,i  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bbdg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #ab1 #bjae ,mrs4
 ,black 7for herself and ,mr4 ,harris7  
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,energy  
and ,commerce1 and in addition to the   
,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a   
period to be subsequently determined by 
the ,speaker1 in each case for          
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
require the ,secretary of ,health and   
,human ,services to provide for         
transparent testing to assess the       
transition under the ,medicare          
fee-for-service claims processing system
 from the ,,icd-#i to the ,,icd-#aj     
standard1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,increasing ,clarity for ,doctors by
 ,transitioning ,effectively ,now ,act  
or the ,,icd-,,ten ,act4  #b4           
,implementation of ,,hipaa code set     

standards ,the ,secretary of ,health and
 ,human ,services shall implement1      
administer1 and enforce1 in accordance  
with this ,act and consistent with      
section #bab of the ,protecting ,access 
to ,medicare ,act of #bjad1 the         
regulations issued on ,january #af1     
#bjji 7#gd ,fed4 ,reg4 #ccbh7 and on    
,september #e1 #bjab 7#gg ,fed4 ,reg4   
#edffd7 that provide for the replacement
 of ,,icd-#i with ,,icd-#aj as a        
standard for code sets under section    
#aagc7;c7 of the ,social ,security ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;d-#b7;c77 and      
section #afb4ajjb of title #de1 ,code of
 ,federal ,regulations4  #c4            
,comprehensive testing  7a7 ,in general 
,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human   
,services shall conduct a comprehensive1
 end-to-end testing process to assess   
whether the ,medicare fee-for-service   
claims processing system based on the   
,,icd-#aj standard is fully functioning4
  7b7 ,availability ,the ,secretary     
shall make the end-to-end testing       

process available to all providers of   
services and suppliers 7as defined under
 subsections 7u7 and 7d71 respectively1 
of section #ahfa of the ,social         
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7   
participating in the ,medicare          
fee-for-service program under parts ,a  
and ,b of title ,,xviii of such ,act    
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie;c et seq474  7c7   
,certification  7#a7 ,in general ,not   
later than #cj days after the date of   
completion of the end-to-end testing    
process1 the ,secretary shall submit to 
,congress a certification on whether or 
not the ,medicare fee-for-service claims
 processing system based on the         
,,icd-#aj standard is fully functioning4
  7#b7 ,additional steps in case        
standard is not fully functioning ,in   
the case that the ,secretary certifies  
under paragraph 7#a7 that such          
processing system based on the ,,icd-#aj
 standard is not fully functioning1 the 
,secretary shall include in the         
submission to ,congress under paragraph 

7#a7 additional steps that will be taken
 to achieve a certification that such   
processing system based on such standard
 is fully functioning and the           
anticipated timeframe for achieving such
 certification4  7d7 ,definitions ,in   
this ,act3 7#a7 ,end-to-end testing     
process ,the term end-to-end testing    
process means an process designed to    
demonstrate that--  7,a7 submission of  
claims to the ,secretary with ,,icd-#aj 
codes and the receipt of a remittance   
advice can be accomplished on a routine 
basis at high volume levels2  7,b7 any  
software changes made to support the    
,,icd-#aj standard result in            
appropriately adjudicated claims2  7,c7 
accurate remittance advices are         
produced2 and  7,d7 all phases of the   
implementation of the ,,icd-#aj         
transition are operable4  7#b7 ,fully   
functioning ,the term fully functioning 
means1 with respect to the period of the
 end-to-end testing process of the      
,medicare fee-for-service claims        

processing system based on the ,,icd-#aj
 standard1 that the percentage of claims
 accepted under such system so based    
during such period is equal to or       
greater than the percentage of claims   
accepted during the calendar year       
previous to such period1 based on the   
,,icd-#i standard4  #d4 ,implementation 
period  7a7 ,in general ,the            
implementation period during which the  
transition to ,,icd-#aj standards shall 
be made shall begin on ,october #a1     
#bjae1 and end on the date that is #ah  
months after the date on which a        
certification is made under section     
#b7;c7 that the ,medicare-fee-for       
service claims processing system based  
on the ,,icd-#aj standard is fully      
functioning4  7b7 ,safe harbor ,during  
the implementation period described in  
subsection 7a71 no claim submitted for  
payment under title ,,xviii of the      
,social ,security ,act by a health care 
provider pursuant to the ,,icd-#aj      
standard medical data code sets shall be

 denied due solely to the use of an     
unspecified or inaccurate subcode4  7c7 
,assistance ,during the implementation  
period described in subsection 7a71 the 
,secretary shall take affirmative steps 
to assist health care providers subject 
to section #aagc7;c7 of the ,social     
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#acbj;d-#b7;c77 and section #afb4ajjb of
 title #de1 ,code of ,federal           
,regulations1 in identifying appropriate
 ,,icd-#aj subcodes4