Date: MAR.1.2021
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Source: Lab Advocate
On February 17th, an AACC-led coalition sent a letter to key House and Senate appropriators urging Congress to provide funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop more accurate pediatric reference intervals (PRIs). The letter was co-signed by 33 major healthcare organizations, including several pediatric organizations and medical device manufacturers that support AACC's push for improving children's healthcare.
The association previously secured report language in the FY 2020 budget agreement requesting that CDC submit a plan a plan to Congress for improving PRIs. CDC states that with $10 million annually, it could use its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to obtain the needed clinical data and specimens, and the agency’s Environmental Health Laboratory could conduct the studies to develop the PRIs.
Prominent healthcare groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have again joined AACC’s ad-hoc coalition for improving PRIs, and the association and its partners are well positioned to obtain funding for the initiative in FY 2022. AACC will continue to work will allies in Congress and the healthcare community to advocate for the initiative and lay the groundwork for an appropriations request.