US Congress Senate Bill 1220 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: Introduced on June 9 2009 - 25% progression, died in chamber
Action: 2009-06-09 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6383)
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Patient Access to Critical Lab Tests Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) where practical, Medicare regulations and policies should be written to promote development of and access to certain highly specialized laboratory tests; and (2) certain Medicare regulations should be revised to permit laboratories furnishing such tests to bill for and be paid directly by Medicare for furnishing them. Declares that, whenever a laboratory performs a covered complex diagnostic laboratory test, with respect to a specimen collected from an individual during a period in which the individual is a hospital patient, if the test is performed after such period, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall treat such test, for purposes of making direct payment to the laboratory, as if the specimen had been collected by the laboratory directly. Defines "covered complex diagnostic laboratory test" as: (1) an analysis of DNA, RNA, chromosomes, proteins, or metabolites that detects, identifies, or quantitates genotypes, mutations, chromosomal changes, biochemical changes, cell response, or protein expression, or gene expression or similar method or is a cancer chemotherapy sensitivity assay or similar method, with certain exceptions; (2) a diagnostic X-ray or other diagnostic test; (3) one developed and performed by a laboratory independent of the hospital in which the specimen involved was collected, and not under any arrangements with such hospital; and (4) one not furnished by such hospital, directly or under any arrangements made by it.

Patient Access to Critical Lab Tests Act

Sen. Arlen Specter [D-PA]

Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR]

Date	Chamber	Action
2009-06-09		Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6383)
2009-06-09		Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6382-6383)

HB1699 (Related) 2009-03-26 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/1220/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/111/bills/s1220/BILLS-111s1220is.pdf