[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4189 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4189

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage 
   of vancomycin home parenteral therapy under the Medicare program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 1996

  Mr. Stark introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                 jurisdiction of the committee conerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage 
   of vancomycin home parenteral therapy under the Medicare program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Vancomycin Home Parenteral 
Therapy Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE COVERAGE OF VANCOMYCIN HOME PARENTERAL THERAPY.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861(n) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395x(n)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(n)'' and inserting ``(n)(1)'';
            (2) by inserting ``vancomycin as described in paragraph 
        (2),'' after ``beds,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) The vancomycin described in this paragraph is the 
antimicrobial vancomycin which is administered to a patient 
parenterally using an access device that is inserted into the body, if 
the patient's attending physician certifies that such administration is 
for treatment of an infection caused--
            ``(A) by beta-lactam-resistant gram-positive 
        microorganisms; or
            ``(B) by gram-positive microorganisms in the case of a 
        patient who has a severe allergy to beta-lactam 
        antimicrobials.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) apply 
with respect to vancomycin administered on or after January 1, 1997.
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