| December
2001 - Vol. 8, No. 2 [PDF,
19KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: We will have to wait
until next year to see substantive changes in national
health care policies.
- Advanced Beneficiary Notice: ACLA
submitted comments to the Office of Management and Budget
on the proposed new advanced beneficiary notice (ABN)
and draft instructions for implementation.
- CPT: The
committtee's hard work paid off at the CPT Editorial
Panel meeting in San Diego on November 8.
- Medicare Reform
Legislative Update: The House
of Representatives passed H.R. 3391, the Medicare
Regulatory and Contracting Reform Act of 2001.
- Negotiated
Rulemaking: CMS issued the final rule
from the negotiated rulemaking on laboratory
services on Friday, November 23, 2001.
- Calendar of Events
|
| November
2001 - Vol. 8, No. 1 [PDF,
19KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: The over-arching health
care challenge at present is dealing with anthrax bio-terrorism.
- Billing
and Reimbursement: We urged CMS to address
the chronic difficulties laboratories face in splitting
claims.
- CPT: Dr. Sundwall will present ACLA's
position at the CPT Editorial Panel meeting in San
Diego.
- Genotyping Guidance: ACLA submitted comments
to FDA on the Draft Guidance.
- Laboratory Healthcare
Coalition: The Coalition
agreed to finance the publication of an article based
on research conducted by Dr. Michael Pine.
- Calendar
of Events
|
| October
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 12 [PDF,
18KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: So much has changed
is so many ways that it's hard to remember how simple life
seemed before September 11th. Nonetheless, we continue
to function in our nation's capital.
- CPT: ACLA members
prepared proposals for six new CPT codes to submit to
the CPT Editorial Panel for the 2003 CPT Manual.
- Laboratory
Health Care Coalition: The Coalition
reviewed the final report of the research project
conducted on our behalf by Dr. Michael Pine.
- Medicare Contractor
Reform: ACLA submitted written
testimony to the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee.
- Meeting
with Thomas Scully, CMS Administrator: ACLA
Board representatives met with Mr. Scully and
an associate in New York City on September 26th.
- Calendar
of Events
|
| September
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 11 [PDF,
18KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: When Congress returns
to work this week they face tougher choices.
- Advanced Beneficiary
Notice: We urged that laboratories
be given a year from the date of publication of the
final PM before requiring use of the new ABN form.
- CPT: Consideration
of the hematology codes has been rescheduled for the
November CPT meeting.
- CMS New Code Payment: CMS plans
to publish this fall a proposed rule outlining the process
by which they will establish payments for new tests.
- State
Issues: ACLA wrote to Rhode Island in response
to a recent proposal to amend regulations regarding
HIV-1 testing.
- Calendar of Events
|
| August
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 10 [PDF,
17KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: The ACLA Board of Directors
is scheduled to meet with Mr. Tom Scully, Administrator
of the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services.
- Billing and
Reimbursement: A meeting has been
scheduled with CMS to discuss the challenges laboratories
face in implementing the new advanced beneficiary notice.
- CPT: ACLA
shared with CAP its position on proposed hematology
codes.
- ESRD: ACLA has written to Lana Price to
follow up on eliminating the "50/50" rule.
- State
Issues: ACLA wrote to the New Jersey Department
of Health on phlebotomy issues and to the New York
Department of Health on investigational testing guidelines.
- Calendar
of Events
|
| July
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 9 [PDF,
20KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: It is a welcome change
for the laboratory industry to be on the offensive for
a change.
- Advanced Beneficiary Notice: ACLA is preparing
comments on the draft program memorandum which we will
share with CMS.
- Billing and Reimbursement: ACLA
met with Dr. Thomas Gustafson to discuss HCFA's progress
in developing a more public process for determining Medicare
payments for new CPT codes.
- CPT: We determined to
write CAP and request their proposal for revisions to
the hematology codes be withdrawn.
- FDA Blood Advisory
Committee: The committee voted
unanimously not to recommend that rapid HIV testing
be waived.
- Calendar of Events
|
| June
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 8 [PDF,
18KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: ACLA participated in
a press conference commemorating the introduction of The
Medicare Patient Access to Preventive and Diagnostics Tests
Act.
- Advanced Beneficiary Notice: ACLA believes the
new porposed ABN is a substantial improvement over previous
proposals.
- Billing and Reimbursement: We discussed
the status of our proposal to HCFA to amend the technical
component of pathology services PM.
- Genetic Testing: ACLA
met with Dr. David Feigal, Jr., FDA's representative
to the HHS Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic
Testing.
- Medicare Patient Access to Preventive and Diagnostics
Test Act: It establishes a single national fee
schedule for laboratory payments and restores the CPI
update.
- Calendar of Events
|
| May
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 7 [PDF,
17KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: I would like to think,
however, that the climate for doing business with government
payers and regulators is improving.
- Advanced Beneficiary
Notice: HCFA submitted the
revised ABN to OMB for a 30-day review.
- Billing and
Reimbursement: We wrote to HCFA to
express our concerns about the recent Program Memorandum
(PM) implementing section 452.
- Environmental & Occupational: ACLA
filed comments on DOT's rule to revise the standards
for safe transportation of infectious substances.
- ESRD: We
agreed to consult with the ACLA member laboratories
about other alternatives to the 50/50 rule.
- State Issues: ACLA
met with officials of the New Jersey Department of
Health.
- Calendar of Events
|
| April
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 6 [PDF,
16KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: The new administration
is slowly taking shape and form, but too slowly for some.
- ESRD: ACLA has written to HCFA to express our
concerns abot the way in which the agency intends to
eliminate the "50/50 rule."
- Legal: ACLA
filed comments on "Stark II."
- Privacy Comments: On
March 30, 2001, ACLA filed supplemental comments on
the HHS final rule establishing privacy standards.
- State
Issues: ACLA urged Georgia to promulgate
regulations restricting phlebotomists.
- Calendar of Events
|
| March
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 5 [PDF,
20KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: Dr. Ron Weiss, ACLA
Board Chair, challenged all members to work together with
staff to see that the goals and objectives we identified
through the course of our membership and board meetings
are achieved in the coming year.
- Billing and Reimbursement: ACLA
members met with HCFA representatives at the ACLA annual
meeting.
- CPT: We anticipated presenting comments
on CAP's proposed new codes to hematology tests at the
May meeting of the Panel.
- ESRD: HCFA shared with
ACLA a discussion draft proposal on elimination of the
50/50 rule.
- State Issues: ACLA filed comments on
proposed Maryland regulations for reporting blood lead
testing.
- Calendar of Events
|
| February
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 4 [PDF,
22KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: We are committed to
improving reimbursement by public payers for clinical laboratory
services.
- Environmental and Occupational Health: OSHA
published final rules implementing the Needstick Safety
and Prevention Act.
- ESRD: HCFA stated that they
plan to eliminate the 50 percent rule and set up a new
system for paying for non-composite rate tests.
- Federal
Affairs: Our first legislative priority
should be restoration of the CPT for 2002.
- Lab Personnel
Shortages: ACLA participated in
the "Summit on the Shortage of Clinical Laboratory
Personnel II."
- State Issues: ACLA commented
on proposed regulations in Maryland regarding uniform
claim forms.
- Calendar of Events
|
| January
2001 - Vol. 7, No. 3 [PDF,
19KB] |
| In this issue: |
- Message from Dr. Sundwall: We will convene a "summitt" next
week with your designated representatives to prepare our
legislative and regulatory agenda for the upcoming year.
- CPT
Committee: We have established a very welcome
informal relationship with the American College of
Pathologists.
- HIPAA Privacy Regulations: The final
HIPAA privacy regulations were published on December
28, 2000.
- Omnibus Medicare Giveback Bill: On December
26, 2000, President Clinton signed legislation which
included a number of provisions of importance to clinical
laboratories.
- Regional Carrier Update: HCFA has decided
to implement the regional laboratory carrier provision
of the Balanced Budget Act by limiting the number of
carriers processing lab claims to two contractors.
- Calendar
of Events
|
