2013 Statements and Testimony

July 11, 2013 - ASM Sign onto CLC Letter Requesting OIG Meeting
The Clinical Laboratory Coalition wrote July 11 to request a meeting with the Office of Inspector General to discuss the findings and methodology of the June 2013  study entitled “Comparing Lab Test Payment Rates: Medicare Could Achieve Substantial Savings.”

July 10, 2013 - Payment Determinations for Calendar Year 2014 for New Clinical Laboratory Tests
The ASM presented recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at its annual Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule public meeting determining payment levels for new tests for 2014.

June 25, 2013 - Ad Hoc Group Applauds Senate Spending Allocations
The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research thanks the Senate Appropriations Committee for the allocation it has provided to the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) for its FY 2014 spending bill. The Labor-HHS subcommittee funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest public source of funding for medical research in the world.  The ASM is a member of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research.

June 7, 2013 - ASM Signs Onto Letter Regarding the Reintroduction of the “Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (STAAR) Act”
The ASM signed onto a letter to Representative James Matheson (D-UT) thanking him for reintroducing the STAAR Act.  The intent of the STAAR Act is to develop appropriate responses to the urgent problem of antimicrobial resistance.  Antimicrobial resistant infections affect hundreds of thousands of Americans and cause tens of thousands of deaths each year.

May 20, 2013 - ASM Signs Onto Letter Regarding NSF's Merit Review Process
The ASM  joined over 100 organizations and institutions in a May 20 letter expressing concerns “about recent Congressional actions that call into question the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) merit review process for awarding research grants.” Organized by the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), the letter notes that NSF’s merit review process “has a proven track record in supporting outstanding, fundamental research across all disciplines of science and engineering.”

May 10, 2013 - ASM Sends Letter Regarding CDC Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) Infectious Disease Initiative
The ASM sent a letter to all members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding the CDC's Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) and Response to Infectious Disease Outbreaks initiative.

April 17, 2013 - ASM Sends Letter to Congress Regarding FY 2014 Funding
The ASM signed onto a letter as a member of the Informal Coalition on Biodefense and Public Health Preparedness to support funding for programs critical to the nation’s preparedness against threats, whether naturally occurring or deliberate, such as a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) event.

April 17, 2013 - ASM Signs onto Coalition CLFS Letter
The ASM signed onto a letter from the Clinical Laboratory Coalition outlining serious concern and opposition to further reducing the Medicare Part B Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) as proposed in the President’s 2014 Budget.  It was sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee.

March 27, 2013 - ASM Comments on Dual Use Research Policy
ASM sent comments to the Office of Science and Technology Policy regarding the February 22, 2013 United States Government Policy for Institutional Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern.

March 25, 2013 - ASM Comments on NIH Recombinant DNA Molecules Guidelines
The ASM sent comments to the NIH's Office of Biotechnology Activities regarding changes to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules.

March 22, 2013 - ASM Appropriation Statements for FY 2014
The ASM has submitted appropriation recommendations for federal agencies that support biomedical and public health research.

• National Institutes of Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Food and Drug Administration
• National Science Foundation
• Department of Energy

March 19, 2013 - ASM Signs onto Coalition Letter Concerning AFRI
The ASM joined with the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition to send a letter to Congress regarding funding for AFRI. 

February 11, 2013 - ASM Signs onto Coalition Letter Concerning the Impact of Continued Cuts to the NIH Budget
The ASM signed onto an Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research-led community sign-on letter expressing concern about the impact of continued cuts to NIH. The letter was sent to all Members of Congress, with a total of 273 signatories.

January 7, 2013 - ASM Comments on Proposed Framework for Guiding HHS Funding Decisions about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Gain-of-Function Research
The ASM submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health on the Proposed Framework for Guiding HHS Funding Decisions about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Gain-of-Function Research.