The ICCS Advocacy Committee monitors and participants in activities related to flow cytometry regulation, reimbursement and assay validation. Members of the committee continue to be actively engaged in meetings with CMS regarding flow cytometry reimbursement. Other members are working to develop assay validations and publish manuscripts related to assay validation. The committee continues to watch and influence changes imposed by regulatory bodies.
FDA regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs) appears stalled for the short term. The Trump Administration is currently busy working on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Recent information suggests that the regulation may be less onerous than was previously anticipated.
Advocacy Committee members, through various avenues, have taken part in meeting with CMS regarding flow cytometry reimbursement both for technical and professional services. It continues to work with many organizations including the CAP to see if anything can be done to mitigate the ongoing cuts to reimbursement. The ongoing cuts to flow cytometry services continues to be a major concern to ICCS membership.
Virginia Litwin, Andy Rawstron and colleagues are working on manuscripts/guidances for flow cytometry assay validations. Members of the Advocacy Committee and others in the Society have offered input and assistance in this effort. We anticipate that these manuscripts/guidances will be submitted in 2017.
In addition, the committee has reviewed its current membership. We welcome a new committee member, Stephanie Toney, who is an Associate Director at Becton Dickerson.
The Advocacy Committee has recently sent a survey to the ICCS membership regarding advocacy. We have currently received greater than 60 responses. The survey close date is March 15. We look forward to analyzing the responses.
Finally, the Advocacy Committee with participate in an educational session at the Fall annual meeting. The results of the survey will be presented as part of this session.
Respectfully submitted by Jerry Hussong, on behalf of the members of the ICCS Advocacy Committee.