Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 92 Part 1.djvu/368

 92 STAT. 314

Studies.

Reports to Congress.

PUBLIC LAW 95-292—JUNE 13, 1978 controlled products to delay the necessity for, or reduce the frequency of, dialysis in the treatment of end stage renal disease. " (^4) The Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive study of methods for increasing public participation in kidney donation and other organ donation programs. "(5) The Secretary shall conduct a full and complete study of the reimbursement of physicians for services furnished to patients with end stage renal disease under this title, giving particular attention to the range of payments to physicians for such services, the average amovmts of such payments, and the number of hours devoted to furnishing such services to patients at home, in renal disease facilities, in hospitals, and elsewhere. "(6) The Secretary shall conduct a study of the number of patients with end stage renal disease who are not eligible for benefits with respect to such disease under this title (by reason of this section or otherwise), and of the economic impact of such noneligibility of such individuals. Such study shall include consideration of mechanisms whereby governmental and other health plans might be instituted or modified to permit the purchase of actuarially sound coverage for the costs of end stage renal disease. " (7) The Secretary shall conduct a study of the medical appropriateness and safety of cleaning and reusing dialysis filters by home dialysis patients. In such cases in which the Secretary determines that such home cleaning and reuse of filters is a medically sound procedure, the Secretary shall conduct experiments to evaluate such home cleaning and reuse as a method of reducing the costs of the end stage renal disease program. "(8) The Secretary shall submit to the Congress no later than October 1, 1979, a full report on the experiments conducted under paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (7), and the studies under paragraphs (4), (5), (6), and (7). Such report shall include any recommendations for legislative changes which the Secretary finds necessary or desirable as a result of such experiments and studies. "(g) The Secretary shall submit to the Congress on April 1, 1979, and April 1 of each year thereafter a report on the end stage renal disease program, including but not limited to— "(1) the number of patients, nationally and by renal disease network, on dialysis (self-dialysis or otherwise) at home and in facilities; "(2) the number of new patients entering dialysis at home and in facilities during the year; "(3) the number of facilities providing dialysis and the utilization rates of those facilities; "(4) the number of kidney transplants, by source of donor organ; "(5) the number of patients awaiting organs for transplant; " (6^ the number of transplant failures; "(7) the range of costs of kidney acquisitions, by type of facility and by region; "(8) the number of facilities providing transplants and the number of transplants performed per facility; " (9) patient mortality and morbidity rates; "(10) the average annual cost of hospitalization for ancillary problems in dialysis and transplant patients, and drug costs for transplant patients; "(11) medicare payment rates for dialysis, transplant procedures, and physician services, along with any changes in such rates during the year and the reasons for those changes;

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