TAG:
lab tests
PAMA’s New Rules Affect Lab Test Pricing, Coverage
CEO SUMMARY: For several reasons, the “Protecting Access to Medicare Act” (PAMA) has the potential to be the most disruptive federal legislation directed at the clinical lab industry since the enactment of CLIA 1988. Following passage of the law, some lab industry groups have taken di…
‘Game Changer’ Mass Spectrometry for Microbiology at UNC
CEO SUMMARY: Microbiologists at the University of North Carolina are using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to slash the time to answer and significantly cut lab costs. Their goals are to improve patient outcomes and reduce average length of stay. In a one-year study presented last month, UNC …
Speakers in New Orleans Offer Important Insights
CEO SUMMARY: In coming years, there will be multiple challenges and opportunities for the nation’s clinical laboratories and pathology groups. That was one common theme heard from the 90 speakers and panelists at the 19th annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Manageme…
UCLA, Centre to Open Lab in China to Offer High Quality Testing
CEO SUMMARY: To fill the unmet demand for quality clinical laboratory testing in China, a partnership between pathologists at UCLA and Centre Testing International Corp. of Shenzen have built and will operate a lab facility in Shanghai. The new lab will open by late September and…
New Pricing Formula for Advanced Diagnostic Tests
CEO SUMMARY: One section of the federal H.R. 4302: Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 is getting positive reviews from many lab experts. The law defines advanced diagnostic tests (ADTs) and directs CMS to assign a temporary HCPCS code and use list prices to pay labs for such tests …
Labs Face Bad Debt Exposure from New Patients in ACA Plans
LABS MAY BE AT RISK for the total cost of lab testing performed for patients who enroll in a subsidized insurance plan through the ACA’s health insurance exchanges (now called the marketplaces), but never pay their premiums during the 90-grace period. The federal Centers for Medicare &…
Lab Serving Large MD Group Manages Quality and Costs
CEO SUMMARY: For decades, pathologists have pointed out that their expertise in laboratory medicine can be tapped by physicians to improve utilization of lab tests, contribute to improved patient outcomes, and reduce the overall cost of care. Exactly that is now happening at Atrius Heal…
Congress Raises Stakes in Lab Test Pricing Game
EACH OF YOU READERS KNOW that there is always a story behind the story. This is particularly true in Congress and the federal government, where lobbying and influence can often have their own role in shaping how laws and regulations are written. Keep that in mind as you learn more about the new law …
Congress’ New SGR Law Has Mixed News for Labs
CEO SUMMARY: Once again, the lab industry faces a mixed bag following passage of a new law by Congress last week. Besides the one-year fix for the SGR, H.R. 4302 also has language that may defer adjustments to Medicare Part B lab test fees until 2017 and creates a new procedure for Medica…
New Federal Law Changes How CMS Sets Lab Prices
CEO SUMMARY: CMS wanted more power to cut the prices it pays for clinical lab testing. A significant part of the lab industry wanted more transparency and consistency in how CMS established coverage guidelines and prices for new lab tests. Congress appears to have attempted to craft a law…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 7 – May 12, 2025
Economic, Tech changes drive lab concerns, The Dark Report provides insights from the Executive War College speakers about how clinical labs can use business strategies and tactics to handle the new tariffs, future regulations, and artificial intelligence (AI). Also, this issue provides guidance on how labs and pathologists should prepare for payer audits.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
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