Washington DC Office 307 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-6441 Fax: 202-224-1724 Wyoming Office P.O. Box 22201 Casper, WY 82602 307-261-6413   Issue Statements Sponsored Bills Committee Assignments The Physician Pathology Services Continuity Act of 2006 Date Introduced: 06/26/06 Bill Number: S.3609 Description: In 1999, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandated hospitals (not Medicare) pay independent laboratories for services provided to beneficiaries. The Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA) of 2000 temporarily prohibited this payment change from taking place. BIPA allowed rural, independent laboratories to continue billing Medicare directly, but only for a few years. This legislation would permanently allow independent rural laboratories to bill Medicare directly for certain pathology services. « Back to Sponsored Bills Home | Privacy Policy | Text Only | Contact This Home Page is maintained by the office of Senator Craig Thomas. Please send comments to webmaster@thomas.senate.gov