[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4568 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4568
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 17, 2005
Received
January 27, 2006
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To improve proficiency testing of clinical laboratories.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Proficiency Testing Improvement Act
of 2005''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF PROFICIENCY TESTING OF CLINICAL LABORATORIES.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Health
and Human Services--
(1) may not, during the one-year period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act, conduct (or cause an entity
with which the Secretary contracts to conduct) the proficiency
testing referred to in section 353(f)(4)(B)(iv) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 263a(f)(4)(B)(iv));
(2) shall revise such proficiency testing (or cause such
testing to be revised)--
(A) to reflect the collaborative clinical decision-
making of laboratory personnel involved in screening or
interpreting cytological preparations;
(B) to revise grading or scoring criteria to
reflect current practice guidelines;
(C) to provide for such testing to be conducted no
more often than every 2 years; and
(D) to make such other revisions to the standards
for such testing as may be necessary to reflect changes
in laboratory operations and practices since such
standards were promulgated in 1992; and
(3) shall make the revisions required by paragraph (2)
within one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and
before resuming proficiency testing referred to in such
section.
Passed the House of Representatives December 17, 2005.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.