[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1284 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1284

  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the 
 recognition of attending physician assistants as attending physicians 
           to serve hospice patients, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 2017

  Ms. Jenkins of Kansas (for herself and Mr. Thompson of California) 
 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

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                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the 
 recognition of attending physician assistants as attending physicians 
           to serve hospice patients, 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 ``Medicare Patient Access to Hospice 
Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF ATTENDING PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AS ATTENDING 
              PHYSICIANS TO SERVE HOSPICE PATIENTS.

    (a) Recognition of Attending Physician Assistants as Attending 
Physicians To Serve Hospice Patients.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1861(dd)(3)(B) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(dd)(3)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``or nurse'' and inserting ``, the 
                nurse''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, or the physician assistant (as 
                defined in such subsection)'' after ``subsection 
                (aa)(5))''.
            (2) Clarification of hospice role of physician 
        assistants.--Section 1814(a)(7)(A)(i)(I) of the Social Security 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 1395f(a)(7)(A)(i)(I)) is amended by inserting 
        ``or a physician assistant'' after ``a nurse practitioner''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2018.
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