H.R. 1 Impact on Coding
Timothy Powell, CPA, CHCP
December 15, 2025
H.R. 1 doesn’t directly rewrite ICD-10 or CPT, but it does change the environment in which you’re coding. The impact is mostly indirect – through
New study reinforces SDoH impact
Focus on the social determinants of health (SDoH) continues to intensify nationwide, and that means potentially higher costs of care for healthcare organizations. The recent study by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health has the industry buzzing.
The four largest cities in the U.S., Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Houston, are reconciling major issues that have them face to face with the SDoH. The impact is hitting their minority communities, mostly Black and Hispanic households, with an evident fiscal impact for the industry.
The survey, titled, The Impact of Coronavirus on Households in Major U.S. Cities, was conducted July 1-Aug. 3, with 3,454 adults of ages 18 or older polled. These individuals included the following:
All participants fell across several income categories:
Survey results from all four cities illustrated that at least 50 percent of respondents experienced the loss of a job or reduction in wages or work hours in their household since COVID began.
Finally, all four cities had high numbers of their respondents report having someone in the household employed by the healthcare industry. A total of 73 percent of persons surveyed expressed serious concern about the safety of their family members on the job, with concern in L.A. the highest of all four cities, at 78 percent. The report makes for interesting reading, with the PDF located in our weekly folder.
The pandemic continues to further grow concerns associated with the SDoH and the massive fiscal impact for healthcare organizations. Are your non-COVID patients coming in sicker due to avoiding care? If so, they potentially will cost more to care for. Our Monitor Mondays Listeners Survey asked that very question, with the survey results here.
Programming Note: Ellen Fink-Samnick, a member of the RACmonitor editorial board, is a permanent panelist on Monitor Mondays. Listen to her live reporting on SDoH every Monday at 10 a.m. EST.
H.R. 1 doesn’t directly rewrite ICD-10 or CPT, but it does change the environment in which you’re coding. The impact is mostly indirect – through
In the CY 2026 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made significant changes to the applicable use
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