REPORTING HOSPITAL INFORMATION.

SEC. 4007. REPORTING HOSPITAL INFORMATION. (a) Development of Data Base.— The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 1919Copy read “Services, (in”. this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall develop and place into effect not later than June 1, 1989, a data base of the operating costs of inpatient hospital services with respect to all hospitals under title XVIII of the Social Security Act, which data base shall be updated at least once every quarter (and maintained for the 12-month period preceding any such update). The data base under this subsection may include data from preliminary cost reports (but the Secretary shall make available an updata analysis of the differences between preliminary and settled cost reports). (b) Reporting of Information Electronically.— (1) 2020Copy read “Electronically.—Subject” Subject to paragraph (2), with respect to hospital cost reporting periods beginning on or after October 1, 1989, the Secretary shall place into effect a standardized electronic cost reporting format for hospitals under the medicare program. (2) The Secretary may delay or waive the implementation of such format in particular instances where such implementation101 STAT. 1330–54 would result in financial hardship (in particular with respect to a small percentage of medicare volume), (c) Demonstration Project.— (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide for a 3-year demonstration project to develop, and determine the costs and benefits of establishing a uniform system for the reporting by medicare participating hospitals of balance sheet and information described in paragraph (2), In contracting the project, the Secretary shall require hospitals in at least 2 States, one of which maintains a uniform hospital reporting system, to report such information based on standard information established by the Secretary. (2) The information described in this paragraph is as follows: (A) Hospital discharges (classified by category of service and by class of primary payer). (B) Patient days (classified by category of service and by class of primary payer). (C) Licensed beds, staffed beds, and occupancy (by category of service). (D) Outpatient visits (classified by class of primary payer). (E) Inpatient charges and revenues (classified by class of primary payer). (F) Outpatient charges and revenues (classified by class of primary payer). (G) Inpatient and outpatient hospital expenses (by cost-center classified for operating and capital). (H) Reasonable costs. (I) Other income. (J) Uncompensated care (classified by bad debt and charity care). (K) Capital acquisitions. (L) Capital assets. (3) The Secretary shall develop the system under subsection (c) in a manner so as— (A) to facilitate the submittal of the information in the report in an electronic form, and (B) to be compatible with the needs of the medicare prospective payment system. (4) The Secretary shall prepare and submit, to the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission, the Comptroller General, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate, by not later than 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter, data collected under the system. (5) In paragraph (3): (A) The terms “bad debt” and “charity care” have such meanings as the Secretary establishes. (B) The term “class” means, with respect to payers, the programs under this title VIII of the Social Security Act, a State plan approved under title XIX of such Act, other third party-payers, and self-paying individuals. (6) 2121Copy read “(7)”The Secretary shall set aside at least $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1988, 1989, and 1990 from existing research funds101 STAT. 1330–55 to develop the format, according to paragraph (1), and at least $2,000,000 from program operations funds for data collection and analysis, but total funds shall not exceed $15,000,000 over 3 years. (7) 2222Copy read “(8)”. The Comptroller General shall analyze the adequacy of the existing system for reporting of hospital information and the costs and benefits of data reporting under the demonstration system and will recommend improvements in hospital data collection and in analysis and display of data in support of policy making. 2323“(J)” Paragraph had wrong indention.(d) Consultation.— The Secretary shall consult representatives of the hospital industry in carrying out the provisions of this section.