[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2698 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2698

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revoke the unique 
  ability of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare 
Organizations to deem hospitals to meet certain requirements under the 
medicare program and to provide for greater accountability of the Joint 
       Commission to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 20, 2004

 Mr. Grassley (for himself and Mr. Baucus) introduced the following 
        bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
        FinanceYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

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                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revoke the unique 
  ability of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare 
Organizations to deem hospitals to meet certain requirements under the 
medicare program and to provide for greater accountability of the Joint 
       Commission to the Secretary of Health and Human 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 ``Medicare Hospital Accreditation Act 
of 2004''.

SEC. 2. REVOCATION OF UNIQUE DEEMING AUTHORITY OF THE JOINT COMMISSION 
              FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Revocation.--Section 1865 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395bb) is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (a); and
            (2) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) as 
        subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d), respectively.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Such section is further amended--
            (A) in subsection (a)(1), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``In addition, if'' and inserting ``If'';
            (B) in subsection (b), as so redesignated--
                    (i) by striking ``released to him by the Joint 
                Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals,'' and 
                inserting ``released to the Secretary by''; and
                    (ii) by striking the comma after ``Association'';
            (C) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``pursuant to subsection (a) or (b)(1)'' and inserting 
        ``pursuant to subsection (a)(1)''; and
            (D) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``pursuant to subsection (a) or (b)(1)'' and inserting 
        ``pursuant to subsection (a)(1)''.
    (2) Section 1861(e) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(e)) is amended in 
the fourth sentence by striking ``and (ii) is accredited by the Joint 
Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, or is accredited by or 
approved by a program of the country in which such institution is 
located if the Secretary finds the accreditation or comparable approval 
standards of such program to be essentially equivalent to those of the 
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals'' and inserting ``and 
(ii) is accredited by a national accreditation body recognized by the 
Secretary under section 1865(a), or is accredited by or approved by a 
program of the country in which such institution is located if the 
Secretary finds the accreditation or comparable approval standards of 
such program to be essentially equivalent to those of such a national 
accreditation body.''.
    (3) Section 1864(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395aa(c)) is amended by 
striking ``pursuant to subsection (a) or (b)(1) of section 1865'' and 
inserting ``pursuant to section 1865(a)(1)''.
    (4) Section 1875(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ll(b)) is amended by 
striking ``the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals,'' and 
inserting ``national accreditation bodies under section 1865(a)''.
    (5) Section 1834(a)(20)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(a)(20)(B)) 
is amended by striking ``section 1865(b)'' and inserting ``section 
1865(a)''.
    (6) Section 1852(e)(4)(C) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-22(e)(4)(C)) 
is amended by striking ``section 1865(b)(2)'' and inserting ``section 
1865(a)(2)''.
    (c) Authority to Recognize JCAHO as a National Accreditation 
Body.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may recognize the 
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations as a 
national accreditation body under section 1865 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395bb), as amended by this section, upon such terms and 
conditions, and upon submission of such information, as the Secretary 
may require.
    (d) Effective Date; Transition Rule.--(1) Subject to paragraph (2), 
the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to 
accreditations of hospitals granted on or after the date that is 18 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (2) For purposes of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), the amendments made by this section shall not 
effect the accreditation of a hospital by the Joint Commission on 
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or under accreditation or 
comparable approval standards found to be essentially equivalent to 
accreditation or approval standards of the Joint Commission on 
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, for the period of time 
applicable under such accreditation.
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