Rural Health Clinic Fairness Act of 2013

Rural Health Clinic Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare: (1) electronic health record (EHR) incentives to eligible professionals practicing in rural health clinics, and (2) electronic prescribing (eRx) and quality reporting incentives to such clinics.

Revises requirements for incentive payments to such professionals who are meaningful EHR users or who submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) satisfactory quality data reports. Directs the Secretary to reduce the applicable incentive payments that would otherwise be determined by a budget-neutral amount calculated according to a specified formula to ensure that estimated aggregate payments are not increased as a result of this Act.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 986 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 986

     To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure the 
   eligibility of eligible professionals practicing in rural health 
     clinics for electronic health records and quality improvement 
           incentives under Medicare, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2013

Mr. Schock (for himself, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mr. Huizenga of Michigan, 
 Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, and Mr. Walden) 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 amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure the 
   eligibility of eligible professionals practicing in rural health 
     clinics for electronic health records and quality improvement 
           incentives under Medicare, 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 ``Rural Health Clinic Fairness Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF MEDICARE EHR INCENTIVES TO ELIGIBLE PROFESSIONALS 
              PRACTICING IN RURAL HEALTH CLINICS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1848(o)(5)(A) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395w(o)(5)(A)) is amended by inserting before the period at 
the end the following: ``and, with respect to payment years after 2013, 
includes rural health clinic services (as defined in section 
1861(aa)(1)) furnished by an eligible professional''.
    (b) Offsetting Reduction.--Section 1848(o)(1)(B) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(o)(1)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (ii), by striking ``clauses (iii) through 
        (v)'' and inserting ``the succeeding clauses''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(iv) Budget neutrality adjustment.--The 
                        Secretary shall reduce the applicable amounts 
                        that would otherwise be determined under this 
                        subparagraph with respect to 2014 and each 
                        succeeding year by an amount that the Secretary 
                        estimates would ensure that estimated aggregate 
                        payments under this subsection for such year is 
                        not increased as a result of the amendment made 
                        by section 2(a) of the Rural Health Clinic 
                        Fairness Act of 2013.''.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF MEDICARE ERX AND QUALITY REPORTING INCENTIVES TO 
              RURAL HEALTH CLINICS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1848(m)(6)(A) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395w(m)(6)(A)) is amended by inserting before the period at 
the end the following: ``, except that the term `covered professional 
services' shall, with respect to reporting periods for 2014 or a 
subsequent year, include rural health clinic services (as defined in 
section 1861(aa)(1)) furnished by an eligible professional''.
    (b) Offsetting Reduction.--Section 1848(m)(1) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w(m)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``For purposes'' and 
        inserting ``Subject to subparagraph (C), for purposes''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Budget neutrality adjustment.--The Secretary 
                shall reduce the applicable quality percent that would 
                otherwise be determined under subparagraph (B) for 2014 
                by an amount that the Secretary estimates would ensure 
                that estimated aggregate payments under this subsection 
                for such year is not increased as a result of the 
                amendment made by section 3(a) of the Rural Health 
                Clinic Fairness Act of 2013.''.
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