Advocacy - Lab Advocate
ADLM’s longstanding advocacy to improve pediatric reference intervals gained significant momentum in June when the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill included $5 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and implement universal pediatric reference intervals for use by laboratories and healthcare providers.
Pediatric reference intervals are essential for accurately interpreting children’s laboratory test results, but many pediatric tests still lack precise intervals because of the difficulty of obtaining samples from healthy children. ADLM members have played a key role in educating legislators and staff about why this issue matters for children’s health and why federal investment is needed to support a more consistent national approach.
ADLM’s Policy and External Affairs Core Committee (PEACC) also brought this message directly to Capitol Hill, meeting with congressional offices to advocate for dedicated funding for pediatric reference intervals. During these meetings, PEACC members also urged lawmakers to increase federal support for laboratory harmonization and standardization efforts, which are critical to improving the consistency of laboratory results across settings and strengthening the quality of data used in healthcare AI.
ADLM also named Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) the recipient of the association’s Outstanding Legislator Award for the 119th Congress in recognition of her leadership on pediatric reference intervals. Sen. Capito has helped elevate this issue with Senate appropriators and supported report language on pediatric reference intervals in both the fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bills.
ADLM is continuing to engage with key congressional offices to urge inclusion of this funding in any final appropriations package.