National Institutes of Helath Reform Act of 2006

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH REFORM ACT OF 2006 -- (Senate - December 08, 2006)

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Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise to comment briefly on the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. This bill includes a number of important provisions, including tax relief and reforms to the Medicare system. I wish simply to highlight two sections for the record.

Section 103 contains an update of the composite rate component of the basic case-mix adjusted prospective payment system for dialysis services. The intent of this section is to provide an update of 1.6% for a period of 1 year to the current composite rate for dialysis care. This section does not address any other payment system modifications for the ESRD Program. The GAO report is intended to explore the cost of home dialysis and how to more effectively educate dialysis patients about the possible advantages of home dialysis.

Section 110 relates to the reporting of anemia quality indicators for Medicare Part B cancer anti-anemia drugs. The intent of this section is to require the Secretary to develop a process through full notice and comment rulemaking that requires providers to report hemoglobin or hematocrit levels for patients being treated with cancer chemotherapy. Nothing in this section is intended to require the Secretary to change the coverage or payment rules for any products under Part B.

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