ePolicy News March 2022

ASCP Urges Feds to Expand Laboratory Workforce Efforts 
ASCP and the ASCP Board of Certification are calling for robust loan forgiveness for laboratory professionals, incentives, and expansion of laboratory training programs, in an appeal for Congress and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to strengthen laboratory workforce development programs. Read more.

Judge Removes Disputed Element of No Surprises Act 
A Texas federal court struck down a controversial part of the No Surprises Act, which bans surprise medical bills. Brought by the Texas Medical Association, the lawsuit asserts the Biden Administration departed from the text of the law passed in 2020. The final regulations require arbiters to use a median payment rate usually paid for a specific service in that geographic area; clinicians contend the statute excluded this restriction. Read more.

Don’t Fast-track FDA In Vitro Diagnostics/Lab-Developed Tests Oversight Bill: ASCP 
ASCP, the American Medical Association, and other medical groups are discouraging congressional leaders from fast-tracking legislation to revamp federal oversight of laboratory developed tests. Read more.

National Kidney Foundation and ASCP Strive to Remove Testing Bias
The National Kidney Foundation, in collaboration with ASCP and the nation’s leading laboratories and clinical laboratory societies, are working to remove barriers to testing for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this collaboration is to standardize tests used to detect CKD, improve comparability of test results among laboratories, increase early recognition of the disease, and promote patient awareness of the condition. Read more.

Congress Examines Role of Immigrant Physicians in Nation’s Healthcare System
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee recently heard testimony on the need to update the nation’s decades-old immigration system to streamline the ability for foreign-educated physicians to complete their training in the U.S. Medical associations are also urging Congress to consider the need for more Medicare-funded residency slots. Read more.

ASCP and ASCP Board of Certification Secure Changes to RN Testing Bill
A bill working its way through the Florida legislature initially would have allowed anyone working in a hospital ER or hospital-based off campus ER to perform laboratory testing. ASCP and the ASCP Board of Certification got the bill changed so that it now limits the exemption to licensed registered nurses.  Read more.

Dr. Robert Califf Sworn In as New FDA Commissioner
Robert Califf, MD, President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, was sworn in on Feb. 15. Dr. Califf, a cardiologist, is a former FDA Commissioner who served during President Barack Obama’s final year in office. Read more.