Codey Act Reform
UPDATE: An identical bill (A4334) introduced in the Assembly by Dr. Herb Conaway, Chairman of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee, was unanimously and favorably reported from that committee on December 5th. The vote was 13-0 with no abstentions and no absent members.
Legislation advanced by the New Jersey Patient Care and Access Coalition to modernize the state’s “Codey Act” to permit alternative payment models and other value-based health care was UNANIMOUSLY and favorably released from the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on November 3rd.
NJPCAC Board Member Dr. Robert Gialanella and NJPCAC Counsel Neal Shah
S2724 (Codey/Vitale) “Requires alternative payment models to register with DOH; permits health care practitioners to refer patients to health care service in which the practitioner has beneficial interest when related to alternative payment model” was amended and approved with a vote of 9-0 with no abstentions and no absent members. The two amendments – one requiring a six-year review of the program by the Department of Health and another to allow physicians to forego registration under programs for which they were already approved by CMS – were supported by NJPCAC and also approved unanimously.
NJPCAC Board Member Dr. Robert Gialanella and NJPCAC Counsel Neal Shah provided testimony to the committee.
An identical bill was introduced in the Assembly by Dr. Herb Conaway, Chairman of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee. The bill number in the Assembly is A4334.
It is expected that the Assembly bill will be considered by the Assembly Health Committee in early December. The bills still must pass the full Assembly and Senate and be signed by the Governor before they can become law.