[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 19732-19733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 586--CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF ACHIEVEMENTS OF MEDICAL 
   CODERS, AND ENCOURAGING THE MEDICAL CODING COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE 
  PROVIDING ACCURATE MEDICAL CLAIMS AND STATISTICAL REPORTING TO THE 
              PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND TO THE WORLD

  Mr. HATCH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 586

       Whereas, in 1966, the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) 
     was developed by the American Medical Association (AMA) to 
     assist with the accurate reporting of physician procedures 
     and services, and has since grown to include 8,568 codes and 
     descriptions;
       Whereas, in 1977, when the 9th revision to the World Health 
     Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-
     9) was published, the United States National Center for 
     Health Statistics modified the statistical study with 
     clinical information and provided a way to classify 
     diagnostic and procedural data to create a clinical picture 
     of each patient to improve the quality of health care;
       Whereas, in 1977, the Health Care Financing Administration 
     (HCFA), now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
     (CMS), was established for the coordination of the Medicare 
     and Medicaid programs and its responsibilities has since 
     included coordinating the annual update to ICD-9-CM Volume 3 
     procedures codes;
       Whereas Congress passed the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage 
     Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-360), and mandated the reporting 
     of ICD-9-CM codes on each part B claim submitted by 
     physicians and that mandate has since extended to parts A, C, 
     and D of the Medicare program;
       Whereas the Health Information Portability and 
     Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191) requires 
     every health care provider who does business electronically 
     to use the same code sets, including Current Procedural 
     Terminology, ICD-9-CM, and other code sets involving medical 
     supplies, dental services, and drugs;
       Whereas, since 1998 and the publication of the first 
     medical practice compliance plans, the Office of Inspector 
     General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services 
     (HHS) has recognized medical coding as an essential element 
     in the fight against health care fraud and abuse;
       Whereas, in 2003, the Department of Health and Human 
     Services delegated authority under the Health Information 
     Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to the Centers for 
     Medicare & Medicaid Services to maintain and distribute the 
     Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) that is 
     used primarily to identify products, supplies, and services 
     not included in the Current Procedural Terminology codes, 
     such as ambulance services and durable medical equipment, 
     prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) when used 
     outside a physician's office;
       Whereas the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and 
     Modernization Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-173) included a 
     provision to update ICD-9-CM codes affecting new technology 
     and procedures twice each year;
       Whereas, in 2006, the Department of Labor forecasted above 
     average job growth for medical coders through 2012 because of 
     rapid growth in the number of medical tests, treatments, and 
     procedures that will be increasingly scrutinized by third-
     party payers, regulators, courts, and consumers; and
       Whereas medical coders have a tradition of working in 
     collaboration with the Federal Government to improve the 
     overall health of all people of the United States through the 
     accuracy of claims reporting: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the historical, clinical, and public health 
     achievements of medical coders and celebrates the milestones 
     achieved in the 40-year history of medical coding;
       (2) recognizes the great impact that medical coders have on 
     improving the quality of health care of people in the United 
     States and around the world; and
       (3) congratulates medical coders for their dedication and 
     trusts that the profession will continue to offer its 
     guidance relative to medical coding and its effect on 
     accurate patient information to improve the public health of 
     future generations.

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I am pleased to submit today a resolution 
to celebrate 40 years of achievements of medical coders, and to 
encourage the medical coding community to continue providing accurate 
medical claims and statistical reporting to the people of the United 
States and to the world.
  There are about 80,000 professional medical coders employed in the 
United States, and that number is expected to continue to grow due to 
the increasing number of medical tests, treatments and procedures, and 
the consequent scrutiny to provide the best quality health care in a 
market driven economy. Medical coders are a diverse group of women and 
men dedicated to ``running the numbers'' of health care. They translate 
the information that a physician documents during a patient visit into 
numerical codes that are used for both payment and statistical 
purposes.
  Medical coders are sentries of our Nation's health. They communicate 
regularly with physicians and other health care professionals to 
clarify diagnoses or to obtain additional information in the assignment 
of alphanumeric codes. They are knowledgeable of medical terminology, 
anatomy, physiology, and the code sets necessary to serve effectively 
in their professional role within the health care community. They are 
team players committed to ethical and sound medical documentation and 
reimbursement practices.
  Medical coders work in a variety of health care environments. Nearly 
40 percent of all coding jobs are in hospitals. Others work in the 
offices of physicians, nursing care facilities, outpatient care 
centers, and home health care services. Insurance firms that offer 
health plans employ coders to tabulate and analyze health information. 
Medical coders in public health departments supervise data collection 
from health care institutions and assist in research. The Department of 
Defense policy requires accurate and prompt documentation of and coding 
of medical encounters within the Military Health System to assist, 
Military Treatment Facility operations. The compliance plan for third-
party payers of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of 
the Inspector General acknowledges the specialized training of medical 
coders required due to the greater legal exposure related to coding 
medical services. Coders also stand as the frontline against the 
potential fraud and abuse of the Medicare and Medicaid programs while 
assuring that the physicians, hospitals, and clinics receive accurate 
compensation for the services provided.
  The abilities coders possess to collect data about diagnoses and 
procedures figure prominently within my own interests for quality 
health care. Medical coders also provide us with the data we need for 
making tough choices in health care policy.
  It is my hope that this resolution will help advance the recognition 
of professional medical coders and the attention given to their 
commendable work. It recognizes contributions to the national health 
care system and it reminds us of medical coders' dedication to the 
value of hard work in the interest of a national priority--quality 
health care for everyone. I applaud that contribution and am hopeful 
that my colleagues in the Senate will join me by passing this 
resolution.

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