,i  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hbga  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #ad1 #bjbf,mr4
 ,obernolte 7for himself and ,mrs4      
,dingell7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition 
to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1  
for a period to be subsequently         
determined by the ,speaker1 in each case
 for consideration of such provisions as
 fall within the jurisdiction of the    
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend title ,,xviii of the ,social      
,security ,act to require that hospitals
 report intensive care unit bed         
availability in real time as a condition
 of participation under the ,medicare   
program4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,improving ,care    
,utilization through ,bed ,exchange and 
,data ,sharing ,act of #bjbf or the     
,,icu ,bed ,act of #bjbf4  #b4          
,requiring hospitals to report bed      
availability in real time as a ,medicare

 condition of participation  7a7 ,in    
general ,section #ahff of the ,social   
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie;cc7 
is amended--  7#a7 in subsection        
7a77#a7-- 7,a7 in subparagraph 7,x71 by 
striking and at the end2  7,b7 in       
subparagraph 7,y71 by striking the      
period at the end and inserting 1 and2  
and  7,c7 by inserting after            
subparagraph 7,y7 the following new     
subparagraph3  7,z7 beginning #a year   
after the date of the enactment of this 
subparagraph1 in the case of a hospital1
 critical access hospital1 or rural     
emergency hospital1 to comply with the  
real-time intensive care unit bed       
availability requirements described in  
subsection 7l74  2 and  7#b7 by adding  
at the end the following new subsection3
  7l7  ,real-,time intensive care unit  
bed availability reporting requirements 
7#a7  ,in general  ,for purposes of     
subsection 7a77#a77,z71 the real-time   
intensive care unit bed availability    
requirements described in this          

subsection are1 with respect to a       
hospital1 critical access hospital1 or  
rural emergency hospital1 that such     
hospital--  7,a7 participate in a shared
 data reporting system that provides    
information in real time regarding the  
number of intensive care unit beds      
available at such hospital to each      
hospital1 critical access hospital1 and 
rural emergency hospital participating  
under this title that is located in the 
same region established by the          
,secretary under paragraph 7#b7 as such 
hospital2 and  7,b7 maintain a shared   
strategy with each such hospital located
 in such region to efficiently transfer 
patients between such hospitals in the  
case that such a hospital reaches or    
nears intensive care unit bed capacity4 
7#b7  ,regions  ,the ,secretary shall   
establish regions with respect to which 
a hospital1 critical access hospital1 or
 rural emergency hospital shall meet the
 requirements under paragraph 7#a74 ,in 
establishing such regions1 the          

,secretary shall take into account--    
7,a7 the geography and population of a  
region2 and  7,b7 the time it takes to  
travel between such hospitals in a      
region4  4  7b7 ,partnership for ,state 
and regional hospital preparedness      
,section #cai;,c-#b of the ,public      
,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4    
#bdg;d-#c;b7 is amended-- 7#a7 in       
subsection 7c71 by inserting 1 including
 for activities to prepare for the      
efficient transfer of patients between  
hospitals and other health care         
facilities to prevent overcapacity at   
such facilities during a public health  
emergency1 and before with respect to2  
and  7#b7 in subsection 7j77#a71 by     
inserting and each of fiscal years #bjbf
 through #bjca after through #bjbc4