ADLM’s efforts to improve pediatric reference intervals gained significant momentum in Congress this year. Pediatric reference intervals are necessary for determining whether laboratory results are normal or abnormal in children, but developing accurate ranges is challenging because values can change significantly across infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Limited access to samples from healthy children has also left important gaps that can affect the interpretation of pediatric laboratory results.
For fiscal year 2027, ADLM requested $10 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve pediatric reference intervals using existing federal infrastructure. In April, ADLM led a coalition of 54 organizations urging House and Senate appropriators to support the funding. ADLM Board members and laboratory experts also brought the issue directly to congressional offices as part of the association’s broader advocacy on pediatric testing and laboratory quality.
The effort reached an important milestone in June when the House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2027 Labor-HHS-Education bill that includes $5 million for CDC to improve pediatric reference intervals. ADLM welcomed the funding and is urging Congress to preserve it in any final budget package.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has also helped advance the issue through Senate appropriations, including report language supporting improved pediatric reference intervals in the fiscal year 2025 and 2026 bills. ADLM recognized her work by naming Capito the recipient of the association’s Outstanding Legislator Award for the 119th Congress.