets forth enforcement provisions.

Applies provisions of this Act through federal health programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health benefits programs.

Includes stipends in the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program. Expands the nurse retention grant program to authorize programs to implement nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
DSH Reduction Relief Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to delay from FY2014 to FY2016 commencement of the period during which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is required to pay to any "subsection (d) hospital": (1) 25% of the amount of the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment that would otherwise be made to it for the fiscal year, plus (2) an additional payment amount according to a specified formula.

(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.)

Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to delay from the beginning of FY2014 until the beginning of FY2016 (and so eliminate for FY2014 and FY2015) aggregate reductions in DSH allotments for all states.

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Expanding Patients' Access to Quality Care Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act with respect to: (1) the limitation on certain physician referrals to hospitals in which the physician or an immediate family member has an ownership or investment interest exceeding a specified amount; and (2) the rural provider and hospital exception to the physician ownership or investment prohibition.

Extends the rural provider and hospital exception to hospitals that were under construction or development as of December 30, 2010, and hospitals in financial distress.

Defines "financial distress" for a cost reporting period as one in which a hospital has had an overall negative combined Medicare inpatient prospective payment system and outpatient prospective payment system operating margin for the most recent three consecutive cost reporting periods for which data are available.

Eliminates the process for applying for such an exception for expansions of hospital facility capacity. Limits increases in facility capacity to those hospitals that have had a previous increase.

Date: 2013-05-16
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
Revises requirements for the non-rural area wage index floor in the formula for the national adjusted diagnosis-related group (DRG) prospective payment rate used in calculating payments under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act for each inpatient hospital discharge in a fiscal year involving inpatient hospital services of a subsection (d) hospital.

(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.)

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in the case of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2013, to apply budget neutrality, under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and related regulations, on a state-specific rather than national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor, including a minimum wage index, for each non-rural area, using a specified methodology as if it had been fully implemented for FY2011 using a 100% state-specific adjustment to the area wage index.

Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed as preventing the Secretary, for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2014, from modifying related regulations in carrying out budget neutrality requirements.

Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to end the application of budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the Medicare hospital wage index floor as of October 1, 2013.

Date: 2013-05-20
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
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.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
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.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
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.

Date: 2013-06-12
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
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.

Date: 2013-06-25
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health
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.

Date: 2013-06-28
Topic: Health (Medical Facilities)
Subject: Health