Washington In what could be a boon to patients, the Health Care Financing Administration would be required to update more frequently its payment and coding systems-if a bill proposed by Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn., becomes law.

The Medicare Patient Access to Technology Act would shorten the time it takes for medical products and therapies to reach patients, according to Ramstad.

The bill would complement HCFA's stated intentions to reform Medicare's coverage decision-making process. It would require Medicare to make annual adjustments in payment levels and categories, consider outside payment data if internal data are limited or unavailable, update codes more frequently, and establish an advisory committee on coding and payment.