PUBLIC LAW 109–432—DEC. 20, 2006
120 STAT. 2987
events and any payment (or recoupment) for services furnished in connection with such events; (B) may request access to such claims and records from any Medicare contractor; and (C) shall not release individually identifiable information or facility-specific information. (b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General shall submit a report to Congress on the study conducted under this section. Such report shall include recommendations for such legislation and administrative action, such as a noncoverage policy or denial of payments, as the Inspector General determines appropriate, including— (1) recommendations on processes to identify never events and to deny or recoup payments for services furnished in connection with such events; and (2) a recommendation on a potential process (or processes) for public disclosure of never events which— (A) will ensure protection of patient privacy; and (B) will permit the use of the disclosed information for a root cause analysis to inform the public and the medical community about safety issues involved. (c) FUNDING.—Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services $3,000,000 to carry out this section, to be available until January 1, 2010. (d) NEVER EVENTS DEFINED.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘‘never event’’ means an event that is listed and endorsed as a serious reportable event by the National Quality Forum as of November 16, 2006. SEC. 204. MEDICARE MEDICAL HOME DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall establish under title XVIII of the Social Security Act a medical home demonstration project (in this section referred to as the ‘‘project’’) to redesign the health care delivery system to provide targeted, accessible, continuous and coordinated, family-centered care to high-need populations and under which— (1) care management fees are paid to persons performing services as personal physicians; and (2) incentive payments are paid to physicians participating in practices that provide services as a medical home under subsection (d). For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘high-need population’’ means individuals with multiple chronic illnesses that require regular medical monitoring, advising, or treatment. (b) DETAILS.— (1) DURATION; SCOPE.—The project shall operate during a period of three years and shall include urban, rural, and underserved areas in a total of no more than 8 States. (2) ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION OF SMALL PHYSICIAN PRACTICES.—The project shall be designed to include the participation of physicians in practices with fewer than three full-time equivalent physicians, as well as physicians in larger practices particularly in rural and underserved areas. (c) PERSONAL PHYSICIAN DEFINED.—
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