Competitive Bidding Demonstration Site Announced and Repeal Efforts Continue

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Not long ago I was presenting a session at a regional ASLCS meeting entitled “Legislative and Regulatory Issues Impacting the Practice of Clinical Laboratory Science”. One of the participants, who also happens to be a good friend and colleague, after looking quickly at the handout said, “These look like the same issues we discussed last year.” I laughed and told him he was absolutely correct! Although there are many exciting developments in the advancement of the knowledge and technology impacting clinical laboratory science, on the legislative and regulatory side, it seems trying to enhance and protect reimbursement for clinical laboratory services is always at the top of our professional “issues” list. Without appropriate reimbursement for our services, clinical laboratories cannot provide the quality our patient public deserves!

The Medicare Clinical Laboratory Competitive Bidding Project is the current threat to assuring appropriate reimbursement for laboratory services. In my last article, I provided an update on the status of the project as well as initiatives to repeal the competitive bidding mandate. Much has happened since that writing.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the site for the first of two competitive bidding demonstration projects, scheduled to run for three years each, would be the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marco Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in California. The Bidders Conference was originally scheduled for October 31, 2007. However, due to rampant fires producing emergency situations in that area, the conference was postponed. It has now been re-scheduled for December 5, 2007. The…