[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 170 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 170

   To extend the nonenforcement instruction for the Medicare direct 
 supervision requirement for therapeutic hospital outpatient services 
insofar as it applies to critical access hospitals and rural hospitals, 
to require a study of the impact on critical access hospitals and rural 
   hospitals of a failure to extend such instruction, and for other 
                               purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2015

Mr. Smith of Nebraska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
    to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the 
Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To extend the nonenforcement instruction for the Medicare direct 
 supervision requirement for therapeutic hospital outpatient services 
insofar as it applies to critical access hospitals and rural hospitals, 
to require a study of the impact on critical access hospitals and rural 
   hospitals of a failure to extend such instruction, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Rural Health Care Provider Relief 
Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF NONENFORCEMENT INSTRUCTION FOR THE MEDICARE DIRECT 
              SUPERVISION REQUIREMENT FOR THERAPEUTIC HOSPITAL 
              OUTPATIENT SERVICES FOR CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITALS AND 
              RURAL HOSPITALS; STUDY OF IMPACT OF FAILURE TO EXTEND 
              SUCH INSTRUCTION.

    (a) Extension of Therapy Supervision Nonenforcement Instruction.--
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, during the extension 
period, extend the therapy supervision nonenforcement instruction.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Therapy supervision nonenforcement instruction.--The 
        term ``therapy supervision nonenforcement instruction'' means 
        the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for 
        outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small 
        rural hospitals, as extended for calendar year 2013 by the 
        Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and through calendar 
        year 2014 by Public Law 113-198 (released as of November 1, 
        2012).
            (2) Critical access hospital; small rural hospital.--The 
        terms ``critical access hospital'' and ``small rural hospital'' 
        have the meanings given such terms for purposes of the therapy 
        supervision nonenforcement instruction.
            (3) Extension period.--The term ``extension period'' means 
        calendar year 2015, and includes a subsequent calendar year 
        unless the report under subsection (c)(2) has been submitted at 
        least 90 days before the end of the previous calendar year.
    (c) Study and Report on Impact of Failure To Extend Therapy 
Supervision Nonenforcement Instruction.--
            (1) Study.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall conduct a study on the impact (including the economic 
        impact and the impact upon hospital staffing needs, if any) on 
        critical access hospitals and small rural hospitals of not 
        extending the therapy supervision nonenforcement instruction.
            (2) Report.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        shall submit to Congress a report on the findings of the study 
        conducted under paragraph (1), including recommendations 
        regarding whether the therapy supervision nonenforcement 
        instruction should be extended or made permanent.
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