Rep. Diana DeGette to Open ACLA 2018 Annual Meeting with a “View from Capitol Hill”
(Washington, D.C.) – The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) announced today that Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) will open the organization’s annual meeting on March 6th in Washington, D.C. with an overview of Congress’s 2018 agenda, specifically actions that may impact the clinical laboratory community. A recognized leader in policy impacting diagnostic innovation and its role in precision medicine, DeGette was instrumental in passing the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act and is the co-author of the Diagnostic Accuracy and Innovation Act (DAIA) discussion draft.
“ACLA is very pleased to have Rep. DeGette open our 2018 annual meeting and address ACLA members and the clinical laboratory community on Congress’s priorities for the year,” said Julie Khani, president of ACLA. “Rep. DeGette has demonstrated strong leadership in advancing comprehensive reform to create a distinct framework for clinical laboratory diagnostics that advances innovation and protects patients, including for both laboratory developed test services (LDTs) and in Vitro diagnostic (IVD) test kits.”
DeGette serves on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. Last year, with Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN), she released DAIA, which supports a comprehensive framework for the regulation of clinical laboratory diagnostics. She also is in House Democratic leadership as Chief Deputy Whip.
ACLA’s annual conference is the premier meeting for the clinical lab community that brings together national leaders in the diagnostic sector, payors, patients, congressional lawmakers and administration officials for presentations and discussions on federal legislative and regulatory policy.
For more information and to register to attend, visit the ACLA annual meeting website, click here.
ACLA is a not-for-profit association representing the nation’s leading clinical and anatomic pathology laboratories, including national, regional, specialty, ESRD, hospital and nursing home laboratories. The clinical laboratory industry employs nearly 277,000 people directly and generates over 115,000 additional jobs in supplier industries. Clinical laboratories are at the forefront of personalized medicine, driving diagnostic innovation and contributing more than $100 billion to the nation’s economy.
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