Advocacy - Lab Advocate
On June 30th, ADLM joined more than 25 clinical and public health laboratory organizations in calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy to reinstate the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) and schedule a November 2025 meeting. CLIAC advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on updates to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of laboratory test results that guide patient care.
Established under the Public Health Service Act, CLIAC provides scientific and technical advice from frontline laboratory experts in public health, hospital, commercial, and academic settings. Without CLIAC, there is no dedicated forum for discussing needed improvements to laboratory testing services and practice, leaving CLIA regulations at risk of becoming outdated and disconnected from current science—ultimately impacting patient safety and healthcare quality.
Through its meetings and workgroups, CLIAC has addressed persistent CLIA compliance issues, recommended regulatory updates, and advised on workforce standards for laboratory personnel. Past recommendations have led to tangible policy changes, such as updates to CLIA personnel requirements incorporated into CMS’s Final Rule. The committee has also considered emerging topics, including the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in laboratory testing, and the standards needed to ensure knowledgeable scientists are performing and interpreting these tests.
Reinstating CLIAC will help ensure that federal regulations keep pace with modern laboratory practice, supporting accurate, timely, and high-quality testing for conditions ranging from acute infections to chronic diseases. ADLM and its partners urge HHS to restore CLIAC so the laboratory community can continue providing expert input that protects patient safety and strengthens the nation’s healthcare system.