ePolicy News October 2020

Find a list of the stories in the October 2020 edition of ePolicy News below.

ASCP Urges Significant Changes to CMS E/M, Scope of Practice and QPP Proposals
ASCP has submitted two comment letters to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, outlining its concerns and recommendations on issues related to payment and quality incentives addressed in the Agency’s Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule. Read more.

CMS Increases Reporting Requirements for Labs, Hospitals
In late August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published an Interim Final Rule requiring clinical laboratories to revise current COVID-19 reporting requirements. Now in effect, it alters the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 regulations to require all laboratories—including Certificate of Waiver laboratories—to report SARS-CoV-2 test results to the Department of Health and Human Services. Read more.
Results of ASCP Survey on Effects of COVID-19 in the Laboratory Released 
Many healthcare institutions nationwide have furloughed staff and made other staffing adjustments to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results of an ASCP survey. Data collected will provide a view of how laboratories across the country have been affected and strategies they have implemented to maintain lab operations. Read more.

2020 Choosing Wisely Champions Recognized for Reducing Unnecessary Testing
The Quest Lab Stewardship Reference program, Sachin Gupta, PhD, MBA, MT(ASCPⁱ)MB, Lean SSBB, Laboratory Quality and Informatics Lead at a health system in Clearwater, Florida, and Eric A. Gehrie, MD, Medical Director of the Blood Bank at Johns Hopkins are this year’s ASCP Choosing Wisely Champions for their commitment to reducing unnecessary testing. Read more.

MedPAC Discussion of CLFS Presents Challenges
The Medicare Payment Advisory Committee’s discussion this week of Medicare’s clinical laboratory fee schedule should raise concerns for the laboratory community. Read more.

GAO Reports on Federal COVID-19 Response, Reveals HHS Taking over Supply Chain
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking over responsibility for managing the medical supply chain in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the U.S. Government Accounting Office. The GAO report outlined a series of recommendations to improve federal response efforts. Read more.

For more information regarding ASCP's advocacy initiatives and policy positions, please contact ASCP's Center for Public Policy at (202) 408-1110.  

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