CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
Patrick Godbey, MD
April 2020—It is important for pathologists to understand just how much influence the federal government has on our practice of medicine. In last month’s column, I discussed ways in which the government dictates how and whether we are paid for our services. This month I’ll address the role of the federal government in determining where and how we practice.
Dr. Godbey
You probably already know that pathology labs are among the most highly regulated areas within health care, subject to regulations from multiple agencies. The labs we practice in must comply with the federal regulatory requirements of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, and CLIA certification is an absolute necessity. Without that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services CLIA certificate on my wall, my lab would not be allowed to bill, among others, Medicare or Medicaid—the kiss of death for a pathology lab.
There’s a saying in the financial industry: “Don’t fight the Fed.” While its original meaning was about investments, the sentiment can be applied just as easily to laboratory medicine. Ultimately, the federal government controls where you practice and the tools you are allowed to use when you practice.
As individual pathologists, we have very little influence on the government’s regulation of our labs and tools. But the CAP does have influence, and that is one reason it is so important for all pathologists to be members of the CAP and take an active role.