TAG:
molecular pathology
Medicare OPPS Rule Has Pitfalls for Labs
CEO SUMMARY: On January 1, the new Medicare rule for requiring bundled or packaged reimbursement for certain services covered by the hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) became effective. Just four days earlier (on December 27), Medicare officials issued instructions on h…
Tricare, DOD Not Paying for MoPath Codes, LDTs
CEO SUMMARY: It turns out that labs serving Tricare patients are going unpaid for certain LDTs, molecular, and genetic tests. The issue of nonpayment began in January 2013 when Tricare stopped paying for these tests that were billed under the new molecular CPT codes that replaced the prev…
ACLA, CAP Comment on Final 2014 Medicare Rules
CEO SUMMARY: On November 27, as the nation prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the long-awaited final rules for 2014. Early analysis of the 1,300 pages of rules CMS released indicates that the agency moderated one…
Two Blood Brothers Report Declines in Revenue-Per-Req
REIMBURSEMENT FOR CLINICAL laboratory testing has declined, particularly for molecular tests. As a consequence, the nation’s two largest laboratory testing companies are feeling the negative effect of lower lab test prices. Both Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and Laborator…
Attorneys for CAP Say CMS Fee Proposals Illegal
CEO SUMMARY: In its comments about a proposal to change the way CMS pays for clinical laboratory and pathology services, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) said that CMS is using faulty assumptions. CAP further commented that the CMS proposal to cap physician fee schedule payments…
Report Shows Price Drop for Most Molecular Tests
CEO SUMMARY: In recent weeks, labs are reporting that Medicare contractors have begun to issue payments for molecular test claims filed—but unpaid—since January 1, 2013. A newly-issued analysis of this situation by Quorum Consulting indicates that, for many molecular assays, Medicare …
June 17, 2013 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Big news last week was the unanimous decision by the Supreme Court that natural genes cannot be patented. The case was brought against Myriad Genetics, Inc., by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Association for Molecular Pathology, and several other plaintiffs. The decision…
Labs Have New Hurdles as Some Payments Start
CEO SUMMARY: Some payments are beginning to flow for claims submitted under the new molecular test CPT codes. But there is a new issue. Medicare contractors, Medicaid programs, and private health insurers are deeming certain molecular tests to be medically unnecessary. Th…
Much Uncertainty About Pay for Molecular Codes
CEO SUMMARY: Having gone unpaid since January 1 for the 114 new molecular CPT codes, many clinical labs and pathology groups have stopped running these tests or laid off staff. Some are considering closing their doors. Evidence indicates that certain Medicare contractors are deciding that…
Why One Molecular Diagnostics Company Closed Its Doors
CEO SUMMARY: When executives closed the doors of Pathwork Diagnostics last month, the simple explanation was that reimbursement for its proprietary molecular diagnostic test was inadequate. Indeed, that was part of the story. But other factors played significant roles in impeding…
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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