"Testing is vital, and CMS's changes will make getting tested easier and more accessible for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement detailing the changes.

CMS will also cover certain antibody tests, which are used to gauge immune response following exposure, as well as lab processing of FDA-authorized self-collection tests.

The announcement followed on the heels of a request for CMS to expand national coverage of testing in a letter from major healthcare organizations, including the College of American Pathologists and the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

In a letter to Verma on April 28, the healthcare organizations said the need for multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) respiratory viral panel (RVP) testing coverage is vital amid an "exponential increase" in requests by clinicians. The tests are a critical part of triaging patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory conditions.

"Unfortunately, laboratories are currently absorbing the cost of performing these tests, which are critical to preventing transmission and speeding recovery during this national emergency," the letter stated.

Local coverage for RVPs is currently restricted to three to five pathogens and only in immunocompromised patients. The limited coverage contradicts new recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CMS encouraging clinicians to test for pneumonia, influenza, and other respiratory illness.

"The very limited Medicare coverage in the face of the critical demand for tests is contributing to the significant financial burden on laboratories and pathologists as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," the organizations wrote.

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