Regulacje i polityka gospodarcza · 17.10.2007

Medicare Program: Medicare Clinical Laboratory Services Competitive Bidding Demonstration Project

This notice announces the first demonstration site for the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Services Competitive Bidding Demonstration project and the date for the Bidder's Conference. The Medicare Clinical Laboratory Competitive Bidding Demonstration was mandated by the Congress. Section 302(b) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) (Pub. L. 108-173) requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct a demonstration project on the application of competitive acquisition for clinical laboratory services that would otherwise be paid under the Medicare Part B fee schedule. The objective of the demonstration is to determine whether competitive bidding can be used to provide Part B clinical laboratory services at fees below current Medicare payment rates while maintaining quality and access to care. The MMA specifically requires that the demonstration: (1) Includes tests paid under the Medicare Part B Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule; (2) excludes entities that have a "face-to-face encounter" with the patient; (3) excludes Pap smears and colorectal cancer screening tests; and, (4) includes requirements under the Clinical Labor