SEC. 434. FRONTIER EXTENDED STAY CLINIC DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
(a) AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT DEMONSTRATION PROJECT-
The Secretary shall waive such provisions of the medicare program established
under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) as are
necessary to conduct a demonstration project under which frontier extended stay
clinics described in subsection (b) in isolated rural areas are treated as providers
of items and services under the medicare program.
(b) CLINICS DESCRIBED- A frontier extended
stay clinic is described in this subsection if the clinic--
(1) is located in a community where
the closest short-term acute care hospital or critical access hospital is
at least 75 miles away from the community or is inaccessible by public road;
and
(2) is designed to address the needs
of--
(A) seriously or critically
ill or injured patients who, due to adverse weather conditions or other
reasons, cannot be transferred quickly to acute care referral centers; or
(B) patients who need monitoring
and observation for a limited period of time.
(c) SPECIFICATION OF CODES- The Secretary shall
determine the appropriate life-safety codes for such clinics that treat patients
for needs referred to in subsection (b)(2).
(d) FUNDING-
(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph
(2), there are authorized to be appropriated, in appropriate part from the
Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Supplementary Medical
Insurance Trust Fund, such sums as are necessary to conduct the demonstration
project under this section.
(2) BUDGET NEUTRAL IMPLEMENTATION-
In conducting the demonstration project under this section, the Secretary
shall ensure that the aggregate payments made by the Secretary under the medicare
program do not exceed the amount which the Secretary would have paid under
the medicare program if the demonstration project under this section was not
implemented.
(e) THREE-YEAR PERIOD- The Secretary shall
conduct the demonstration under this section for a 3-year period.
(f) REPORT- Not later than the date that is
1 year after the date on which the demonstration project concludes, the Secretary
shall submit to Congress a report on the demonstration project, together with
such recommendations for legislation or administrative action as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(g) DEFINITIONS- In this section, the terms
`hospital' and `critical access hospital' have the meanings given such terms
in subsections (e) and (mm), respectively, of section 1861 of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x).
