[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3767 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3767

To delay the full implementation of the occupational mix adjustment to 
   the wage index under the Medicare inpatient hospital prospective 
                            payment system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2006

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To delay the full implementation of the occupational mix adjustment to 
   the wage index under the Medicare inpatient hospital prospective 
                            payment system.

    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 ``Payment Accuracy Improvement Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. DELAY IN THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OCCUPATIONAL MIX 
              ADJUSTMENT TO THE MEDICARE INPATIENT HOSPITAL WAGE INDEX.

    (a) Delay.--With respect to payments to hospitals under the 
Medicare program for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2006, 
and before October 1, 2008, notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the following rules shall apply:
            (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not 
        apply an occupational mix adjustment to more than 10 percent of 
        the hospital area wage index under section 1886(d)(3)(E) of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(3)(E)).
            (2) If the Secretary of Health and Human Services does 
        apply an occupational mix adjustment to the hospital area wage 
        index under such section 1886(d)(3)(E), the Secretary shall 
        only use the data for such adjustment that was to be used to 
        make the adjustment to such wage index under the proposed rule 
        published by the Secretary in the Federal Register on April 25, 
        2006 (71 Fed. Reg. 24075-24076; relating to the development of 
        data for the proposed occupational mix adjustment to the 
        proposed fiscal year 2007 wage index).
    (b) Study and Report.--
            (1) Study.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services shall conduct a study on the process for 
                applying an occupational mix adjustment to the hospital 
                area wage index under section 1886(d)(3)(E) of the 
                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(3)(E)).
                    (B) Requirements.--The study conducted under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include an analysis of--
                            (i) the occupational mix data collected 
                        during the first 6 months of 2006 and the 
                        accuracy of such data;
                            (ii) the burden on hospitals associated 
                        with complying with the survey requirements 
                        under such section 1886(d)(3)(E);
                            (iii) ways to improve the instrument used 
                        in conducting the survey described clause (ii);
                            (iv) methods for collecting data necessary 
                        to apply an occupational mix adjustment to the 
                        hospital area wage index under such section 
                        1886(d)(3)(E) other than the survey described 
                        in clause (ii); and
                            (v) any other matters relating to such 
                        occupational mix adjustment that the Secretary 
                        considers appropriate.
            (2) Report.--Not later than January 1, 2008, the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services shall submit a report to Congress 
        on the study conducted under paragraph (1) together with 
        recommendations for such legislation and administrative actions 
        as the Secretary considers appropriate.
                                 <all>