ePolicy News - November 2024

ASCP Urges Trump Transition Team to Rescind FDA LDT Rule

ASCP has contact the Trump transition team leaders to urge the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to rescind the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Final Rule claiming oversight authority over laboratory developed tests (LDTs). Read more.

CMS Finalizes Medicare PFS, CLFS Cuts for 2025

The physician fee schedule for calendar year 2025, recently released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, includes an average payment rate decrease of 2.8 percent. ASCP is working with the American Medical Associations and other medical societies to lobby Congress to reverse this proposed cut. Read more.

ASCP Endorses Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act

Legislation to reverse the looming cuts in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule has been introduced in Congress. The bipartisan Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act would provide a 4.73-percent update to the 2025 Medicare PFS, reversing cuts proposed by CMS and provide a 1.93 percent update. Read more.

Ambassador John Nkengasong’s Takeaways on Global Health Inequity

Strong political leadership, innovation, and establishing partnerships are key lessons learned from the worldwide response to the HIV/AIDS crisis over the past two decades, global health trailblazer Ambassador John Nkengasong said during his keynote address at the ASCP 2024 Annual Meeting. Ambassador Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Official of the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, offered insights on how to develop effective responses to global health issues. Read more.

Congressional Support for Medicare Prior Authorization Reform Bill Building
In early October, legislation—which ASCP supports—to reform prior authorization policies within Medicare Advantage plans reached a significant achievement: a majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation. Discover how this affects pathology and laboratory medicine. Read more.

CDC Launches New Office of Laboratory Systems and Response

The CDC has approved a reorganization plan to create the new Office of Laboratory Systems and Response (OLSR), merging several key laboratory divisions. This move elevates the role of CDC, public health, and clinical laboratories, recognizing them as core public health infrastructure. Read more.

ASCP Patient Champions and DPA Launch a New Patient Educational Resource

ASCP Patient Champions is partnering with the Digital Pathology Association to create a patient guide to digital pathology. Read more.

ASCP Patient Champions Joins with Tribal Communities to Improve Health Literacy

As part of its ongoing partnership with the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care, ASCP Patient Champions recently collaborated on the 2024 Tribal Health Literacy Workshop.  ASCP’s presentation underscored the importance of understanding pathology reports and laboratory results, using storytelling to explain complex topics, and the value of peer-to-peer advocacy and support. Read more.

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