The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) and the National Independent Laboratory Association (NILA) issued statements opposing a proposal in the budget to reduce reimbursement for clinical laboratory services in Medicare by an additional $9.46 billion over 10 years, a cut of at least 14 percent. This, on top of cuts scheduled under current law, would slash lab fees by 35 percent to 37 percent over the next 10 years. “While the President’s budget proposes cutting an additional 14 percent under the pretext of ‘modernizing payments for clinical lab services,’ in fact, the reduction is so severe when added to cuts in current law that the ability of many labs to continue serving beneficiaries would be in doubt,” said ACLA President Alan Mertz. “Medicare spent $8.9 billion on clinical lab services in 2011, representing just 1.6% of total Medicare spending, yet 70 percent of physician clinical decisions are based on laboratory results.” Mark Birenbaum, Ph.D., NILA administrator, said, “The reality is that these cuts devastate the community clinical labs that provide services to seniors, including those in long-term care facilities. These small and midsized labs simply cannot sustain these cuts.”…
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