Statement by CAP President R. Bruce Williams, MD, FCAP, on ACLA Litigation Regarding PAMA

Contact: Apoorva Stull 
Phone: 202-354-7102 
E-mail: media@cap.org

Washington, DC—The College of American Pathologists (CAP) today issued the following statement from CAP President R. Bruce Williams, MD, FCAP, after the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) filed a lawsuit alleging the agency overseeing the Medicare program did not follow the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014 when implementing market-based payment reforms to clinical laboratory services:

The CAP applauds the ACLA's latest effort urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to set aside regulation used to set clinical laboratory fee schedule rates for 2018. In the implementation of the PAMA statute, the CAP believed there were serious flaws in the underlying data collection and methodology to calculate the clinical laboratory fees. Specifically, the CMS' methodology excluded many laboratories, including most hospital outreach laboratories and physician office laboratories that provide necessary laboratory services ensuring the welfare of patients. To address these concerns, the CAP and other stakeholders have strongly urged the CMS to delay its implementation of the payment system.

About the College of American Pathologists

As the world's largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, read the 2017 CAP Annual Report at cap.org.