Federal Legislation

• The 109th Congress adjourned sine die on Dec. 9 following a week-long lame-duck session. On Dec. 20, President Bush signed H.R. 6111, a bill that extends Medicare provisions that were set to expire on Jan. 1, 2007. This bill also eliminates the 5 percent physician pay cut that was to be implemented in 2007. To read more about this legislation, please visit the Federal Legislation section of this month’s report.

• The 110th Congress will convene on Jan. 4, 2007. Congressional aides predict that the new Democratic leadership in both the House and the Senate will pursue an ambitious health care agenda early in the session. To read more about this outlook, please visit the Federal Legislation section of this month’s report.

• The Joint Commission has released for comment three draft standards and a draft of the 2008 National Patient Safety Goals. In addition to the Potential 2008 National Patient Safety Goals, the three standards posted for review are the Proposed Conflict Management Standards, the Proposed Disruptive Behavior Standards, and the Proposed Revisions to Emergency Management Standards.

NAMSS believes that all members should take the opportunity to participate in these field reviews. To view the action alert, please visit the Federal Agency News section of this month’s report.

• CMS has increased qualifications for staff working in organizations that are a part of the Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). To read more about this change, please visit the Federal Agency News section of this month’s report.
• CMS issued a final rule expanding conditions of participation standards for hospitals admitting Medicare and Medicaid patients, including increasing the timeframe for completing an examination before admission and changing requirements for professionals permitted to perform the examination. To read more about this final rule, please visit the Federal Agency News section of this month’s report.