Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/3007

 120 STAT. 2976 Website, publication. Deadline.

Website, publication.

Deadline. Federal Register, publication.

Public comment.

Deadline. Federal Register, publication.

VerDate 14-DEC-2004

09:16 Jul 13, 2007

Jkt 059194

PUBLIC LAW 109–432—DEC. 20, 2006 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of applying this subsection for the reporting of data on quality measures for covered professional services furnished during the period beginning July 1, 2007, and ending December 31, 2007, the quality measures specified under this paragraph are the measures identified as 2007 physician quality measures under the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program as published on the public website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as of the date of the enactment of this subsection, except as may be changed by the Secretary based on the results of a consensus-based process in January of 2007, if such change is published on such website by not later than April 1, 2007. ‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT REFINEMENTS IN APPLICATION PERMITTED.—The Secretary may, from time to time (but not later than July 1, 2007), publish on such website (without notice or opportunity for public comment) modifications or refinements (such as code additions, corrections, or revisions) for the application of quality measures previously published under clause (i), but may not, under this clause, change the quality measures under the reporting system. ‘‘(iii) IMPLEMENTATION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may implement by program instruction or otherwise this subsection for 2007. ‘‘(B) FOR 2008.— ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of reporting data on quality measures for covered professional services furnished during 2008, the quality measures specified under this paragraph for covered professional services shall be measures that have been adopted or endorsed by a consensus organization (such as the National Quality Forum or AQA), that include measures that have been submitted by a physician specialty, and that the Secretary identifies as having used a consensus-based process for developing such measures. Such measures shall include structural measures, such as the use of electronic health records and electronic prescribing technology. ‘‘(ii) PROPOSED SET OF MEASURES.—Not later than August 15, 2007, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a proposed set of quality measures that the Secretary determines are described in clause (i) and would be appropriate for eligible professionals to use to submit data to the Secretary in 2008. The Secretary shall provide for a period of public comment on such set of measures. ‘‘(iii) FINAL SET OF MEASURES.—Not later than November 15, 2007, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a final set of quality measures that the Secretary determines are described in clause (i) and would be appropriate for eligible professionals to use to submit data to the Secretary in 2008. ‘‘(3) COVERED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND ELIGIBLE PROFESSIONALS DEFINED.—For purposes of this subsection:

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