Previous Advocacy Updates

The HHS responded to the CAP’s advocacy by giving laboratories additional relief and more flexibility to meet new COVID-19 data reporting requirements during the current pandemic.

The CAP asked CDC and the HHS to provide the scientific rationale for changes made to federal COVID-19 testing guidance in late August.

Given the CAP’s important role in the country’s response to the pandemic, HHS appointed President Patrick Godbey, MD, FCAP to its National Testing Implementation Forum.

The CAP will object to the UnitedHealthcare lab test registry as pathologists cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a meeting with federal agency officials, leaders representing the CAP urged the HHS and CDC to rescind new data reporting requirements for laboratories until workable rules can be implemented.

The CAP urged Congress to take up COVID-19 emergency response legislation and enact the priorities important to pathologists and their patients. Also, the CMS releases the proposed 2021 Medicare Payment regulation.

With supply shortages for COVID-19 tests persistent throughout the pandemic, CAP leaders spoke with the White House Testing Task Force, the American Medical Association, and other laboratory industry officials regarding current supply inventories and different avenues to increase supplies.

The federal government extended its COVID-19 emergency declaration for an additional 90 days following advocacy from the CAP, American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and a strong coalition of pathologist and laboratory groups and several others.

The CAP highlighted the undercount of US pathologists in an article published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open.

The CDC recently spoke with CAP President Dr. Patrick Godbey to discuss the additional guidance and supplies laboratories need to test for coronavirus.

The AMA, the CAP, and more than 100 medical societies, called on the HHS to mitigate Medicare cuts.

The CAP resurveyed laboratory directors and confirmed what was stated in late April—that laboratories will ramp up their capacity and offer more COVID-19 tests.

The CAP launched a campaign of advocacy demanding that Congress delay, mitigate, or cancel the -8% Medicare cut for pathology services that will take effect on January 2021. Congress can stop this cut by waiving budget neutrality for Medicare changes to evaluation and management (E/M) services.

The AMA and the CAP asked the CMS to reconsider scope of practice provisions in the proposed 2021 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System regulation.

The Department of Health and Human Services released guidance on June 4 detailing the additional data for COVID-19 tests that laboratories must report to the federal government.

The CAP applauded that the House passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, as it provides flexibility to use funds beyond an initial eight-week timeframe.

The CAP has engaged with lawmakers to support certain provisions in the bill, but also called for additional changes to address specific issues concerning pathologists.

The CAP surveyed directors of accredited laboratories nationwide regarding the rate of COVID-19 testing, critical barriers to expanding testing, and the impact on pathologists.

Under new the FDA policy, commercial manufacturers will submit emergency use authorization requests for COVID-19 serology tests. The FDA released this policy following concerns regarding serology tests.

The White House published a “National Testing Blueprint” on April 27 in response to growing criticism regarding availability of testing. The CAP remains engaged with the Trump Administration and Congress regarding its response to the COVID 19 pandemic, including testing, and will be reviewing certain elements of the blueprint.