Advocacy & Outreach
ADLM ensures the lab remains a valued and essential voice in healthcare, so that people everywhere get the care they need.
Advocacy at ADLM
At ADLM, advocacy and outreach are central to our mission of advancing laboratory medicine and improving patient care. We help shape public policy, scientific standards, and healthcare delivery.
Children’s health
We work to improve test accuracy and interpretation for kids through pediatric reference intervals, and we support efforts to enhance and expand newborn screening.
Harmonization: patient access to quality testing
Lab results can disagree depending on where tests are performed. We work toward patients receiving the same diagnosis no matter where they live.
Reimbursement and the changing healthcare environment
Medicare drastically cut payment for testing with a flawed implementation of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act. We are working to improve the fee schedule.
We collaborate on advocacy priorities among members, scientific experts, and policy leaders. We help laboratory science influence health outcomes by advocating for:
- Equitable access to testing
- Regulatory reform
- Innovation in diagnostics
- Pediatric laboratory medicine
You can get involved by participating in advocacy campaigns, contributing to comment letters and position statements, or joining one of ADLM’s working groups. Together, we can create a healthier future for all.
Featured position statements
ADLM supports efforts to reduce barriers to pediatric testing and care.
ADLM supports expanding consumer access to direct-to-consumer (DTC) laboratory testing services.
ADLM recommends that CLIA remain the primary mechanism for overseeing clinical laboratories.
ADLM supports the creation of a national repository to collect and store pediatric samples from healthy children.
ADLM endorses public-private efforts to maintain, improve, and expand newborn screening programs.
News and Resources
Keep up with fast-moving news and policy actions affecting clinical laboratories and the healthcare field and use our tools to act on grassroots campaigns.
The Lab Advocate helps you stay informed about issues shaping the profession — from regulatory changes and reimbursement trends to advances in diagnostics and testing standards.
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Position statements
ADLM identifies priority issues for members and communicates the association's positions to policymakers through research-based position statements.
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Comment letters
Explore official statements sent to Congress and federal regulatory authorities.
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Laboratory Voice
Learn how to take quick action to contact your representatives on key issues in laboratory medicine.
Advocacy toolkit
Know the issues: expanding newborn screening, improving pediatric reference intervals, laboratory test harmonization, regulation of laboratory developed tests (LDTs), and fixing the Protecting Access to Medicare Act.
Featured press releases
ADLM urged HHS to reinstate the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Advisory Committee (CLIAC)
ADLM called on Congress to increase funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and newborn screening to create a more equitable healthcare landscape.
Advocacy in action
ADLM insights on FDA’s laboratory developed test regulation
The FDA rule on LDT regulation will limit patient access to essential tests and stifle innovation needed to deliver equitable, effective care for all.
Labs that will have to outsource tests, increasing wait times
Hospitals and labs that are subject to duplicative new regulation
Labs without contingency plan resources if they cannot perform LDTs
Featured comment letters
This legislation would preserve advances in state newborn screening programs.
We support the CDC’s approach and urge Congress to provide the funding needed to improve PRIs and ensure quality and equitable care for our country’s children.
The USPSTF has issued nearly 300 evidence-based recommendations across 90 topics to support preventive care and help people live healthier, longer lives.
CLIAC assures accuracy and reliability of laboratory test results that inform patient care and treatment.
CDC’s public health data modernization efforts to build and maintain world-class data systems and workforce meet the nation’s ongoing need to safeguard health.
Programs
Global quality initiative
The Global Lab Quality Initiative (GLQI) partners with national societies to improve the quality of laboratory testing worldwide through workshops, webinars, and the newborn screening program.
ADLM guide to lab test utilization
Improper test utilization can result in poor patient outcomes and waste in the healthcare system. This resource, geared toward medical professionals, recommends better tests and diagnostic practices.
Policy reports
ADLM develops informational pieces to help educate policymakers and other public audiences about the critical role of laboratory medicine in the healthcare system.
Policy briefings
Watch free webinars by laboratory experts from ADLM about the importance of laboratory medicine to quality healthcare and about the laws and regulations that impact patients' ability to benefit from high caliber testing.
ADLM’s advocacy extends beyond national borders to strengthen the practice of laboratory medicine and create a healthier, more connected world. Through strategic partnerships and educational initiatives, we work on:
- Advancing diagnostic excellence
- Supporting workforce development
- Promoting equitable access to testing
By collaborating with international laboratory organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions, ADLM helps to share best practices and build global standards that improve the quality and consistency of diagnostic care.
Stories
Hear from participants in ADLM's global educational programs about how these initiatives have impacted their lives, as well as their work in laboratory medicine.
Collaborating to advance newborn screening in Kazakhstan
Aigerim Kamzina, PhD, a participant at the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine’s (ADLM’s, formerly AACC’s) newborn screening workshop in Kazakhstan, always knew she wanted to be a doctor. Right before graduating from university, her passion pointed her to neonatology, where she cherishes being able to read the expressions of babies and to figure out what might be going on with their health.
ADLM grant recipient leads further trainings in Mongolia
Khulan Purevdorj, MSc, MD, was awarded an ADLM grant that allowed her to hone her teaching skills, facilitate a workshop, and provide more trainings for pathologists in Mongolia.
Bridging knowledge gaps in Zambia
Mukoshya Kalunga, BSc, took knowledge gained from a previous ADLM workshop in Zambia to share with an audience and maintain connections with her peers.