FINAL PAMA REGS EXPECTED BY JUNE 2016

NILA published, The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the agency responsible for reviewing and clearing executive agency rules, is in the process of reviewing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) final rule on the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA).  While the duration of OMB’s reviews can vary, we anticipate the final rule will be published by June 2016. The posting on OMB’s website serves to indicate the rule is in the final stage of review before being published.  It also provides an effective date for the rule of October 2018.  At this time, the significance of this date is difficult to determine as it is unclear whether this refers to implementation of the rule’s required reporting of private payor data or the effective date for new laboratory payment rates under PAMA.