WASHINGTON—AdvaMed, the medtech association, today welcomed the introduction in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate of the bipartisan Reforming and Enhancing Sustainable Updates to Laboratory Testing Services (RESULTS) Act by Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.)
“The RESULTS Act is a critical piece of legislation for millions of patients who rely on laboratory testing to make sound medical decisions. Ensuring facilities remain accessible to patients is key to getting services into the hands of those who need it,” said Scott Whitaker, AdvaMed president and CEO. “The current, flawed system, if not fixed, will place a huge burden on labs and could force many of them to close their doors.”
Zach Rothstein, executive director of AdvaMedDx, representing more than 70 leading diagnostics companies, said, “Additionally, if Congress does not act, more than 800 laboratory tests will be subject to payment cuts of up to 15 percent on January 1, 2026. This not only hurts patients, but it also stifles innovation as our member companies work on the next generation of laboratory tests. We look forward to working with Congress to get this bipartisan legislation over the finish line this year.”
The RESULTS Act (H.R. 5269, S. 2761) addresses a flawed methodology implemented under the Protecting Patient Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), which was signed into law in 2014 to reform the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS). However, these reforms failed to account for nearly all hospital outreach labs and physician office labs, leading to massive cuts to labs most commonly ordering services for Medicare beneficiaries. Congress has previously found bipartisan support to delay cuts and CLFS reporting periods required under PAMA, but without permanent action under the RESULTS Act, labs will face further cuts. By updating and improving the PAMA reimbursement system, the RESULTS Act will help ensure that patients have access to the latest testing technology and innovation.
The RESULTS Act would provide CMS the authority to collect comprehensive commercial market rates representative of the clinical laboratory ecosystem by leveraging an independent not-for-profit commercial claims database for widely available tests while relying on laboratories to report private payor rates for non-widely available tests. This approach ensures that true private market rates are included and reduces the reporting burden, while protecting both labs and Medicare from sudden rate fluctuations by gradually phasing in any changes going forward. Overall, the RESULTS Act offers a comprehensive and effective solution for ensuring that patients have continued access to the latest laboratory testing innovations.