Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 86.djvu/1475

 86 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 92-603-OCT. 30, 1972

1433

" D U T I E S AXD F U N C T I O N S O F PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS REVIEW ORGANIZATIONS

"SEC. 1155. (a)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, but consistent with the provisions of this part, it shall (subject to the provisions of subsection (g)) be the duty and function of each Professional Standards Review Organization for any area to assume, at the earliest date practicable, responsibility for the review of the professional activities in such area of physicians and other health care practitioners and institutional and noninstitutional providers of health care services in the provision of health care services and items for which payment may be made (in whole or in part) under this Act for the purpose of determining whether— " (A) such services and items are or were medically necessary; " (B) the quality of such services meets professionally recognized standards of health care; and " (C) in case such services and items are proposed to be provided in a hospital or other health care facility on an inpatient basis, such services and items could, consistent with the provision of appropriate medical care, be effectively provided on an outpatient basis or more economically in an inpatient health care facility of a different type. "(2) Each Professional Standards Review Organization shall have the authority to determine, in advance, in the case of— " (A) any elective admission to a hospital, or other health care facility, or " (B) any other health care service which will consist of extended or costly courses of treatment, whether such service, if provided, or if provided by a particular health care practitioner or by a particular hospital or other health care facility, organization, or agency, would meet the criteria specified in clauses (A) and (C) of paragraph (1). "(3) Each Professional Standards Review Organization shall, in accordance with regulations of the Secretary, determine and publish, from time to time, the types and kinds of cases (whether by type of health care or diagnosis involved, or whether in terms of other relevant criteria relating to the provision of health care services) with respect to which such organization will, in order most effectively to carry out the purposes of this part, exercise the authority conferred upon it under paragraph (2). "(4) Each Professional Standards Review Organization shall be responsible for the arranging for the maintenance of and the regular review of profiles of care and services received and provided with respect to patients, utilizing to the greatest extent practicable in such patient profiles, methods of coding which will provide maximum confidentiality as to patient identity and assure objective evaluation consistent with the purposes of this part. Profiles shall also be regularly reviewed on an ongoing basis with respect to each health care practitioner and provider to determine whether the care and services ordered or rendered are consistent with the criteria specified in clauses (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1). "(5) Physicians assigned responsibility for the review of hospital care may be only those having active hospital staff privileges in at least one of the participating hospitals in the area served by the Professional Standards Review Organization and (except as may be otherwise provided under subsection (e)(1) of this section) such physicians ordinarily should not be responsible for, but may participate in the review of care and services provided in any hospital in which such physicians have active staff privileges.

Case criteria, publication.

Patient prof i l e s, maintenance and review.

Hospital care, physician review.

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