§1875 Studies and Recommendations563

Social Security Act

Title XVIII — Health Insurance for the Aged and Disabled

Part E — Miscellaneous Provisions

(42 U.S.C. §1395ll)

(a) The Secretary shall carry on studies and develop recommendations to be submitted from time to time to the Congress relating to health care of the aged and the disabled, including studies and recommendations concerning -

(a)(1) The adequacy of existing personnel and facilities for health care for purposes of the programs under parts A and B;

(a)(2) methods for encouraging the further development of efficient and economical forms of health care which are a constructive alternative to inpatient hospital care; and

(a)(3) the effects of the deductibles and coinsurance provisions upon beneficiaries, persons who provide health services, and the financing of the program.

(b) The Secretary shall make a continuing study of the operation and administration of this title⁵⁶⁴ (including a validation of the accreditation process of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, the operation and administration of health maintenance organizations authorized by section 226 of the Social Security Amendments of 1972,⁵⁶⁵ the experiments and demonstration projects authorized by section 402 of the Social Security Amendments of 1967⁵⁶⁶ and the experiments and demonstration projects authorized by section 222(a) of the Social Security Amendments of 1972), and shall transmit to the Congress annually a report concerning the operation of such programs.

⁵⁶³ See Vol. II, P.L. 106-113, §1000(a )(6) (211(c)), with respect to a study and report regarding the utilization of physicians' services by Medicare beneficiaries.

See Vol. II, P.L. 106-554, §1(a )(6) (413), with respect to a study on enrollment procedures for groups that retain independent contractor physicians and (437), with respect to GAO studies and reports on Medicare payments.

See Vol. II, P.L. 108-173, §238, with respect to the Institute of Medicine evaluation and a report on health care performance measures and §604, with respect to a GAO study on access to physicians' services.

⁵⁶⁴ P.L. 108-173, §101(e )(7), struck out "the insurance programs under parts A and B" and substituted "this title", effective December 8, 2003.

⁵⁶⁵ See Vol. II, P.L. 92-603.

⁵⁶⁶ See Vol. II, P.L. 90-248.