[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 2, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3409. Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Lankford) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3378 proposed by Mr. 
Grassley (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Portman, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Graham, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. 
Durbin) to the bill S. 524, to authorize the Attorney General to award 
grants to address the national epidemics of prescription opioid abuse 
and heroin use; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. EVALUATION OF THE HOSPITAL CONSUMER ASSESSMENT OF 
                   HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND SYSTEMS (HCAHPS) 
                   SURVEY; MORATORIUM ON THE USE OF PAIN 
                   MANAGEMENT MEASURES TO ASSESS HOSPITAL 
                   PERFORMANCE SCORES UNDER THE MEDICARE VBP 
                   PROGRAM IN ORDER TO ALLOW TIME FOR EVALUATION.

       (a) Evaluation.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
     (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall 
     conduct an evaluation of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of 
     Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, including 
     items on such survey related to pain management. Such 
     evaluation shall include an analysis of--
       (1) any implications of using such survey under the 
     Medicare hospital value-based purchasing program under 
     section 1886(o) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww) 
     on opioid prescribing practices;
       (2) how best to revise such survey and any effect that such 
     revisions may have on quality of care; and
       (3) other areas determined appropriate by the Secretary.
       (b) Input.--As part of conducting the evaluation under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary shall convene a group that 
     includes the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating 
     Committee, hospital representatives, physicians and other 
     health care providers, experts in the fields of pain research 
     and addiction research, and representatives of the addiction 
     community, pain management professional organizations, and 
     pain advocacy groups to provide the Secretary with input on 
     the items to be evaluated.
       (c) Report.--Not later than March 1, 2017, the Secretary 
     shall submit to Congress a report on the evaluation conducted 
     under subsection (a), together with recommendations for such 
     legislation and administrative action as the Secretary 
     determines to be appropriate.
       (d) Moratorium on the Use of Pain Management Measures to 
     Assess Hospital Performance Scores Under the Medicare VBP 
     Program in Order to Allow Time for Evaluation.--Section 
     1886(o)(5)of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(o)(5)) 
     is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence of subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``subparagraph (B)'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (B) and 
     (C)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(C) Moratorium on use measures of pain management to 
     assess hospital performance scores.--
       ``(i) In general.--With respect to payments for discharges 
     occurring during fiscal year 2017, the performance of a 
     hospital on measures of pain management during the 
     performance period for such fiscal year shall not be used in 
     assessing the hospital performance score of the hospital for 
     such performance period.
       ``(ii) No affect on reporting of selected measures.--
     Nothing in the clause (i) shall affect the requirement for a 
     hospital to report measures selected under paragraph (2), 
     including any measures related to pain management.''.
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