[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 379 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 379

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the medicare 
                       incentive payment program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2003

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the medicare 
                       incentive payment 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 Incentive Payment Program 
Improvement Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. PROCEDURES FOR SECRETARY, AND NOT PHYSICIANS, TO DETERMINE WHEN 
              BONUS PAYMENTS UNDER MEDICARE INCENTIVE PAYMENT PROGRAM 
              SHOULD BE MADE.

    Section 1833(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(m)) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``(m)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) The Secretary shall establish procedures under which the 
Secretary, and not the physician furnishing the service, is responsible 
for determining when a payment is required to be made under paragraph 
(1).''.

SEC. 3. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM REGARDING THE MEDICARE INCENTIVE PAYMENT 
              PROGRAM.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish and 
implement an ongoing educational program to provide education to 
physicians under the medicare program on the medicare incentive payment 
program under section 1833(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l(m)).

SEC. 4. ONGOING STUDY AND ANNUAL REPORT ON THE MEDICARE INCENTIVE 
              PAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Ongoing Study.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall conduct an ongoing study on the medicare incentive payment 
program under section 1833(m) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l(m)). Such study shall focus on whether such program increases the 
access of medicare beneficiaries who reside in an area that is 
designated (under section 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254e(a)(1)(A))) as a health professional shortage area to 
physicians' services under the medicare program.
    (b) Annual Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall submit to Congress a report on the study 
conducted under subsection (a), together with recommendations for such 
legislation and administrative actions as the Secretary considers 
appropriate.
                                 <all>