ACLA Leads #StopLabCuts Twitter Day of Advocacy Urging Congress to Pass the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act
The American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) recently led a Twitter Day of Advocacy to raise awareness of the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA / S. 4449 / H.R. 8188) and to demonstrate widespread support for this bipartisan legislation among ACLA members, physician and patient groups, and laboratory professionals.
The effort was part of ACLA’s comprehensive Stop Lab Cuts campaign, which urges Congress to protect patients’ access to routine testing and laboratory services from impending cuts in 2023. The campaign includes advertising, media outreach, grassroots engagement, and stakeholder education and activation to urge Congress to enact SALSA this year.
The Twitter Day of Advocacy generated more than 100 tweets and retweets sharing the #StopLabCuts hashtag, reaching close to 12,000 Twitter users. Throughout the week, 500,000 Twitter users were reached via our #StopLabCuts efforts. Many individuals across the country took the opportunity to engage directly with members of Congress, calling on them to co-sponsor this important legislation.
SALSA would reform the 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), which has led to years of significant cuts to Medicare payments for routine laboratory tests that guide clinical decision-making. If enacted, SALSA would set Medicare reimbursement for widely available laboratory services on a sustainable path forward.
Advocates on Twitter helped make clear that Congress must act now to protect access to routine testing for patients, encourage innovation in next generation of clinical laboratory tests, and strengthen the national clinical laboratory infrastructure to ensure we are prepared to manage future public health crises.
Visit StopLabCuts.org to learn more and see below for additional highlights from the #StopLabCuts Twitter Day of Advocacy.
