ACLA In The News
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Breast Cancer Patients Deserve Better: Policy Must Support Innovation
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During this time, those of us in the advocacy community take stock of the millions of lives that have been affected forever by this dreadful disease. Breast cancer ranks second as a cause of death in women. Each year, about 230,000 women, and more than 2,000 men, receive a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. Cancer survivors, caregiversContinue Reading »... -
Medicare ‘Fixes’ Are Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish
Our leaders in Washington too often rely on short-term “fixes” for long-term problems that have plagued the nation’s Medicare program. Unfortunately, many of these changes may ultimately increase health care costs and hurt the quality of health care for Medicare beneficiaries. Clinical laboratory services have been on the chopping block, and may be again as Congress searches for “pay-fors” later this year. These innovative,Continue Reading »... -
Fee changes take a toll on lab testing industry
Miami Herald By Doug Van oort Many healthcare providers agree that Washington has rightfully gotten serious about unsustainable cost growth in healthcare and, specifically, in Medicare. Yet when cost cutting is taken to its extreme, with proposals that would result in below-cost reimbursement for Medicare providers, policies become penny-wise and pound-foolish. As the head of a clinical laboratory specializing in cancer testing for moreContinue Reading »... -
Labs Surprised By CMS’ Proposed 25% Pay Cut For Diagnostic Lab Tests
Laboratories are up in arms over CMS’ unexpected proposal this week to cut pay for lab tests by 25 percent, but CMS Medicare chief Jonathan Blum said the diagnostics have been overvalued because CMS up to now has not factored in technological changes that bring down the cost of tests. CMS proposes in the new laboratory fee schedule rule a process to adjust payContinue Reading »... -
Clinical Labs Voice ‘Deep’ Concern with Proposed Medicare Fee Schedule
The American Clinical Laboratory Association said this week it is “deeply concerned” about two types of cuts in a proposed Medicare payment regulation to be published next week in the Federal Register. “First, absent any discussion with clinical laboratories, patients, and other stakeholders, CMS proposes to identify codes and propose revised payments in the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule due to ‘technological changes,’” the lobby said in aContinue Reading »... -
Clinical Lab Industry Files Petition Challenging FDA’s Authority to Regulate LDTs
The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) June 4 filed a citizenpetition challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s authority to regulate laboratory developed tests (LDTs) as medical devices. ACLA is attempting to head off any effort by FDA to regulate such tests, which currently are regulated under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) by a different agency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The petitionContinue Reading »... -
The Genome Project: A Balance Sheet
To the Editor: Mapping the human genome was not just about finding cures. It was also about understanding disease so we could provide better care. That is now happening in spades throughout the health system. Genetic tests can identify the exact molecular nature of a patient or disease, allowing for better prevention and targeted treatment. The cure rate for childhood leukemia now exceeds 80Continue Reading »...
