TAG:
lab risk & compliance
Congress Averts PAMA Cuts to Lab Test Rates for 2023
CONGRESS ENACTED LEGISLATION LAST MONTH that suspends implementation of the next round of price cuts to the Medicare Part B Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) that was scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. This is a welcome development for the medical laboratory industry….
Holmes, Balwani Get Lengthy Prison Terms for Theranos Fraud
SENTENCING OF ELIZABETH HOLMES AND RAMESH “SUNNY” BALWANI in federal court caps the strange, yet captivating, saga of Theranos and its flawed blood testing technology. For laboratory professionals, the four years of legal wranglings that surrounded the Theranos fraud case may be remembered …
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:…
Ex-Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Awaits Ruling on New Trial Request
Keeping with the unexpected and odd circumstances surrounding Theranos, a federal judge heard arguments on Oct. 17 about whether convicted company founder Elizabeth Holmes’ should get a new trial. That hearing stemmed from the government’s star witness in Holmes’ 2021 tr…
Labs Must Audit Their Cybersecurity Measures
CEO SUMMARY: While clinical laboratory managers and pathologists are aware of the risks of a data breach, they often assume that related protection measures are working as needed. That is a mistake. With the cost of healthcare data breaches on the rise, it is vitally important for l…
Attorney Advises Labs to Track Genetic Test LCDs
CEO SUMMARY: Skyrocketing numbers of genetic test referrals and telehealth claims since 2016 are getting the full attention of both federal prosecutors and auditors from Medicare and private health insurers. The DOJ has filed criminal cases against a growing number of telehealth pro…
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…
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…
New OIG Advisory Opinion Dubious of ‘Fair Market’
CEO SUMMARY: There is a new advisory opinion from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). It reviewed a proposal in which a clinical lab network would pay fair market value to hospitals for specimen collection based on volume of patients tested. The OIG said this arrangement woul…
OIG: 25% of Medicare Inpatients ‘Harmed in Hospitals’ Pre-COVID
CEO SUMMARY: This year’s report to Congress on patient harm in hospitals—prepared by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)—determined that one in four Medicare beneficiaries suffered harm while an inpatient in a hospital. The report garnered little attention outside the he…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025
Now that a federal judge has vacated the FDA’s LDT rule, The Dark Report analyzes the judgement and notes the various steps the FDA could take in response. Also, lab testing at pharmacies is proving to be less successful than was once anticipated.
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