Medicare Teaching Anesthesiology Funding Restoration Act of 2006

H.R. 5246, the Medicare Teaching Anesthesiology Funding Restoration Act of 2006, proposes a change to how Medicare pays for anesthesia services in teaching hospitals. Under this bill, Medicare would pay the full fee schedule amount for cases where a teaching anesthesiologist is supervising two concurrent procedures involving residents, provided the physician is present for the most critical parts of the surgery.

The practical impact of this legislation is to increase federal funding for medical residency programs specializing in anesthesiology. By restoring higher reimbursement rates, the bill aims to help teaching hospitals cover the costs of training new doctors, which could help address potential shortages of anesthesiology providers for Medicare patients.