S.Amdt. 3572

1. Adds SEC. __. ASSESSMENT OF MEDICARE COST-INTENSIVE DISEASES AND CONDITIONS at the end of subtitle B of title I

   Adds a section

   In H.R. 4872 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   (d) Qualifying Hospital Defined.--In this section, the term "qualifying hospital" means a subsection (d) hospital (as defined for purposes of section 1886(d) of the Social Security Act) that is located in a county that ranks, based upon its ranking in age, sex, and race adjusted spending for benefits under parts A and B under title XVIII of such Act per enrollee, within the lowest quartile of such counties in the United States.

   Inserted: SEC. __. ASSESSMENT OF MEDICARE COST-INTENSIVE DISEASES AND CONDITIONS.

   Inserted: (a) Initial Assessment.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the "Secretary") shall conduct an assessment of the diseases and conditions that are the most cost-intensive for the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act and, to the extent possible, assess the diseases and conditions that could become cost-intensive for the Medicare program in the future.

   Inserted: (2) Report.--Not later than January 1, 2011, the Secretary shall transmit a report to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Finance, and Appropriations of the Senate on the assessment conducted under paragraph (1). Such report shall--

   Inserted: (A) include the assessment of current and future trends of cost-intensive diseases and conditions described in such paragraph;

   Inserted: (B) address whether current research priorities are appropriately addressing current and future cost-intensive conditions so identified;

   Inserted: (C) include the input of relevant research agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Food and Drug Administration; and

   Inserted: (D) include recommendations concerning research in the Department of Health and Human Services that should be funded to improve the prevention, treatment, or cure of such cost-intensive diseases and conditions.

   Inserted: (b) Updates of Assessment.--Not later than January 1, 2013, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall--

   Inserted: (1) review and update the assessment and recommendations described in subsection (a)(1); and

   Inserted: (2) submit a report described in subsection (a)(2) to the Committees specified in subsection (a)(2) on such updated assessment and recommendations.

   Inserted: (c) CMS Medicare Cost-Intensive Research Fund.--

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   Inserted: (1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the "CMS Medicare Cost-Intensive Research Fund", in this subsection referred to as the "Fund". The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall administer the Fund. The Fund shall consist of such amounts as may be appropriated or credited to such Fund for the purposes described in paragraph (2). The Administrator shall not transfer appropriations to or from other relevant research agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Food and Drug Administration.

   Inserted: (2) Purposes of fund.--From amounts in the Fund, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall make available research grants, contracts, and other funding mechanisms to facilitate research into the prevention, treatment, or cure of cost-intensive diseases and conditions under the Medicare program as recommended by the reports under this section.

   Original wording

   At the end of subtitle B of title I, add the following:

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As printed