ASCP is asking its members to mark September 21 on their calendars as The SALSA Day of Action. ASCP, along with other pathology and laboratory organizations, is working to urge Congress to fix flaws in way the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) calculates reimbursement rates for the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS). SALSA stands for the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act of 2023 (H.R. 2377/S. 1000), which is designed to reform the CLFS to reduce the administrative burden on laboratories while also ensuring CMS gets more relevant data on which to base Medicare payment rates.
These flaws, such as CMS’s overreliance on pricing data from large reference laboratories, have resulted in significant cuts in Medicare payment rates. Unfortunately, insurers have used these sub-market rates to cut their own payment rates, which has further undermined the ability of laboratories to invest in their facilities and their laboratory personnel.
To support this advocacy work, ASCP will be reaching out to its entire membership on September 21 (and in advance) via social media, Daily Diagnosis, and other media platforms to ask everyone to contact their members of Congress. For more on SALSA, click
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For more information regarding ASCP's advocacy initiatives and policy positions, please contact ASCP's Center for Public Policy at (202) 408-1110.
ASCP ePolicy News is supported by an unrestricted grant from Hologic.
