All posts by dapfel

ACLA President Julie Khani to Lead Hologic Government Affairs; ACLA Board to Oversee Search Process for Association’s Next President

ACLA News, ACLA Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – ACLA Board Chair William G. Morice, MD, PhD, and President of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, released the following statement on the forthcoming departure of ACLA President Julie Khani: 

“On behalf of ACLA’s Board and ACLA’s broader membership, we extend our sincere gratitude to Julie for her tremendous leadership and work over many years at ACLA. As a thoughtful and dedicated advocate for our industry and the patients we serve, Julie has helped to elevate the work and value of clinical laboratories within Washington and nationally, advancing major legislative, regulatory and legal priorities on behalf of ACLA and its members. She has been a transformational leader who has increased the size, reach and diversity of the association to make it stronger as we move forward. 

We look forward to continuing our work together with her in the future and offer her our congratulations as she begins this next chapter with Hologic as the company’s Vice President of Government Affairs.

The ACLA Board of Directors will immediately launch a national search for her successor. At this critical time for our industry and patients, the ACLA team has the full confidence of the Board as they continue to advance meaningful solutions to support millions of Americans.”

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The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) is the national trade association representing leading laboratories that deliver essential diagnostic health information to patients and providers. ACLA members are at the forefront of driving diagnostic innovation to meet the country’s evolving health care needs and provide vital clinical laboratory tests that identify and prevent infectious, acute and chronic disease. ACLA works to advance the next generation of health care delivery through policies that expand access to lifesaving testing services.

ACLA Statement on President Biden’s New COVID-19 Testing Plan

Public Health Preparedness and Infrastructure, ACLA News, Featured News, ACLA Press Releases

Following President Biden’s announcement regarding additional steps to counter the spread of COVID-19 nationwide, ACLA President Julie Khani released the following statement:

“As the country continues to face the ongoing threat and challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, we applaud President Biden’s renewed focus on testing – which has been a critical component of our response from the earliest days. Today’s announcement takes important steps towards boosting access to COVID-19 testing, such as the expansion of specimen collection and testing sites across the country, along with bolstering production of over-the-counter and point-of-care tests, to help ensure Americans have readily available access to COVID-19 tests as part of return to work, school and daily life.

ACLA strongly supports efforts to fully leverage the broad range of high quality molecular, antigen, serology and T-cell tests available in laboratory, point-of-care and over-the-counter settings. A comprehensive approach to testing requires the full strength of the laboratory community, and ACLA members, who quickly and dramatically scaled up operations and maintained COVID-19 testing capacity, stand ready to support these efforts and ensure the widespread availability of these critical tests.

As we continue our fight against emerging variants and the challenges of increased virus transmission, strong public-private collaboration will be key to our response. ACLA laboratories are equipped and ready to continue their important role in COVID-19 testing, and we remain committed to working with the Administration to turn the corner on the pandemic.”

To read ACLA and AdvaMedDx’s recent letter to the Administration on recommendations to expand access to testing, click here.

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The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) is the national trade association representing leading laboratories that deliver essential diagnostic health information to patients and providers. ACLA members are at the forefront of driving diagnostic innovation to meet the country’s evolving health care needs and provide vital clinical laboratory tests that identify and prevent infectious, acute and chronic disease. ACLA works to advance the next generation of health care delivery through policies that expand access to lifesaving testing services.

ACLA Elects 2021-2022 Board of Directors

ACLA News, ACLA Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) today announced the election of its new Board of Directors for 2021-2022.

William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic and president of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, will take on a new leadership role as ACLA Board Chair, replacing Douglas M. VanOort of NeoGenomics Laboratories. Jerry Hussong, M.D., CEO of Sonic Healthcare USA was re-elected Vice Chair and John Kolozsvary, CEO of Joint Venture Hospital Laboratories, was re-elected Treasurer.

“Doug’s leadership, expertise and dedication to the industry have been an asset to the membership, and I am grateful for his extraordinary work leading the Board these last two years—a time of significant change and challenges for laboratories and the patients we serve,” said Julie Khani, president of ACLA.  

“I look forward to continuing our work with the Board under Bill’s leadership to expand patient access to accurate and reliable tests and support the next generation of diagnostic breakthroughs for the patients who are counting on us,” said Khani. “Maintaining a vibrant laboratory industry is essential to our nation’s fight against chronic conditions and to ensure we’re prepared to defend against the next public health crisis.”

To view the full list of ACLA’s board members, click here.

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The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) is the national trade association representing leading laboratories that deliver essential diagnostic health information to patients and providers. ACLA members are at the forefront of driving diagnostic innovation to meet the country’s evolving health care needs and provide vital clinical laboratory tests that identify and prevent infectious, acute and chronic disease. ACLA works to advance the next generation of health care delivery through policies that expand access to lifesaving testing services.

ACLA Statement on President Biden’s Actions to Close Coverage Gaps for COVID-19 Testing

Public Health Preparedness and Infrastructure, ACLA News, Reimbursement and Coverage, ACLA Press Releases

Washington, D.C. Following the Biden Administration’s new guidance on coverage requirements for COVID-19 testing, ACLA President Julie Khani released the following statement:

“President Biden’s decisive action today takes critical steps to close coverage gaps and protect access to the COVID-19 testing patients need.

In June, guidance from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury muddied the clear coverage mandates passed by Congress that required comprehensive health plans to cover COVID-19 testing without cost sharing, prior authorization or medical management. Since then, patients have faced a patchwork of coverage policies that drives uncertainty and undermines federal response efforts.

Americans should be able to access the COVID-19 testing they need without hesitation—and without fear that a claim will be denied by their health plan. Today we join patients and their families in celebrating this long-sought clarification. 

We look forward to continuing to review the latest announcement from the Administration and discussing it with our members in the coming days.”

To read the letter ACLA sent to the Biden Administration this week regarding COVID-19 testing and coverage, click here.

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The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) is the national trade association representing leading laboratories that deliver essential diagnostic health information to patients and providers. ACLA members are at the forefront of driving diagnostic innovation to meet the country’s evolving health care needs and provide vital clinical laboratory tests that identify and prevent infectious, acute and chronic disease. ACLA works to advance the next generation of health care delivery through policies that expand access to lifesaving testing services.