Advocacy News

• Share your insights in 2025 survey
• Sec. Kennedy dismisses vaccine panel
• Dr. Karcher amplifies "pathology’s voice in Congress"
• Pathologists need regulatory relief
• Genomic testing expands under Medicare
• CAP25 courses announced

The 2025 Practice Leader Survey is now live! 

Practice leaders, your input is crucial for our advocacy efforts. Participate in the CAP’s survey and share insights about your practice and needs! 

Action needed: Practice leaders received email invitations on June 9 to complete the survey. 

• If your practice did not receive an invitation, contact PracticeSurvey@cap.org to request one and complete the survey by June 23.

Survey participants are pathologists in leadership or administrative roles with specific knowledge of their practice’s financial, operational, and billing information.

Why it matters: Your feedback empowers the pathologist’s message in Washington, DC, by providing essential information on payment issues, new technologies, and more.

• These data, reported in aggregate, strengthen our advocacy by showing policymakers the numbers to support our policies.

All survey responses are anonymous.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee on Monday.

Why it matters: The advisory committee plays a critical role in shaping US vaccine policy and guiding public health strategies.

What's next: New appointments to the panel will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine, says Sec. Kennedy. 

CAP President Donald S. Karcher, MD, FCAP, outlined pathologists’ health policy priorities to the House GOP Doctor Caucus on June 5.

Why it matters: Congress is actively debating legislation that impacts Medicare, Medicaid, and broader health care policy. 

Dr. Karcher met with the Doctor Caucus during the fifth annual "House Call on the Mall," a gathering of physician-led medical associations, including the CAP.

What they're saying: "My goal was to amplify pathology’s voice in Congress," says Dr. Karcher. "The meeting underscored the importance of working together as doctors to address the difficult problems in health care."

Read more: The CAP signed a June 6 letter to Senate leaders, advocating for key legislative reforms to support physicians and their patients.

Following a White House executive order, the CAP sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) a plan to reduce regulatory burdens on pathologists and laboratories.

Why it matters: The Trump administration sought feedback to simplify the regulatory environment for patients, physicians, and hospitals.

Key recommendations: The CAP suggested modifications to the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and advocated for maintaining traditional MIPS over MIPS Value Pathways.

• CAP also wants to simplify coding and documentation requirements.
• CMS should work with the CAP to address the good faith estimate process and price transparency requirements.

What's next: CAP further urges CMS to streamline the Laboratory Date of Service policy and National Coverage Determinations process, and to address policies impacting laboratory payment as a result of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA).

• These changes reflect current medical practices and would improve patient care, the CAP says.

Go Deeper: Read the CAP’s recommendations.

The CAP's molecular oncology experts are supporting updates to a Medicare local coverage policy for Genomic Sequence Analysis Panels in the Treatment of Hematolymphoid Diseases. 

Why it matters: This expands coverage and improves patient access to molecular testing for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN).

• The policy aligns with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines and the World Health Organization classifications.

What's New: Coverage now includes newly-diagnosed or relapsed AML patients, MDS patients with nondiagnostic assessments, and MPN patients requiring risk stratification or disease monitoring.

Go Deeper: Read more about the CAP's Medicare Coverage Advocacy.

Explore CAP25 educational offerings—CAP25 provides an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the specialty through dynamic and interactive courses while networking and connecting with your peers. 

Watch the video to get a sneak peek of what’s in store at CAP25 — and see why this is the must-attend event for pathologists.

Why it matters: Ideal for both newcomers and seasoned professionals, the annual Pathologists' Meeting offers a diverse range of learning experiences.

Key highlights include:

• Over 75 expert-led courses offering 90+ CME credits, featuring:
  • Case-Based Approaches to Challenging Pathologic Concepts
  • What's Your Problem? Ask the CP Experts
  • Hide and Seek: A Closer Look Into Pediatric Transfusion
  • Diagnostic Challenges in the Era of Two Hematopathology Classification Systems
• 11 video microscopy sessions and eight "bite-size" Learning Labs
• Four hands-on workshops, five new case-based mini courses, and more!

Register Now!