Statements, Letters and Issue Briefs
September 20, 2023 – POCTA leads letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) encourage the agency to instruct State Medicaid programs to recognize and process claims submitted with Proprietary Laboratory Analysis (“PLA”) codes established by the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) Editorial Panel. Individual states’ continued refusal to recognize PLA codes unnecessarily restricts Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to the tests described by these codes (such as EUA-authorized tests for SARS-Cov-2, FDA-approved companion diagnostics for advanced cancer therapies, and other novel, innovative tests) and is not consistent with existing law. | Read the Full Letter
July 18, 2023 – POCTA writes letter of support to House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership for the diagnostic testing plan requirements included as part of the Pandemic All Hazards Preparedness Act (HR 4421). | Read the Full Letter
June 29, 2023 – Thirty-seven consumer and patient advocacy groups voiced support for SALSA. These groups sent a letter to congressional leadership urging Congress to take action to enact SALSA this year and prevent a fourth round of Medicare payment cuts in January 2024. We are grateful to the National Consumers League and RetireSafe for their leadership on this issue. | Read the Full Letter
May 22, 2023 – Provider advocates with a strong interest in diagnostics send a letter to Speaker McCarthy, Leader Schumer, and Minority Leaders Jefferies and McConnell urging that the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA/ S. 1000 / H.R. 2377) be enacted this year | Read the Full Letter
May 2023 – POCTA issues a statement of support for the Stop Lab Cuts advocacy efforts to advance the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA). | Read the Statement
March 28, 2023 – POCTA issues a press release expressing support for the reintroduction of the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA). | Read the Press Release
March 2, 2023 – Read a recent white paper from the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy on policy steps to support practical information, availability, and affordability for innovative and convenient testing capabilities to empower Americans to protect themselves from a broad array of respiratory infections and other health risks, especially people with high risks of complications or from vulnerable communities, without substantial restrictions, extraordinary measures, or very large new government appropriations. | Read the White Paper
October 24, 2022 – POCTA, joined by QuidelOrtho, submitted comments to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the CY 2023 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) Preliminary Payment Determinations to inform the final CLFS rate determination for CPT code 87428. (CPT code 87428 describes instrumented antigen testing by immunoassay that reports separate (qualitative) results for COVID-19, influenza A, and influenza B.) | Read the Full Comment
September 13, 2022 – Patient advocates with a strong interest in diagnostics send a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Minority Leaders McCarthy and McConnell urging that the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA/H.R. 8188/S.4449) be enacted this year | Read the Full Letter
September 8, 2022 – POCTA submits a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Minority Leaders McCarthy and McConnell explaining that the enactment of the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA/H.R. 8188/S.4449) is urgently needed this year, to allow laboratories to focus on providing timely, high quality clinical laboratory services for patients, continuing to innovate, and building the infrastructure necessary to protect the public health | Read the Full Letter
September 6, 2022 – POCTA responds to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the Proposed Rule entitled, “Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2023 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program Requirements; Medicare and Medicaid Provider Enrollment Policies, Including for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Conditions of Payment for Suppliers of Durable Medicaid Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS); and Implementing Requirements for Manufacturers of Certain Single-Dose Container or Single-Use Package Drugs To Provide Refunds With Respect to Discarded Amounts” | Read the Full Comment
August 31, 2022 – POCTA responds to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services August 1, 2022 Request for Information (RFI) regarding ways to strengthen the Medicare Advantage (MA) program | Read the Full Comment
December 29, 2021 – POCTA responds to the request for stakeholder input regarding the updated, introduced text of the Cures 2.0 Act (“CURES 2.0”) | Read the Full Comment
October 14, 2021 – POCTA comments on the Rule, Medicare Program; Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology (MCIT) and Definition of “Reasonable and Necessary” | Read the Full Comment
