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CLIA bill: It's back

Pediatricians should get ready to call their senators and representatives because a CLIA relief bill has been re-introduced in the 105th Congress. In July, Rep. Bill Archer (R-Texas) introduced the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act Amendments of 1997. H.R. 2250 is a bill identical to one with 131 cosponsors in the 104th Congress. Like its predecessor, this legislation exempts physicians' office laboratories from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Acts of 1988 (CLIA '88) and reduces the burdens on physicians who perform laboratory tests in their offices. However, this legislation would continue the regulation of any laboratory that performs pap Hutchison (R-Texas) is sponsoring the Senate companion bill, S. 1068.

Since the passage of CLIA '88, the impact on pediatric practice has been staggering. According to an October 1995 survey commissioned by the Academy and other medical specialty groups, 72.6 percent of all pediatric offices dropped some or all on-site testing because of CLIA '88. These were not highly sophisticated laboratory procedures, but basic, necessary tests such as rapid strep, throat cultures, urine cultures, automated hematology and routine chemistries.