Hospital Admissions in Need of Study Act of 2011

Hospital Admissions in Need of Study Act of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to delay implementation of the Medicare hospital readmissions reduction program for five years from the start of FY2012 to the start of FY2017.

Prohibits expansion of applicable conditions (for which readmissions are high volume or highly expensive) except to the extent specified in a subsequent law.

Requires a report on the potential impact of the reduction program.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3683 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3683

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to delay implementation 
of the Medicare hospital readmissions reduction program for 5 years, to 
 require Congressional approval for additional applicable conditions, 
    and to provide for a report on potential impact of such program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 15, 2011

 Ms. Buerkle introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to delay implementation 
of the Medicare hospital readmissions reduction program for 5 years, to 
 require Congressional approval for additional applicable conditions, 
    and to provide for a report on potential impact of such program.

    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 Admissions in Need of Study 
Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. 5-YEAR DELAY IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEDICARE HOSPITAL 
              READMISSIONS REDUCTION PROGRAM; LIMITATION ON EXPANSION 
              OF APPLICABLE CONDITIONS; REPORT.

    (a) 5-Year Delay.--Subsection (q) of section 1886 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``2012'' and inserting 
        ``2017'';
            (2) in paragraph (2)(B)(i), by striking ``2012 and 2013'' 
        and inserting ``2017 and 2018'';
            (3) in paragraph (3)(C), by striking ``fiscal year 2013'', 
        ``fiscal year 2014'', and ``fiscal year 2015'' and inserting 
        ``fiscal year 2018'', ``fiscal year 2019'', and ``fiscal year 
        2020'' in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively; and
            (4) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking ``fiscal year 2015,'' 
        and inserting ``fiscal year 2020,''.
    (b) Requiring Congressional Approval for Expansion of Applicable 
Conditions.--Paragraph (5)(B) of such section is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Beginning'' and inserting ``(ii) Subject 
        to clause (ii), beginning'' ; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
                    ``(ii) The Secretary may not expand the applicable 
                conditions under clause (i) except to the extent 
                specified in a subsequent law.''.
    (c) Report on Potential Impact.--Such section is further amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(9) Report.--The Secretary shall conduct a study that 
        estimates the payment reductions that would have occurred under 
        this subsection during fiscal years 2013, 2014, and 2015 if 
        this subsection had been in effect during such fiscal years. 
        Not later than April 1, 2016, the Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress a report on such study, the impact that such a payment 
        reduction would have made on hospitals.''.
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