Briefing: Point-of-Care Testing—Bringing the Lab to the Patient

WASHINGTON – Point-of-care testing is transforming healthcare: this type of testing helps patients get diagnosed and treated faster, and also makes it easier for patients in remote areas to have access to medical testing. Join AACC and leading experts in laboratory medicine for a discussion about what lies ahead for point-of-care testing and what needs to happen so that all patients can benefit from quality testing of this kind.

Speakers will address:

• The Emergence and Growing Use of Point-of-Care Testing

• The Future of Point-of-Care Testing

Point-of-care tests are clinical tests that can be performed near the patient, whether that’s in a doctor’s office, a pharmacy, or even at home, and they test for a variety of conditions from diabetes and high cholesterol to HIV. However, the current regulatory structure for point-of-care tests might not be sufficient to ensure their quality. For example, most facilities that perform point-of-care testing are subject to very limited federal oversight. Another issue that could limit patient access to quality point-of-care testing is that federal cuts in laboratory reimbursement have recently gone into effect under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014. These cuts could force many healthcare facilities to scale back on point-of-care testing if it becomes too costly to offer it.

For point-of-care testing to reach its full potential to improve patient care, regulations and policies must ensure patient access to point-of-care tests while assuring these tests are safe and effective. As a first step, the quality of testing across point-of-care sites should be assessed to determine whether these facilities require more oversight. Additionally, appropriate reimbursement for point-of-care tests is needed so that all patients benefit from the rapid diagnoses and treatments that these tests make possible.

When: Luncheon Briefing: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Thursday, October 3, 2019

Where: Room 2045, Rayburn House Office Building

Who:

• Moderator: Dr. Patricia Jones, Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, TX

• Kerstin Halverson, Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, MA

• Dr. James Nichols, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN

RSVP: Email Christine DeLong, AACC Senior Manager, Communications & PR at [email protected].

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About AACC

Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, AACC brings together more than 50,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, AACC has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.aacc.org.

 

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