Strictly Pay for Efficient and Expedited Delivery of Your COVID-19 Tests Act or the SPEEDY COVID-19 Tests Act
This bill establishes and otherwise modifies requirements relating to Medicare payments for specified laboratory diagnostic tests during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
In particular, the bill requires laboratories, as a condition of Medicare participation, to furnish COVID-19 test results to health care providers within 28 days of when the test was ordered. The bill also adjusts payments based on how quickly laboratories return test results. For example, the bill increases payments for laboratories that return test results within 24 hours, but prohibits payment for results that take 72 hours or longer.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8496 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8496
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to revise payment
amounts for results of COVID-19 PCR diagnostic panels, to require
laboratories to furnish the results of such panels within 28 days as a
condition of participation under such title, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 1, 2020
Ms. Sherrill (for herself, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr.
Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Engel, Ms. Norton, Mr. Suozzi, and Mr.
Danny K. Davis of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and 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 revise payment
amounts for results of COVID-19 PCR diagnostic panels, to require
laboratories to furnish the results of such panels within 28 days as a
condition of participation under such title, and for other purposes.
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 ``Strictly Pay for Efficient and
Expedited Delivery of Your COVID-19 Tests Act'' or the ``SPEEDY COVID-
19 Tests Act''.
SEC. 2. REVISION TO PAYMENT AMOUNTS FOR RESULTS OF COVID-19 PCR
DIAGNOSTIC PANELS.
(a) In General.--Section 1834A of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395m-1) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(j) Payment for Delayed Results of COVID-19 PCR Diagnostic
Panels.--
``(1) In general.--In the case of a clinical diagnostic
laboratory test that is the `CDC 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-
nCoV) Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase (RT)-PCR Diagnostic
Panel', during the emergency period described in section
1135(g)(1)(B) beginning of the date of the enactment of this
subsection, subject to paragraph (2), if the laboratory
furnishes the result of such test to the physician or provider
of services from which such test was ordered--
``(A) during the period that is not more than 24
hours after such test was so ordered, the amount of
payment for such test shall be 125 percent of the
amount of payment under this section on the date of the
enactment of this subsection;
``(B) during the period that is more than 24 hours
and less than 48 hours after such test was so ordered,
the amount of payment for such test shall be 100
percent of the amount of payment under this section on
the date of the enactment of this subsection;
``(C) during the period that is more than 48 hours
and less than 72 hours after such test was so ordered,
payment for such test shall be 100 percent of the
amount of payment under this section on the first date
of such emergency period; and
``(D) during the period that is at least 72 hours
after such test was so ordered, payment may not be made
for such test under this section.
``(2) Exception for covid-19 pcr diagnostic panels
furnished in rural and medically underserved areas.--In the
case of a physician or provider of services that furnishes a
test described in paragraph (1) in a rural or medically
underserved area, for purposes of determining the applicable
period under such paragraph, the number of hours from which the
laboratory furnished the result of the test to the physician or
provider of services after such test was ordered shall be
reduced by 36 hours.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 1834A of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395m-1), as amended by subsection (a), is further amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``Subject to
paragraph (3) and subsections (c) and (d)'' and
inserting ``Subject to paragraph (3) and subsections
(c), (d), and (j)''; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Payment'' and
inserting ``Subject to subsection (j), payment'';
(2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ``subject to
subsection (j),'' before ``payment''; and
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ``subject to
subsection (j),'' before ``the payment amount''; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Subject to
paragraph (4)'' and inserting ``Subject to paragraph
(4) and subsection (j)''.
SEC. 3. CONDITION OF PARTICIPATION FOR LABORATORIES TO FURNISH THE
RESULTS OF COVID-19 PCR DIAGNOSTIC PANELS WITHIN 28 DAYS.
Section 1866(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395cc(a)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (Y)(ii)--
(A) in subclause (IV)(bb), by striking at the end
``and''; and
(B) in subclause (V), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (Y)(ii)(V) the
following new subparagraph:
``(Z) in the case of a laboratory that receives an
order from a physician or provider of services to
furnish the result of a test described in section
1834A(j)(1) during the emergency period described in
section 1135(g)(1)(B), to furnish the result to the
physician or provider of services from which such test
was ordered during the period that is 28 days after
such test was so ordered.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Energy and 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.
Referred to the Committee on Energy and 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.
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