[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3255 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3255

 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require universal 
product numbers on claims forms submitted for reimbursement of durable 
     medical equipment and other items under the Medicare Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 24, 1998

 Ms. Slaughter (for herself and Mr. Houghton) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, and in addition 
  to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require universal 
product numbers on claims forms submitted for reimbursement of durable 
     medical equipment and other items under the Medicare Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Universal Product Number 
Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. UNIVERSAL PRODUCT NUMBERS FOR CERTAIN ITEMS OF DURABLE MEDICAL 
              EQUIPMENT ON CLAIMS FORMS FOR REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THE 
              MEDICARE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 1842 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395u), as amended by sections 4315(a) and 4432(b)(4) of the Balanced 
Budget Act of 1997, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(u)(1) Each request for payment, or bill submitted, on or after 
February 1, 2001, for a covered item (as defined in paragraph (3)) for 
which payment may be made under this part shall include a universal 
product number under the system established by the Secretary under 
paragraph (4) for such covered item.
    ``(2) No payment may be made under this part on or after February 
1, 2001, for a covered item if the request for payment or bill 
submitted does not include the universal product number of the covered 
item.
    ``(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), for purposes of 
this subsection, the term `covered item' means the following items:
            ``(i) A covered item (as defined in section 1834(a)(13)).
            ``(ii) An item described in paragraph (8) or (9) of section 
        1861(s).
            ``(iii) An item described in paragraph (5) of section 
        1861(s).
            ``(iv) Such other items as the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    ``(B) Such term does not include a customized item for which 
payment may be made under this title.
    ``(4) The Secretary, in consultation with appropriate experts, 
shall establish a system under which a covered item under this 
subsection is assigned a universal product number that permits the 
Secretary to--
            ``(A) identify the covered item;
            ``(B) develop appropriate data to adjust rates of 
        reimbursement for the covered item as appropriate; and
            ``(C) review the covered items billed under the coding 
        system established under this title and adjust such coding 
        system to ensure that functionally equivalent covered items are 
        billed and reimbursed under the same codes.''.
    (b) Accommodation of UPNs on Claims Forms.--Not later than February 
1, 2000, any claims form developed or used by the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services for reimbursement for a covered item (as that term 
is defined in section 1842(u)(3) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395u(u)(3)), as added by subsection (a)) furnished under the medicare 
program under title XVIII of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), shall 
accommodate the use of universal product numbers.
    (c) Report.--Not later than December 31, 2001, and annually 
thereafter through 2003, the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall submit to Congress a report that describes--
            (1) the additional information made available to the 
        Secretary from the use of universal product numbers on covered 
        items furnished under part B of the medicare program, as that 
        term is defined in section 1842(u)(3) of the Social Security 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u(u)(3)), as added by subsection (a);
            (2) any change by the Secretary in reimbursement rates for 
        the items by reason of the information; and
            (3) the Secretary's recommendations for additional items 
        appropriate for the use of universal product numbers.
                                 <all>