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2022’s Top 10 Lab Stories Confirm Challenging Times

CEO SUMMARY: There are valuable insights to be gleaned from The Dark Report’s “Top 10 Lab Industry Stories for 2022.” Several of this year’s story picks involve external forces reshaping healthcare in the United States in profound ways. Other story picks for 2022 illustrate …

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VALID and SALSA Acts Still Pending in Congress

CEO SUMMARY: Both the pending VALID Act and SALSA Act continue to push ahead as 2022 comes to an end. Meanwhile, a new bill centered on the Physician Fee Schedule may protect pathologist payments. These three different proposals share something in common:…

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On Appeal, ACLA Gains PAMA Victory in Court

CEO SUMMARY: Last month, a U.S. Court of Appeals issued a ruling that criticized how the Department of Health and Human Services originally implemented the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). This ruling was a win for the American Clinical Laboratory Association in its…

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PAMA Cuts Might Be Reduced to Zero for 2023

CEO SUMMARY: Congress may soon vote on a new bill that permanently reduces the amount of price cuts to Medicare Part B lab test prices, as specified under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). The Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA) eliminates a 15% paym…

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Coverage, Reimbursement Still Difficult for New Lab Tests

CEO SUMMARY: Bringing a new proprietary diagnostic test to market is an arduous process. It takes patience and planning to complete the journey from test development to payer reimbursement. This slow process stems from the fact that the healthcare reimbursement system is fragmented,…

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Labcorp to Buy Outreach, Manage Ascension Labs

CEO SUMMARY: In a blockbuster deal valued at almost half a billion dollars, Labcorp will manage dozens of hospital labs in 10 states on behalf of Ascension Health, one of the biggest health systems in the country. Labcorp will also spend $400 million to acquire certain assets of Asc…

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Non-COVID Part B Lab Spend Declined by 15.9% in 2020

MEDICARE PART B CLINICAL LABORATORY FEE SCHEDULE CUTS mandated by PAMA continue to bite deeply. A new government report shows that during fiscal 2020, the Medicare program spent 15.9% less for lab tests, when COVID-19 test payments are excluded.  The fed…

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Congress Votes: No PAMA Price Cuts for 2022

IT’S WELCOME NEWS THAT CONGRESS VOTED EARLIER THIS MONTH to defer the PAMA price cuts to the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) that were scheduled to take place in 2022. This is a positive development for the finances of the nation’s clinical labs, particularly the smaller, independent labs t…

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MedPAC Reports to Congress on Issues in Lab Test Price Survey

IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, A GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS STORY is unfolding around the multi-year cuts to the prices Medicare pays for clinical laboratory tests. First the good news.  In its latest semi-annual report to Congress, the Medicare Payment …

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MedPAC Advises Congress on Lab-Data Reporting

CEO SUMMARY: For years, the clinical lab industry has sought unsuccessfully to get the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to address the inequities in the payment formula CMS adopted after Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA). In April, the la…

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