Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 42 : Section 1320a


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 1320a. Uniform reporting systems for health services facilities and organizations

    (a) Establishment; criteria for regulations; requirements for
      hospitals
      For the purposes of reporting the cost of services provided by,
    of planning, and of measuring and comparing the efficiency of and
    effective use of services in, hospitals, skilled nursing
    facilities, intermediate care facilities, home health agencies,
    health maintenance organizations, and other types of health
    services facilities and organizations to which payment may be made
    under this chapter, the Secretary shall establish by regulation,
    for each such type of health services facility or organization, a
    uniform system for the reporting by a facility or organization of
    that type of the following information:
        (1) The aggregate cost of operation and the aggregate volume of
      services.
        (2) The costs and volume of services for various functional
      accounts and subaccounts.
        (3) Rates, by category of patient and class of purchaser.
        (4) Capital assets, as defined by the Secretary, including (as
      appropriate) capital funds, debt service, lease agreements used
      in lieu of capital funds, and the value of land, facilities, and
      equipment.
        (5) Discharge and bill data.

    The uniform reporting system for a type of health services facility
    or organization shall provide for appropriate variation in the
    application of the system to different classes of facilities or
    organizations within that type and shall be established, to the
    extent practicable, consistent with the cooperative system for
    producing comparable and uniform health information and statistics
    described in section 242k(e)(1) of this title. In reporting under
    such a system, hospitals shall employ such chart of accounts,
    definitions, principles, and statistics as the Secretary may
    prescribe in order to reach a uniform reconciliation of financial
    and statistical data for specified uniform reports to be provided
    to the Secretary.
    (b) Monitoring, etc., of systems by Secretary
      The Secretary shall - 
        (1) monitor the operation of the systems established under
      subsection (a) of this section;
        (2) assist with and support demonstrations and evaluations of
      the effectiveness and cost of the operation of such systems and
      encourage State adoption of such systems; and
        (3) periodically revise such systems to improve their
      effectiveness and diminish their cost.
    (c) Availability of information to appropriate agencies and
      organizations
      The Secretary shall provide information obtained through use of
    the uniform reporting systems described in subsection (a) of this
    section in a useful manner and format to appropriate agencies and
    organizations, including health systems agencies (designated under
    section 300l-4 (!1) of this title) and State health planning and
    development agencies (designated under section 300m (!1) of this
    title), as may be necessary to carry out such agencies' and
    organizations' functions.




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