Previous Advocacy Updates

The CAP, along with the members of the Cancer Leadership Council, urged congressional leaders to move quickly to approve additional resources for the nation’s COVID-19 response.

Stopping looming Medicare cuts, addressing workforce shortages, and passing a major pandemic preparedness bill will be the top issues pathologists will ask Congress to support during the upcoming the Pathologists Leadership Summit.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT) Pandemics Act.

On March 10, the US Senate voted 68-31 to pass a $1.5 trillion omnibus bill that will fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year, which ends on September 30.

Recently a clinician roundtable of the Alliance for a Strong Blood Supply met to review the overuse of the universal blood type O and discuss strategies to increase blood supply nationwide during this ongoing shortage.

A federal district court judge in Texas on February 23 vacated specific provisions pertaining to the independent dispute resolution process of the government’s regulations for the No Surprises Act. In a lawsuit filed by the Texas Medical Association (TMA), US District Court Judge Jeremy Kernodle granted the association’s motion for summary judgement and provided nationwide relief for all physicians and other health care providers who use the independent dispute resolution process.

UnitedHealthcare responded to the CAP’s and six other medical professional organizations’ objections to the insurer’s Designated Diagnostic Provider program. The Designated Diagnostic Provider will remain in-network, but outpatient diagnostic laboratory services will be denied as non-covered, causing increased burdens on physicians and confusion for patients.

On January 24, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) to strengthen the nation’s public health and medical preparedness systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CAP and six other medical professional organizations stated their concerns regarding UnitedHealthcare’s Designated Diagnostic Provider laboratory program in a letter on January 26. The groups urged UnitedHealthcare to update the program so it would not undermine the patient-physician relationship.

The FDA added all blood draw tubes to its medical device shortage list on January 19. The shortage stems from an increase in demand and vendor supply challenges during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA said. The agency also released several recommendations to conserve the tubes and mitigate shortages.

On January 13, the US Supreme Court upheld the Biden Administration COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers, but struck down the vaccine mandate for private employers with 100 workers or more.

On January 4, the Department of Health of Human Services released the No Surprises Act Patient-Provider Dispute Resolution guidance, which helps providers understand what information to include for the good-faith estimates.

With an expected increase in laboratory testing due to the transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and holiday-related travel and gatherings, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging laboratories with testing capacity to contact state and local health departments to coordinate surge testing.

Special Issue: The CAP filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s flawed implementation of the No Surprises Act.

The American Medical Association (AMA), the CAP, and other medical societies asked the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase the transparency of its Supremacy Project.

While Congress successfully passed several year-end priorities on December 9, the CAP is still engaging lawmakers on health care provisions in the Build Back Better bill. The Build Back Better legislation aims to improve patient’s lives nationwide by expanding access to health insurance and enact several other priorities of the Biden Administration.

Special Issue: With pathologists facing steep cuts to their Medicare pay next year, Congress passed legislation to mitigate and delay payment decreases to physicians on December 9. The CAP aggressively lobbied Congress to stop the cuts and protect patient access to pathology services before the sharp decreases to payments took effect on January 1, 2022.

On December 2, Congress passed legislation to avert a government shutdown and provide enough funding for federal programs through February 18. While the CAP and other physician associations lobbied lawmakers to use this funding bill to stop Medicare cuts in 2022, Congress neglected to do so. With little time left in the calendar year, congressional leaders are exploring options to address the cuts—including a vote in the House of Representatives later this week.

Following a request for additional details on its payment policy change, Cigna provided the CAP with further clarity on a revised policy for the professional component of clinical pathology (PC of CP) when billed by pathologists. The CAP asked Cigna for additional details on October 26 after the insurer acknowledged the role of pathologists in providing laboratory management and oversight services.

The CAP urged the Biden Administration to change the interim final regulation for the No Surprises Act to align the law’s implementation with the original legislation.