PUBLIC LAW 106-117—NOV. 30, 1999 113 STAT. 1571 expenses of veterans located in Alaska under section 1728 of title 38, United States Code. (2) The report shall— (A) assess the differences between health care costs in Alaska and health care costs in the continental United States; (B) describe any differences between the costs of providing health care in Alaska and the reimbursement rates for the provision of health care under the Participating Physician Fee Schedule; and (C) assess the effects on health care for veterans in Alaska of implementing the Participating Physician Fee Schedule as a means of calculating reimbursement rates for medical expenses of veterans located in Alaska under section 1728 oftitle 38, United States Code. ^ TITLE HI- MISCELLANEOUS MEDICAL PROVISIONS SEC. 301. REVIEW OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO OPERATION OF MED- ICAL FAdLTTIES. Section 8110 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections: "(d) The Secretary may not in any fiscal year close more thsin Reports. 50 percent of the beds within a bed section (of 20 or more beds) of a Department medical center unless the Secretary first submits to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report providing a justification for the closure. No action to carry out such closun? may be taken after the submission of such report until the end of the 21-day period beginning on the date of the submission of the report. "(e) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Deadline. Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later Reports, than January 20 of each year, a report documenting by network for the preceding fiscal year the following: "(1) The number of medical service and surgical service beds, respectively, that were closed during that fiscal year and, for each such closure, a description of the chsinges in delivery of services that allowed such closure to occur. "(2) The number of nursing home beds that were the subject of a mission change during that fiscal year and the nature of each such mission change. "(f) For purposes of this section: "(1) The term 'closure', with respect to beds in a medical center, means ceasing to provide staffing for, and to operate, those beds. Such term includes converting the provision of such bed care from care in a Department facility to care under contract arrangements. "(2) The term 'bed section', with respect to a medical center, means psychiatric beds (including beds for treatment of substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder), intermediate, neurology, and rehabilitation medicine beds, extended care (other than nursing home) beds, and domiciliary beds. "(3) The term 'justification', with resjject to closure of beds, means a written report that includes the following: "(A) An explanation of the reasons for the determination that the closure is appropriate and advisable.
�
