[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 818 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 818

  To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a 
 study of the mortality and adverse outcome rates of medicare patients 
            related to the provision of anesthesia services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 15, 1999

 Mr. DeWine (for himself and Mr. Reid) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a 
 study of the mortality and adverse outcome rates of medicare patients 
            related to the provision of anesthesia services.

    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 ``Safe Seniors Assurance Study Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. ANESTHESIA OUTCOME STUDY.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall conduct a study concerning the mortality and adverse 
        outcome rates of medicare patients related to the provision of 
        anesthesia services. In conducting such study, the Secretary 
        shall analyze the impact of physician supervision of providers 
        of anesthesia services, or lack thereof, on such mortality and 
        adverse outcome rates.
            (2) Consultation.--In conducting the study under paragraph 
        (1), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall consult 
        with appropriate national professional organizations with 
        respect to the methodology of the study, and shall use medicare 
        operating room anesthesia data, adjusted for patient acuity and 
        other relevant scientific variables.
    (b) Report.--Not later than June 30, 2000, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall prepare and submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a report containing the results of the study 
conducted under subsection (a).
    (c) Consideration of Report in Rulemaking.--The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall consider the results of the study conducted 
under subsection (a) when determining if any modification or amendment 
to medicare regulations promulgated under title XVIII of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), and in effect on January 1, 
1999, relating to physician supervision of anesthesia services is 
appropriate.
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