H.R. 170 — Introduced in House

I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 170 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. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Health Care Provider Relief Act of 2015. 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.