PUBLIC LAW 106-113—APPENDIX F 113 STAT. 1501A-377 (6) the effect of State-specific budget neutrality compared to national budget neutrality; and (7) whether there are sufficient controls over the intermediary evaluation of the wage data reported by hospitals. (b) REPORT. —Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). Subtitle B—Other Rural Provisions SEC. 411. MEDPAC STUDY OF RURAL PROVIDERS. (a) STUDY.— The Medicare Pajmient Advisory Commission shall conduct a study of rural providers furnishing items and services for which payment is made under title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Such study shall examine and evaluate the adequacy and appropriateness of the categories of special payments (and payment methodologies) established for rural hospitals under the medicare program, and the impact of such categories on beneficiary access and quality of health care services. (b) REPORT. —Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Medicare Pajment Advisory Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). SEC. 412. EXPANSION OF ACCESS TO PARAMEDIC INTERCEPT SERV- ICES IN RURAL AREAS. (a) EXPANSION OF PAYMENT AREAS.— Section 4531(c) of BBA (42 U.S.C. 1395x note) is amended by adding at the end the following flush sentence: "For purposes of this subsection, an area shall be treated as a rural area if it is designated as a rural area by any law or regulation of the State or if it is located in a rural census tract of a metropolitan statistical area (as determined under the most recent Goldsmith Modification, originally published in the Federal Register on February 27, 1992 (57 Fed. Reg. 6725)).". (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.— The amendment made by subsection (a) takes effect on January 1, 2000, and applies to ALS intercept services furnished on or after such date. SEC. 413. PROMOTING PROMPT IMPLEMENTATION OF INFORMATICS, TELEMEDICINE, AND EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. Section 4207 of BBA (42 U.S.C. 1395b-1 note) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1), by adding at the end the following: "The Secretary shall make an award for such project not later than 3 months after the date of the enactment of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999. The Secretary shall accept the proposal adjudged to be the best technical proposal as of such date of enactment without the need for additional review or resubmission of proposals."; (2) in subsection (a)(2)(A), by inserting before the period at the end the following: "that qualify as Federally designated medically underserved areas or health professional shortage areas at the time of enrollment of beneficiaries under the project";
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