republic-os/legal/us/code/title-25/chapter-18/section-1621r.md

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LegalText	25 U.S.C. § 1621r	Contract health services payment study	us	united_states_code	code_section	25	INDIANS	18	INDIAN HEALTH CARE	1621r	25 U.S.C. § 1621r	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc25@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t25/s1621r	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-25/usc25.xml	64b8acc921b8c350d36b51703b74f7d1811996692c040228d4b9a0135f75b21c	d4661d83bff6862be548ac8e843ba61e942ed983aade7cf83cb7dbc3dcd08168	1d174b49560976b90e7332ee10ccc08455344a261c69836d6a7b0411a43c828d	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

25 U.S.C. § 1621r - Contract health services payment study

Text

(a) Duty of Secretary The Secretary, acting through the Service and in consultation with representatives of Indian tribes and tribal organizations operating contract health care programs under the Indian Self-Determination Act (25 U.S.C. 450f et seq.) 11 See References in Text note below. or under self-governance compacts, Service personnel, private contract health services providers, the Indian Health Service Fiscal Intermediary, and other appropriate experts, shall conduct a study—

(1) to assess and identify administrative barriers that hinder the timely payment for services delivered by private contract health services providers to individual Indians by the Service and the Indian Health Service Fiscal Intermediary;

(2) to assess and identify the impact of such delayed payments upon the personal credit histories of individual Indians who have been treated by such providers; and

(3) to determine the most efficient and effective means of improving the Service’s contract health services payment system and ensuring the development of appropriate consumer protection policies to protect individual Indians who receive authorized services from private contract health services providers from billing and collection practices, including the development of materials and programs explaining patients’ rights and responsibilities.

(b) Functions of study The study required by subsection (a) shall—

(1) assess the impact of the existing contract health services regulations and policies upon the ability of the Service and the Indian Health Service Fiscal Intermediary to process, on a timely and efficient basis, the payment of bills submitted by private contract health services providers;

(2) assess the financial and any other burdens imposed upon individual Indians and private contract health services providers by delayed payments;

(3) survey the policies and practices of collection agencies used by contract health services providers to collect payments for services rendered to individual Indians;

(4) identify appropriate changes in Federal policies, administrative procedures, and regulations, to eliminate the problems experienced by private contract health services providers and individual Indians as a result of delayed payments; and

(5) compare the Service’s payment processing requirements with private insurance claims processing requirements to evaluate the systemic differences or similarities employed by the Service and private insurers.

(c) Report to Congress Not later than 12 months after October 29, 1992, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a report that includes—

(1) a detailed description of the study conducted pursuant to this section; and

(2) a discussion of the findings and conclusions of such study.

(Pub. L. 94–437, title II, § 219, as added Pub. L. 102–573, title II, § 215, Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4557.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextThe Indian Self-Determination Act (25 U.S.C. 450f et seq.), referred to in subsec. (a), is title I of Pub. L. 93–638, Jan. 4, 1975, 88 Stat. 2206, which was classified principally to part A (§ 450f et seq.) of subchapter II of chapter 14 of this title prior to editorial reclassification as subchapter I (§ 5321 et seq.) of chapter 46 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 5301 of this title and Tables.