Section 3142

SEC. 3142. HHS STUDY ON URBAN MEDICARE-DEPENDENT HOSPITALS.

[a] Study-

[1] IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Health and Human Services [in this section referred to as the 'Secretary'] shall conduct a study on the need for an additional payment for urban Medicare-dependent hospitals for inpatient hospital services under section 1886 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395ww]. Such study shall include an analysis of--

[A] the Medicare inpatient margins of urban Medicare-dependent hospitals, as compared to other hospitals which receive 1 or more additional payments or adjustments under such section [including those payments or adjustments described in paragraph [2][A]]; and

[B] whether payments to medicare-dependent, small rural hospitals under subsection [d][5][G] of such section should be applied to urban Medicare-dependent hospitals.

[2] URBAN MEDICARE-DEPENDENT HOSPITAL DEFINED- For purposes of this section, the term 'urban Medicare-dependent hospital' means a subsection [d] hospital [as defined in subsection [d][1][B] of such section] that--

[A] does not receive any additional payment or adjustment under such section, such as payments for indirect medical education costs under subsection [d][5][B] of such section, disproportionate share payments under subsection [d][5][A] of such section, payments to a rural referral center under subsection [d][5][C] of such section, payments to a critical access hospital under section 1814[l] of such Act [42 U.S.C. 1395f[l]], payments to a sole community hospital under subsection [d][5][D] of such section 1886, or payments to a medicare-dependent, small rural hospital under subsection [d][5][G] of such section 1886; and

[B] for which more than 60 percent of its inpatient days or discharges during 2 of the 3 most recently audited cost reporting periods for which the Secretary has a settled cost report were attributable to inpatients entitled to benefits under part A of title XVIII of such Act.

[b] Report- Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report containing the results of the study conducted under subsection [a], together with recommendations for such legislation and administrative action as the Secretary determines appropriate.