ASCP is encouraging its members to contact Congress in support of legislation to reform the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS). A bipartisan group of senators and representatives has introduced legislation, called the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA), to fix problems with the CLFS. The measure also intends to reduce the compliance burden by directing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to use statistical sampling in calculating new payment rates.
The CLFS is the Medicare fee schedule used to reimburse laboratories and providers for laboratory services performed. The CLFS is frequently used by insurers as a benchmark for how to reimburse for these services. The CLFS is very important as a barometer of payment rates for the industry; insurers rely on that for payment of services.
The measure addresses problems triggered by the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), which resulted in sub-market pricing and significant regulatory burden for medical laboratories. A downstream result of PAMA was that private insurers impose massive cuts in prices for laboratory services. These pricing problems have exacerbated staffing issues for laboratories and accelerated consolidation of the laboratory industry.
ASCP hopes that SALSA will result in more appropriate reimbursement for laboratory services and strengthen the clinical laboratory infrastructure (including workforce). This, in turn, will protect public health through improved access to quality testing and diagnostic innovation.
ASCP urges its members and their colleagues to use the following
Action Alert to send a message to Congress to enact this legislation.
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