ACLA Blog
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Seniors managing diabetes are counting on Congress to protect their essential lab services
For America’s seniors, diabetes is now the number one health condition leading to frequent emergency room visits, according to a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. On top of that staggering statistic, the CDC reports that one in four seniors has diabetes—the highest prevalence among any age group. Most patients know that disease monitoring and management requires reliable access to routine testing.Continue Reading »... -
For patients, PAMA reforms can’t wait
As we gaveled in a new Congress this month, protecting lab services for America’s seniors has never been more important. A recent piece in the Washington Post is the latest example of the value of essential lab services in early diagnosis and treatment of some of the most complex, serious health conditions facing patients – a critical element in our broader efforts to addressContinue Reading »... -
In a divided Washington, protecting seniors’ health care is an issue where everyone agrees
As lawmakers work to advance final legislative proposals, Congress has the chance to take decisive action on one issue that has bipartisan support: protecting seniors’ access to essential, life-saving lab services. Recognizing the critical role of routine testing for patient health and overall cost savings, more than 30 organizations representing patients, health care professionals, laboratories and diagnostic manufacturers are calling on Congress to takeContinue Reading »... -
When Rhetoric Doesn’t Match Reality – Why Claims of Overutilization Ignore the Real Dollar Signs
Today, decades of medical progress have contributed to a sea change in how we treat the most serious and complex health issues. We’ve seen ground-breaking innovations that allow us to identify diseases like cancer and HIV-AIDS and intervene with targeted, comprehensive care plans. Laboratory tests are the starting point for this next generation of care delivery. While much attention has been paid to theContinue Reading »... -
Market-Based in Practice, Not Just Theory
One of the driving forces in today’s health system is the goal of promoting and maintaining a competitive market for patients. In a “market-based” health system, consumers see the direct benefit of labs competing on quality, cost and services available – rather than an arbitrary, one-size-fits-all approach that fails to achieve any of these goals. In fact, that was one of the prevailing incentivesContinue Reading »... -
Laboratory Developed Tests: Ground Zero in the Push Towards Personalized Medicine
For the many patients who suffer from rare or complex conditions, the certainty that comes from knowing a diagnosis and moving forward with a treatment plan is one of the most powerful – and personal – moments in health care. That certainty and clarity comes from the ground-breaking innovations underway in bringing new laboratory developed tests to millions of Americans across the country. LaboratoryContinue Reading »... -
Recent NILA report highlights harmful impacts of misguided PAMA implementation on labs and seniors
A report recently published by the National Independent Laboratory Association (NILA), highlights the ways in which the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) is undermining the nation’s clinical laboratory infrastructure. Specifically, the report demonstrates the harmful impacts the legislation has already had on community and regional labs across the country and the threats current PAMA implementation poses to seniors’ access to lifesaving clinical tests.Continue Reading »...
