[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6088 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6088

To delay for one year the release of the Overall Hospital Quality Star 
                    Ratings, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2016

  Mr. Renacci (for himself, Miss Rice of New York, Mr. Collins of New 
    York, Mr. Heck of Nevada, Mr. Engel, Mr. King of New York, Mr. 
  Crawford, Mr. Katko, and Mr. Ryan of Ohio) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in 
 addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 delay for one year the release of the Overall Hospital Quality Star 
                    Ratings, 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 ``Hospital Quality Rating Transparency 
Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. ONE-YEAR DELAY FOR RELEASE OF OVERALL HOSPITAL QUALITY STAR 
              RATINGS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, with 
respect to any Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for hospitals 
developed or implemented pursuant to section 1886(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII) 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(3)(B)(viii)(VII)) or 
section 1833(t)(17)(E) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395l(t)(17)(E)) (such as 
ratings generated by the rating system described in the Fact Sheet 
issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through the 
QualityNet Internet website entitled ``Overall Hospital Quality Star 
Ratings Fact Sheet, July 2016 Preview Period'')--
            (1) shall make publicly available detailed information on 
        the methodology used to calculate such Ratings;
            (2) shall have the validity and accuracy of such 
        methodology confirmed by an independent statistician not 
        otherwise engaged by the Secretary in star ratings measure 
        development activities;
            (3) shall provide, with respect to the ratings system that 
        is to use such methodology and data to calculate such Ratings, 
        a public comment period that--
                    (A) begins on a date that is after the date on 
                which the Secretary, under paragraph (1), makes 
                publicly available the detailed information described 
                in such paragraph; and
                    (B) is at least 60 days in duration; and
            (4) may not make such Ratings publicly available (such as 
        by publishing on the Internet website commonly known as the 
        ``Hospital Compare'' website) on a date that is before the 
        latest of--
                    (A) the date on which the independent statistician 
                described in paragraph (2) provides the confirmation 
                described in such paragraph;
                    (B) the date on which the public comment period 
                described in paragraph (3) concludes; and
                    (C) July 31, 2017.
    (b) Application in Case of Publication Before Enactment.--In the 
case that the Secretary publishes such Ratings on the Internet website 
commonly known as the ``Hospital Compare'' website on a date that is 
before the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall apply 
subsection (a) by--
            (1) removing such Ratings from such Internet website as 
        soon as is practicable; and
            (2) in accordance with subsection (a)(4), not republishing 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act any such Ratings on 
        such Internet website or otherwise so making any such Ratings 
        publicly available on a date that is before the latest of the 
        dates described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of such 
        subsection.
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