Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 117.djvu/2321

 117 STAT. 2302

PUBLIC LAW 108–173—DEC. 8, 2003

Deadline.

(b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). The report shall include a determination whether— (1) data from claims submitted by physicians under part B of the medicare program indicate potential access problems for medicare beneficiaries in certain geographic areas; and (2) access by medicare beneficiaries to physicians’ services may have improved, remained constant, or deteriorated over time.

Deadlines. 42 USC 1395w–4 note.

SEC.

605.

COLLABORATIVE DEMONSTRATION-BASED REVIEW OF PHYSICIAN PRACTICE EXPENSE GEOGRAPHIC ADJUSTMENT DATA.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 2005, the Secretary shall, in collaboration with State and other appropriate organizations representing physicians, and other appropriate persons, review and consider alternative data sources than those currently used in establishing the geographic index for the practice expense component under the medicare physician fee schedule under section 1848(e)(1)(A)(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w– 4(e)(1)(A)(i)). (b) SITES.—The Secretary shall select two physician payment localities in which to carry out subsection (a). One locality shall include rural areas and at least one locality shall be a statewide locality that includes both urban and rural areas. (c) REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.— (1) REPORT.—Not later than January 1, 2006, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the review and consideration conducted under subsection (a). Such report shall include information on the alternative developed data sources considered by the Secretary under subsection (a), including the accuracy and validity of the data as measures of the elements of the geographic index for practice expenses under the medicare physician fee schedule as well as the feasibility of using such alternative data nationwide in lieu of current proxy data used in such index, and the estimated impacts of using such alternative data. (2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report submitted under paragraph (1) shall contain recommendations on which data sources reviewed and considered under subsection (a) are appropriate for use in calculating the geographic index for practice expenses under the medicare physician fee schedule. Deadlines. 42 USC 1395w–4 note.

VerDate 11-MAY-2000

13:59 Aug 30, 2004

SEC. 606. MEDPAC REPORT ON PAYMENT FOR PHYSICIANS’ SERVICES.

(a) PRACTICE EXPENSE COMPONENT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the effect of refinements to the practice expense component of payments for physicians’ services, after the transition to a full resourcebased payment system in 2002, under section 1848 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4). Such report shall examine the following matters by physician specialty: (1) The effect of such refinements on payment for physicians’ services. (2) The interaction of the practice expense component with other components of and adjustments to payment for physicians’ services under such section.

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