[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4568 Referred in Senate (RFS)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4568


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 17, 2005

                                Received

                            January 27, 2006

 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
                              and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
        To improve proficiency testing of clinical laboratories.

    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 ``Proficiency Testing Improvement Act 
of 2005''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF PROFICIENCY TESTING OF CLINICAL LABORATORIES.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services--
            (1) may not, during the one-year period beginning on the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, conduct (or cause an entity 
        with which the Secretary contracts to conduct) the proficiency 
        testing referred to in section 353(f)(4)(B)(iv) of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 263a(f)(4)(B)(iv));
            (2) shall revise such proficiency testing (or cause such 
        testing to be revised)--
                    (A) to reflect the collaborative clinical decision-
                making of laboratory personnel involved in screening or 
                interpreting cytological preparations;
                    (B) to revise grading or scoring criteria to 
                reflect current practice guidelines;
                    (C) to provide for such testing to be conducted no 
                more often than every 2 years; and
                    (D) to make such other revisions to the standards 
                for such testing as may be necessary to reflect changes 
                in laboratory operations and practices since such 
                standards were promulgated in 1992; and
            (3) shall make the revisions required by paragraph (2) 
        within one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and 
        before resuming proficiency testing referred to in such 
        section.

            Passed the House of Representatives December 17, 2005.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.