[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2559 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2559

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit the ability of 
  hospitals to treat noncontiguous facilities as hospital outpatient 
                              departments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 1997

  Mr. Stark introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on 
Commerce, 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 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to limit the ability of 
  hospitals to treat noncontiguous facilities as hospital outpatient 
                              departments.

    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 ``Hospital Outpatient Department 
Truth-in-Advertising Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON PAYMENT FOR HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT 
              SERVICES FURNISHED IN NONCONTIGUOUS FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1862(a) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395y(a)), as amended by sections 4319(b), 4432(b), 
4507(a)(2)(B), 4541(b), and 4603(c)(2)(C) of the Balanced Budget Act of 
1997 (Public Law 105-33), is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of paragraph (20),
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (21) and 
        inserting ``; or'', and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (21) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(22) where such expenses are for hospital outpatient 
        services of a hospital furnished in a facility unless the 
        facility is located--
                    ``(A) in the same building in which inpatient 
                hospital services are provided by the hospital;
                    ``(B) in a building that is located on land 
                contiguous (as defined by the Secretary) to a building 
                described in subparagraph (A);
                    ``(C) in a building that was used for the 
                furnishing of hospital outpatient services by the 
                hospital as of September 25, 1997; or
                    ``(D) in a building of an entity that, as of such 
                date, had entered into a binding contract with the 
                hospital under which the hospital will provide services 
                in such building.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 1998.
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