American Society for Clinical Pathology
Live Help Available

Global Health Crisis Looms

Immediate Legislative Action Needed to Pass President’s AIDS Initiative

The world needs your help! Funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR/Emergency Plan) is in need of reauthorization. Legislation has passed the House of Representatives (H.R. 5501) and is pending in the Senate. However, there are efforts underway to stall this initiative. It is imperative that you urge your Senators to pass S. 2731, the Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. This legislation provides integrated prevention, diagnostic and treatment programs to address HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and other developing countries. In addition, the legislation will help these countries develop systems to provide accurate, reliable and timely clinical laboratory testing for HIV and related diseases.

Passage of S. 2731 is crucial in continuing to combat the ravages of these diseases worldwide. Since its implementation in 2003, PEPFAR has been responsible for 1.4 million men, women and children receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy. Is it not our duty as health care professionals to alleviate suffering and to provide care? This obligation is ever present, be it in one’s backyard or across the globe. These initiatives must be funded in order to continue efforts to expand our fight against the pandemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Download PEPFAR Fact Sheet (PDF)

Ask your senator to move forward on S. 2731. Visit eAdvocacy Center

resources: related to this section

documents


Vote Expected Soon on House Medicare Bill!
In the next few days, the Senate is expected to vote on the House-passed Medicare bill, HR 6331. Besides reversing a 10.6 percent cut in the physician fee schedule, the measure repeals competitive bidding, lifts the freeze on the clinical laboratory fee schedule and extends the technical component (TC) grandfather provisions.


Vote Expected Soon on Direct Billing Legislation!
ASCP and your colleagues need your help to pass direct billing legislation for anatomic pathology services. The Missouri House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on SB 817. SB 817 has already been approved by the state Senate and several key Committees in the Missouri House of Representatives. The bill would protect Missouri's patients from potentially unnecessary medical services and inappropriate billing practices.


Help Pass Direct Billing Legislation!
ASCP and your colleagues need your help to pass direct billing legislation for anatomic pathology services. The Missouri legislature is currently considering two bills, HB 1990 in the Missouri House of Representatives and SB 817 in the Senate, that protect Missouri’s patients from potentially unnecessary medical services and inappropriate billing practices.


Help Needed for Georgia Patients
ASCP needs your help! Please join ASCP, the Georgia Association of Pathologists, and the College of American Pathologists by urging your state representatives to support HB 342, which calls for direct billing of anatomical pathology services.


Repeal Competitive Bidding Demo Project Now!
ASCP is concerned about this demonstration project for many reasons. While the demo may appear to affect only those in the demonstration site areas, the data gleaned from this demonstration project could be applied nationally, forcing smaller laboratories to close, denying patients accessible laboratory services, and ultimately jeopardizing the quality of laboratory services to patients.

.

ASCP Volunteers Needed for Lab Accreditation Standards Project
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) seeks volunteers to help the Society provide technical assistance to The Joint Commission Laboratory Accreditation Program in developing the next edition of standards for accreditation. To volunteer, click here to submit your expression of interest by March 15, 2010. more...

ASCP in Washington Post Opposing Gene Patents
The Washington Post on March 2 reported on ASCP's opposition to gene patents. more...

Pathology and Lab Medicine News
Get the latest pathology and laboratory medicine news from ASCP's partnership website with Medscape. more...

AJCP Call for Abstracts
Present your research at the premier educational event for pathologists and pathology residents. The AJCP Poster Sessions and Resident Research Symposium competition will take place at the 2010 ASCP Annual Meeting in San Francisco, October 27-31. The deadline to submit abstracts for both the competition and poster sessions is April 30, 2010. more...

Go to AJCP
American Journal of Clinical Pathology is the leading clinical-oriented peer-reviewed pathology and laboratory medicine research journal. more...

Go to LABMEDICINE
Laboratory Medicine is our monthly periodical dedicated to providing continuing education, career development and new technologies to the entire laboratory community. more...

From: 
Email:  
To: 
Email:  
Subject: 
Message: