I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 186
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require universal product
numbers on claims forms submitted for reimbursement for durable med-
ical equipment and other items under the Medicare Program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 3, 2001
Ms. SLAUGHTER (for herself and Mr. HOUGHTON) 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 sub-
sequently 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 for durable medical equipment and
other items under the Medicare Program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 2001’’.
SEC. 2. UNIVERSAL PRODUCT NUMBERS FOR CERTAIN
ITEMS OF DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
ON CLAIM FORMS FOR REIMBURSEMENT
UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1842 of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395u) 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, 2004, for a covered item (as de-
fined 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 para-
graph (4) for such covered item.
‘‘(2) No payment may be made under this part on
or after February 1, 2004, for a covered item if the re-
quest 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 deter-
mines 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, 2003, 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, as added by subsection (a)) that is furnished
under the medicare program under title XVIII of such Act
shall accommodate the use of universal product numbers.