114 STAT. 2763A-508 PUBLIC LAW 106-554 —APPENDIX F SEC. 406. INCLUSION OF TEMPERATURE MONITORED CRYOABLATION IN TRANSITIONAL PASS-THROUGH FOR CERTAIN MEDI- CAL DEVICES, DRUGS, AND BIOLOGICALS UNDER OPD PPS. (a) IN GENERAL.-^ection 1833(t)(6)(A)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 13951(t)(6)(A)(ii)) is amended by inserting "or temperature monitored cryoablation" after "device of brachytherapy". (b) EFFECTIVE DATE. —The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to devices furnished on or after April 1, 2001. Subtitle B—Provisions Relating to Physicians' Services SEC. 411. GAO STUDIES RELATING TO PHYSICIANS' SERVICES. (a) STUDY OF SPECIALIST PHYSICIANS' SERVICES FURNISHED IN PHYSICIANS' OFFICES AND HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT SERVICES.— (1) STUDY.— The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study to examine the appropriateness of furnishing in physicians' offices specialist physicians' services (such as gastrointestinal endoscopic physicians' services) which are ordinarily furnished in hospital outpatient departments. In conducting this study, the Comptroller General shall— (A) review available scientific and clinical evidence about the safety of performing procedures in physicians' offices and hospital outpatient departments; (B) assess whether resource-based practice expense relative values established by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the medicare physician fee schedule under section 1848 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4) for such specialist physicians' services furnished in physicians' offices and hospital outpatient departments create an incentive to furnish such services in physicians' offices instead of hospital outpatient departments; and (C) assess the implications for access to care for medicare beneficiaries if the medicare program were not to cover such services in physicians' offices. (2) REPORT.— Not later than July 1, 2001, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report on such study and include such recommendations as the Comptroller General determines to be appropriate. (b) STUDY OF THE RESOURCE-BASED PRACTICE EXPENSE SYS- TEM.— (1) STUDY.— The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on the refinements to the practice expense relative value iinits during the transition to a resource-based practice expense system for physician payments under the medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Such study shall examine how the Secretary of Health and Human Services has accepted and used the practice expense data submitted under section 212 of BBRA (113 Stat. 150 lA- 350).
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