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Behind the Scenes Responding to COVID-19
Across the country, clinical laboratory professionals are hard at work developing innovative testing methods and performing complex diagnostic tests for COVID-19. Chris Burns, an instrument specialist at ARUP, is one of the many lab professionals helping to process ARUP’s COVID-19 molecular diagnostic test for patients each day.
In his role at ARUP’s lab in Utah, Chris has been a vital member of the team, first helping to get ARUP’s COVID-19 PCR test up and running and then continuing to monitor and adjust the lab’s high-complexity testing tools throughout the pandemic.
Chris and his team perform tests that are highly involved, requiring collaboration from a host of experienced technologists to deliver accurate results to patients and providers. While doctors rely on testing results every day to guide medical decisions and inform treatment plans, “most patients don’t see what goes on in a clinical lab or a big reference lab like this. Most of the time the patient just gets their blood drawn or gets their nose swabbed,” said Chris. But that’s just where the work begins for these lab professionals.
Chris is acutely aware about the impact his work has on patient health. “Everyone who’s a clinician knows that there’s a person behind each sample that comes in, or each test that’s ordered. And especially with this COVID-19 crisis, that’s been more apparent,” said Chris. With this understanding, lab professionals are committed to ensuring patients and providers receive the critical results they need. “We always strive and try our best to try and get these results out as soon as possible,” shared Chris.
When it comes to healthcare, and especially a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors and experts rely heavily on clinical testing to provide critical diagnoses and surveillance. “It feels good as a clinician to say that ‘We’re here for you. We are working our best. We’re trying our hardest to make sure that you experience that fear as little as possible,’” said Chris.
Watch highlights from the interview with ARUP’s Chris Burns.
Data Reporting for COVID-19 Testing: Frequently Asked Questions
ACLA Update on PCR Testing Capacity for COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As ACLA member laboratories continue to navigate unprecedented demand and significant supply challenges, ACLA President Julie Khani issued the following statement:
“In light of the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in states across the country, many labs are now receiving more test orders than they are able to process in a single day. We have urged ordering providers to prioritize testing for those most in need, especially hospitalized and symptomatic patients. That will help better manage demand for testing while labs continue to perform COVID-19 testing and increase their capacity, which will require adequate supplies and additional equipment.
Since the federal government first cleared regulatory hurdles to expand testing on February 29, ACLA member laboratories have performed over 20 million molecular tests for COVID-19. We have made significant strides in expanding capacity, which has tripled since early April, and ACLA labs are now performing more than 300,000 tests each day. Our members have been committed from the earliest stages of this pandemic to do everything possible to increase access to testing and have pioneered a wide range of innovative approaches to meet testing demand. From developing and bringing to market new tests to diagnose this evolving virus, to engaging physicians and public health partners around the importance of ordering guidelines and data that must be collected at the point of care, to closely monitoring supplies with diagnostic manufacturers and the federal government, ACLA members have responded with actionable solutions to facilitate patient access to testing.
But we can’t do it alone. Laboratories, diagnostic manufacturers, ordering providers, public health officials, states and importantly, the federal government – including Congress and the Administration – all have a role to play in addressing the challenges hampering our nation’s response to this public health crisis.
In collaboration with the broader diagnostics community, we are exploring new technologies and testing strategies to maximize capacity for COVID-19 molecular testing, including targeting the use of antibody testing, expanding antigen and other point-of-care testing, and implementing specimen pooling in low-prevalence areas and populations. ACLA laboratories will continue to bring forward novel approaches to expand testing capacity and work closely with regulatory agencies to maximize their use.
Accurate and reliable testing is one of the most important tools we have to combat this crisis, but what we do with the information yielded by these tests is just as important. Testing is a critical component of a comprehensive and coordinated public health strategy within each community, which also must include other elements such as adherence to mask protocols and social distancing recommendations.
As we work to mitigate the spread of the virus and meet the range of needs facing the country, including the reopening of schools and workplaces, now is the time for the federal government to outline a clear action plan to guide us through this pandemic. ACLA members will continue to do our part in expanding COVID-19 testing capacity to support the public health needs our nation faces now and in the future.”
ACLA Letter to Chairman Lamar Alexander on Pandemic Response White Paper
ACLA Update on COVID-19 Testing Capacity
WASHINGTON, D.C – Following a surge of new COVID-19 cases in the United States, ACLA President Julie Khani issued the following statement:
“ACLA member laboratories have seen a steady increase in the volume of COVID-19 test orders. While our members are collectively performing hundreds of thousands of tests each day, the anticipated demand for COVID-19 testing over the coming weeks will likely exceed members’ testing capacities. This significant increase in demand could extend turnaround times for test results.
Collectively, ACLA members have made significant strides to expand testing capacity, performing about 100,000 tests per day in early April to more than 300,000 tests per day currently. All across the country, clinical laboratories are increasing the number of labs processing tests, purchasing additional testing platforms and expanding the number of suppliers to provide critical testing materials. However, the reality of this ongoing global pandemic is that testing supplies are limited. Every country across the globe is in need of essential testing supplies, like pipettes and reagents, and that demand is likely to increase in the coming months. We are in active conversations with the Administration and supply partners about ways to address these challenges.
We encourage communities to heed the advice of public health officials, such as practicing safe social distancing and wearing masks in public. We know there’s more work to be done at this critical time, and ACLA member laboratories will continue to rise to the challenge.”
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ACLA is a not-for-profit association representing the nation’s leading clinical and anatomic pathology laboratories, including national, regional, specialty, hospital, ESRD and nursing home laboratories. The clinical laboratory industry employs nearly 295,000 people directly, and generates over 117,000 additional jobs in supplier industries. Clinical laboratories are at the forefront of personalized medicine, driving diagnostic innovation and contributing more than $106 billion to the nation’s economy.
Stakeholder Letter Calling For Extension of Public Health Emergency Declaration
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ACLA Letter to HHS on Data Reporting
ACLA Responds to New Tri-Agency Guidance, Calls on Federal Government to Address Newly-Created Coverage Gaps
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following additional guidance released today from the Department of Labor, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the coverage and payment requirements for testing in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES Act, ACLA President Julie Khani released the following statement:
“As leading government officials outlined in congressional testimony today, testing is a critical component of our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to helping inform care for an individual patient, information derived from broadly available testing allows us to understand and triage the spread of the disease, and help Americans return to work and school safely.
However, the tri-agency guidance released today creates widespread gaps in coverage for COVID-19 testing and ends the clear coverage mandates passed by Congress that required comprehensive health plans to cover molecular and serologic COVID-19 testing without cost sharing or prior authorization.
Today’s reversal creates gaps in coverage that, if left unfilled, pose a direct threat to the public health and undermine state and national efforts to reopen the economy. For employees of nursing homes, meatpacking facilities, restaurants and others who rely on regular testing to keep their families and workplaces safe, for schools hoping to welcome students back to school in the fall, and for communities anxious to limit asymptomatic spread of the virus, coverage for COVID-19 testing is now in doubt.
While there is widespread agreement that this testing is necessary, the issue of how these tests will be paid for remains unclear. Laboratories cannot – and should not be expected to – absorb the costs for return to work and surveillance testing.
We call on Congress to immediately designate funding to close the gaps created by the tri-agency guidance, ensuring access to testing and fair reimbursement for laboratories for tests performed. We must give public health officials the data points and tools they need to contain this devastating virus.”
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ACLA is a not-for-profit association representing the nation’s leading clinical and anatomic pathology laboratories, including national, regional, specialty, hospital, ESRD and nursing home laboratories. The clinical laboratory industry employs nearly 295,000 people directly, and generates over 117,000 additional jobs in supplier industries. Clinical laboratories are at the forefront of personalized medicine, driving diagnostic innovation and contributing more than $106 billion to the nation’s economy.