Previous Advocacy Updates

Special Issue: On July 7, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the proposed 2023 Medicare payment regulations, including the proposed 2023 Medicare Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program regulations.

The CAP signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide assistance and expertise with diagnostic surge testing during public health emergencies.

The CAP signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide assistance and expertise with diagnostic surge testing during public health emergencies.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on June 14 approved a package of bills to reauthorize existing Food & Drug Administration (FDA) user fees and included new legislation (the VALID Act) which would authorize the FDA to regulate in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) including laboratory developed tests.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released specimen collection guidelines and PCR test procedures for monkeypox virus on May 31.

On May 17, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) released the latest version of the Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development (VALID) Act as part of the next user fee authorization bill for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The latest version of VALID Act represented a positive step in the right direction on the oversight of laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) and captured several of the CAP’s long-held policy positions.

The CAP, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and almost 90 other medical and health care professional organizations asked Congress to diversify medical clinical trials by including diversity as part of 2022 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prescription drug user fee reauthorization legislation.

A record-breaking number of CAP members advocated to protect the value of pathology services while meeting with their federal legislators on May 3 during the CAP’s Hill Day. Hundreds of CAP members discussed how Congress can mitigate Medicare cuts, prepare for medical workforce shortages, and ensure funding for future pandemic preparedness.

CAP members discussed strategies for how they will engage their members of Congress at the Pathologists Leadership Summit on May 2.

On April 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed 2023 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System regulation, which outlined goals to improve health equity in health care. In the proposed regulation, the CMS asked for stakeholder input on social determinants of health, including the impact of new diagnostic codes and improvements in health data collection. The CAP has supported legislative efforts to understand the social determinants that drive health care disparities in the United States and will provide recommendations for the final 2023 regulation.

With the significant increase in the number of nontraditional testing sites since the COVID pandemic, the CAP urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to consider the optimal oversight for nontraditional testing sites and point of care testing.

The CAP, along with the members of the Cancer Leadership Council, urged congressional leaders to move quickly to approve additional resources for the nation’s COVID-19 response.

Stopping looming Medicare cuts, addressing workforce shortages, and passing a major pandemic preparedness bill will be the top issues pathologists will ask Congress to support during the upcoming the Pathologists Leadership Summit.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT) Pandemics Act.

On March 10, the US Senate voted 68-31 to pass a $1.5 trillion omnibus bill that will fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends on September 30.

Recently a clinician roundtable of the Alliance for a Strong Blood Supply met to review the overuse of the universal blood type O and discuss strategies to increase blood supply nationwide during this ongoing shortage.

A federal district court judge in Texas on February 23 vacated specific provisions pertaining to the independent dispute resolution process of the government’s regulations for the No Surprises Act. In a lawsuit filed by the Texas Medical Association (TMA), US District Court Judge Jeremy Kernodle granted the association’s motion for summary judgement and provided nationwide relief for all physicians and other health care providers who use the independent dispute resolution process.

UnitedHealthcare responded to the CAP’s and six other medical professional organizations’ objections to the insurer’s Designated Diagnostic Provider program. The Designated Diagnostic Provider will remain in-network, but outpatient diagnostic laboratory services will be denied as non-covered, causing increased burdens on physicians and confusion for patients.

On January 24, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) to strengthen the nation’s public health and medical preparedness systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CAP and six other medical professional organizations stated their concerns regarding UnitedHealthcare’s Designated Diagnostic Provider laboratory program in a letter on January 26. The groups urged UnitedHealthcare to update the program so it would not undermine the patient-physician relationship.