President's Message
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Thank you for visiting the ACLA website. We strive to keep this website updated with the latest information on ACLA advocacy activities, position papers, and meetings.
ACLA continues to be the recognized leader of the clinical laboratory industry in both promoting the value of laboratory services and providing advocacy on key issues for this critically important sector of our health care system. ACLA’s membership, advocacy issues, visibility, and accomplishments continue to grow. Members of ACLA benefit from the latest information on public policies that impact laboratories, and play an active role in combining advocacy resources for the good of all laboratories. Based in Washington, DC, ACLA has one of the most experienced and capable staffs, and outside counsel and consulting, in the association world.
ACLA’s top advocacy issues generally fall into four categories: (1) Government reimbursement; (2) regulation, particularly regulation of laboratory developed tests (LDTs); (3) government compliance and billing issues; and (4) coding. The reimbursement challenges facing the laboratory industry have intensified in recent years as Medicare budgets are squeezed for more and more savings. ACLA has led the way in fighting a series of budget cutting proposals from the so-called competitive bidding project, copays and coinsurance, a new federal tax on laboratory services, and cuts to the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS).
The draft guidance that FDA has said it intends to issue that would regulate Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs) has also been a top concern of ACLA’s. ACLA has raised concerns about the proposal with Congress, the FDA and the administration and has proposed an alternative approach to addressing any gaps in oversight of LDTs through strengthening the existing CLIA framework. This approach is gathering considerable steam among stakeholders and in Congress. ACLA was also recently a key stakeholder in negotiations with the FDA on the reauthorization of the medical device user fee (MDUFA).
ACLA is also working with stakeholders and CMS to comment on an AMA proposal for moving molecular testing codes from the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule to the Physician Fee Schedule.
Finally, ACLA continues to raise concerns about certain in-house pathology arrangements and has joined other lab organizations on sponsoring a major independent study of the impact these arrangements are having on utilization.
We are also proud of the “Results for Life” campaign which is devoted entirely to promoting the value of laboratory services. The campaign is directed and supported by ACLA members as well as diagnostic manufacturers, professional groups and others. More information can be found at www.labresultsforlife.org.
ACLA has grown exponentially in the past few years, and today truly represents the breadth and diversity of the laboratory industry. If your laboratory is not an ACLA member, and would like to be, I encourage you to contact me directly to learn more about ACLA’s programs and benefits and how your laboratory can apply for membership. Please do not hesitate to contact me at amertz@acla.com if can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Alan Mertz
President