[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6090 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6090
To provide for a new building period with respect to the cap on full-
time equivalent residents for purposes of payment for graduate medical
education costs under the Medicare program for certain hospitals that
have established a shortage specialty program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 4, 2020
Mr. Ruiz (for himself, Mr. Bucshon, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, and Mr.
Wenstrup) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy
and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a new building period with respect to the cap on full-
time equivalent residents for purposes of payment for graduate medical
education costs under the Medicare program for certain hospitals that
have established a shortage specialty program.
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 ``Physician Shortage GME Cap Flex Act
of 2020''.
SEC. 2. PROVIDING FOR A NEW BUILDING PERIOD WITH RESPECT TO THE CAP ON
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT RESIDENTS FOR CERTAIN HOSPITALS THAT
HAVE ESTABLISHED A SHORTAGE SPECIALTY PROGRAM.
Section 1886(h)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395ww(h)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(L) Treatment of certain qualifying hospitals.--
``(i) In general.--For purposes of applying
this paragraph and section 413.79 of title 42,
Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor
regulation), the Secretary shall treat, subject
to clause (ii), a qualifying hospital (as
defined in clause (iii)) with an approved
medical residency training program as if such
hospital--
``(I) had no allopathic or
osteopathic residents in its most
recent cost reporting period ending on
or before December 31, 1996; and
``(II) began training residents for
the first time in a new medical
residency training program (as defined
in paragraph (l) of such section)
beginning on the date on which such
hospital became a qualifying hospital.
``(ii) Special rule for qualifying
hospitals in cap-building period.--In the case
of a qualifying hospital with an approved
medical residency training program that,
excluding the treatment described in clause
(i), is a hospital that had no allopathic or
osteopathic residents in its most recent cost
reporting period ending on or before December
31, 1996, and began training residents for the
first time in a new medical residency training
program (as defined in paragraph (l) of such
section) during the 5-year period ending on the
date described in clause (i)(II) with respect
to such hospital, in lieu of applying such
clause, the Secretary shall provide that the
provisions of subsection (e) of section 413.79
of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations (or a
successor regulation), shall apply with respect
to such hospital for an additional 5 years
beyond the period during which such provisions
would otherwise have applied to such hospital.
``(iii) Definition.--In this subparagraph:
``(I) Qualifying hospital.--The
term `qualifying hospital' means a
hospital that--
``(aa) establishes a
shortage specialty program (as
defined in subclause (II))
during the 5-year period
beginning on the date of the
enactment of this subparagraph;
and
``(bb) submits an
application to the Secretary
during such period containing
such information as the
Secretary may specify.
``(II) Shortage specialty
program.--The term `shortage specialty
program' means, with respect to a
hospital located in a geographic area
(as defined by the Secretary), any
approved residency training program in
a specialty for which the Secretary
determines that there is a shortage of
physicians practicing such specialty in
such area at the time such program is
established. In making such a
determination, the Secretary shall take
into account whether such hospital is
located in an area--
``(aa) without adequate
health care resources (such as
in a rural area or a medically
underserved area (as defined by
the Administrator of the Health
Resources and Services
Administration));
``(bb) experiencing primary
care or specialty physician
shortages (such as in a health
professional shortage area (as
defined in section 332(a) of
the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 254e(a))));
``(cc) without an adequate
number of approved residency
training programs;
``(dd) struggling to expand
or keep approved residency
training programs operational;
``(ee) lacking existing
medical training infrastructure
or in the process of building
such infrastructure;
``(ff) with a low resident-
to-population ratio;
``(gg) with few full-time
equivalent resident positions;
or
``(hh) with a low
physician-to-population ratio
for physicians practicing in
the same specialty as the
shortage specialty program
concerned.''.
<all>