Clinical Lab Fee Schedule — Revised

The CLFS pays a nominal fee for specimen collection for laboratory testing and a fee to cover transportation and personnel expenses (generally referred to as the travel allowance) for trained personnel to collect specimens from homebound patients and inpatients (except hospital inpatients). Medicare pays the travel allowance only when the nominal specimen collection fee is also payable.

To make diagnostic testing available to Medicare patients during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), we changed Medicare payment rules to pay independent labs for specimen collection from homebound patients and inpatients (not in a hospital) for COVID-19 CDLTs under certain circumstances and increased payments from $3-$5 to $23-$25. The increased fees will end at the termination of the COVID-19 PHE.

Source: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/Downloads/Clinical-Laboratory-Fee-Schedule-Fact-Sheet-ICN006818.pdf