HR 7546 — Nurse Overtime and Patient Safety Act of 2024

(a) Filing of agreements; eligibility for payment; charges with respect to items and services (1) Any provider of services (except a fund designated for purposes of section 1395f(g) and section 1395n(e) of this title) shall be qualified to participate under this subchapter and shall be eligible for payments under this subchapter if it files with the Secretary an agreement— (A) (i) not to charge, except as provided in paragraph (2), any individual or any other person for items or services for which such individual is entitled to have payment made under this subchapter (or for which he would be so entitled if such provider of services had complied with the procedural and other requirements under or pursuant to this subchapter or for which such provider is paid pursuant to the provisions of section 1395f(e) of this title), and (ii) not to impose any charge that is prohibited under section 1396a(n)(3) of this title, (B) not to charge any individual or any other person for items or services for which such individual is not entitled to have payment made under this subchapter because payment for expenses incurred for such items or services may not be made by reason of the provisions of paragraph (1) or (9) of section 1395y(a) of this title, but only if (i) such individual was without fault in incurring such expenses and (ii) the Secretary’s determination that such payment may not be made for such items and services was made after the third year following the year in which notice of such payment was sent to such individual; except that the Secretary may reduce such three-year period to not less than one year if he finds such reduction is consistent with the objectives of this subchapter, (C) to make adequate provision for return (or other disposition, in accordance with regulations) of any moneys incorrectly collected from such individual or other person, (D) to promptly notify the Secretary of its employment of an individual who, at any time during the year preceding such employment, was employed in a managerial, accounting, auditing, or similar capacity (as determined by the Secretary by regulation) by an agency or organization which serves as a fiscal intermediary or carrier (for purposes of part A or part B, or both, of this subchapter) with respect to the provider, (E) to release data with respect to patients of such provider upon request to an organization having a contract with the Secretary under part B of subchapter XI as may be necessary (i) to allow such organization to carry out its functions under such contract, or (ii) to allow such organization to carry out similar review functions under any contract the organization may have with a private or public agency paying for health care in the same area with respect to patients who authorize release of such data for such purposes, (F) (i) in the case of hospitals which provide inpatient hospital services for which payment may be made under subsection (b), (c), or (d) of section 1395ww of this title, to maintain an agreement with a professional standards review organization (if there is such an organization in existence in the area in which the hospital is located) or with a quality improvement organization which has a contract with the Secretary under part B of subchapter XI for the area in which the hospital is located, under which the organization will perform functions under that part with respect to the review of the validity of diagnostic information provided by such hospital, the completeness, adequacy, and quality of care provided, the appropriateness of admissions and discharges, and the appropriateness of care provided for which additional payments are sought under section 1395ww(d)(5) of this title, with respect to inpatient hospital services for which payment may be made under part A of this subchapter (and for purposes of payment under this subchapter, the cost of such agreement to the hospital shall be considered a cost incurred by such hospital in providing in...