TITLE VI--PROVISIONS RELATING TO PART B
Subtitle A--Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services
SEC. 604. GAO STUDY ON ACCESS TO PHYSICIANS' SERVICES.
(a) STUDY- The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study on access of medicare beneficiaries to physicians'
services under the medicare program. The study shall include--
(1) an assessment of the use by beneficiaries
of such services through an analysis of claims submitted by physicians for
such services under part B of the medicare program;
(2) an examination of changes in the
use by beneficiaries of physicians' services over time; and
(3) an examination of the extent to
which physicians are not accepting new medicare beneficiaries as patients.
(b) REPORT- Not later than 18 months after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit
to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). The report
shall include a determination whether--
(1) data from claims submitted by physicians
under part B of the medicare program indicate potential access problems for
medicare beneficiaries in certain geographic areas; and
(2) access by medicare beneficiaries
to physicians' services may have improved, remained constant, or deteriorated
over time.
