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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 942

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit separate payment

to be made under part B of the medicare program for the interpretation

of electrocardiograms performed during an office visit.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 17, 1993

Mr. CARDIN introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the

Committees on Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permit

separate payment to be made under part B of the medicare program for the interpretation of electrocardiograms

performed during an office visit.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Medicare EKG Pay5 ment Restoration Act of 1993’’.
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1 SEC. 2. SEPARATE PAYMENT FOR INTERPRETATION OF

2 ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS.

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (3) of section 1848(b)

4 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(b)) is

5 amended to read as follows:

6 ‘‘(3) TREATMENT OF INTERPRETATION OF

7 ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS.—The Secretary—

8 ‘‘(A) shall make separate payment under

9 this section for the interpretation of electro10 cardiograms performed or ordered to be per11 formed as part of or in conjunction with a visit

12 to or a consultation with a physician, and

13 ‘‘(B) shall adjust the relative values estab14 lished for visits and consultations under sub15 section (c) so as not to include relative value

16 units for interpretations of electrocardiograms

17 in the relative value for visits and consulta18 tions.’’.

19 (b) ASSURING BUDGET NEUTRALITY.—Section

20 1848(c)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(c)(2)) is

21 amended by adding at the end the following new subpara22 graph:

23 ‘‘(E) BUDGET NEUTRALITY ADJUST24 MENTS.—The Secretary—

25 ‘‘(i) shall reduce the relative values

26 for all services (other than anesthesia serv-
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1 ices) established under this paragraph

2 (and, in the case of anesthesia services, the

3 conversion factor established by the Sec4 retary for such services) by such percent5 age as the Secretary determines to be nec6 essary so that, beginning in 1996, the

7 amendment made by section 2(a) of the

8 Medicare EKG Payment Restoration Act

9 of 1993 would not result in expenditures

10 under this section that exceed the amount

11 of such expenditures that would have been

12 made if such amendment had not been

13 made, and

14 ‘‘(ii) shall reduce the amounts deter15 mined under subsection (a)(2)(B)(i)(I) by

16 such percentage as the Secretary deter17 mines to be required to assure that, taking

18 into account the reductions made under

19 clause (i), the amendment made by section

20 2(a) of the Medicare EKG Payment Res21 toration Act of 1993 would not result in

22 expenditures under this section in 1993

23 that exceed the amount of such expendi24 tures that would have been made if such

25 amendment had not been made.’’.
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1 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1848 of

2 such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4) is amended—

3 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B)(i)(I), by inserting

4 ‘‘and as adjusted under subsection (c)(2)(E)(ii)’’

5 after ‘‘for 1993’’;

6 (2) in subsection (c)(2)(A)(i), by adding at the

7 end the following: ‘‘Such relative values are subject

8 to adjustment under subparagraph (E)(i).’’; and

9 (3) in subsection (i)(1)(B), by adding at the

10 end ‘‘including adjustments under subsection

11 (c)(2)(E),’’.

12 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

13 this section shall apply to services furnished on or after

14 first day of the fourth month beginning after the date of

15 the enactment of this Act.

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