Genetic Tests and Precision Medicine Start to Win Acceptance by Some Payers; Pathologists and Clinical Laboratories Have Opportunity as Advisors

UnitedHealthcare to cover Foundation Medicine’s comprehensive genomic profiling assay for solid tumors, but Medicare still reluctant to reimburse for genetic tests Studies showing success of targeted therapies in cancer care may be having an influence on the decisions by certain health insurers to reimburse clinical laboratories to reimburse for certain genetic tests. One example that press reports cite is how last December UnitedHealthcare began reimbursing for a certain genetic test for...

California Clinical Laboratory Association’s Annual Conference Showcases How Medical Labs Are Using EMPIs and Similar Technologies to Deliver More Value

Progressive pathologists and lab leaders are looking ahead to the day when fee-service reimbursement is replaced by budgeted payment and similar arrangements SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA—More than 100 clinical laboratory owners and lab executives gathered here this week for the annual meeting of the California Clinical Laboratory Association (CCLA). Because the medical laboratory testing marketplace in California is often a bellwether for trends that go national, the presentations were timely and of...

Changing Reimbursement for Clinical Pathology Laboratory Testing and Direct-to-Consumer Testing Discussed at California Clinical Laboratory Association Conference in San Diego

The end of fee-for-service payments has huge implications for U.S. medical laboratories and anatomic pathology practices SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA—In the American healthcare system today, the era of fee-for-service medicine will soon end. This development has huge implications for every clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology practice in the United States because fee-for-service is their primary source of revenue. This week at the 2013 Annual Conference of the California Clinical Laboratory...

Coding Consultant Uses Crowdsourcing for Clinical Pathology Laboratories to Post Amounts Paid by Medicare Contractors for Molecular Test Claims

Medical laboratories have yet to learn how much to expect in payment for molecular pathology test claims submitted to the Medicare program Concern is rising among pathologists and clinical laboratory directors about what the Medicare program will pay this year for the 104 new molecular test CPT codes. These new CPT codes became effective on January 1, 2013. Few–if any–medical laboratories have received payments for Medicare claims submitted early in January. That’s because contractors for the...

Palmetto GBA Execs Explain MolDx, Its New “Molecular Diagnostic Services” Program for Clinical Pathology Laboratories

Registry for genetic tests and molecular diagnostic assays is one step in process to assess the science and clinical utility Clinical laboratory and pathologists have dozens of questions about the proposed draft local coverage determinations (LCDs) that Medicare carrier Palmetto GBA issued on September 28. The draft LCDs represent Palmetto GBA’s efforts to identify the growing number of laboratory-developed molecular diagnostic assays and genetic tests. In an exclusive interview with Dark...
;