Advocacy - Lab Advocate
On April 10th, 2025, an ADLM-led coalition of leading healthcare and laboratory organizations sent a letter to Congressional appropriators urging increased funding for the CDC Clinical Standardization Programs in the FY 2026 federal budget.
The letter emphasizes that harmonization—or standardization—of clinical laboratory test results is critical to improving patient care, reducing healthcare costs, and supporting the future of data-driven, AI-supported healthcare delivery. Currently, the same test performed by different laboratories can yield results that are not directly comparable, leading to confusion in diagnosis and treatment, particularly for chronic diseases like cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, kidney disease, and PCOS.
The bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Artificial Intelligence recently echoed this concern in its report, noting that the absence of uniform standards for medical data hampers interoperability and the effective use of AI in healthcare. The coalition of signatories urged Congress to allocate an additional $7.2 million to CDC’s Environmental Health Laboratory to expand these vital harmonization efforts.
ADLM and it partners support this investment as a necessary step to strengthen laboratory quality, ensure consistency across testing platforms, and lay the groundwork for more reliable clinical decision-making tools. The association will continue to advocate for policies that support laboratory excellence and innovation.