What is NILA
The National Independent Laboratory Association (NILA) is a trade association for community, regional, and health system clinical laboratories. NILA serves as a platform for laboratory owners and senior executives (CEO, COO, President, Vice-President, etc.) to share business expertise, focus on legislative and regulatory issues, work together to address industry concerns, and to improve the operations of NILA’s member laboratories.
NILA Achievements
Throughout its history, NILA has successfully advocated for community, regional, and health system clinical laboratories, specifically focusing on securing adequate reimbursement, ensuring payment for necessary tests, and promoting effective regulations. NILA consistently works to make the voices of community and regional clinical laboratories heard on a national scale, while highlighting the importance of these laboratories to our nation’s health care and public health infrastructure.
One of NILA’s priority advocacy efforts in the recent years has been to reform the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), the flawed implementation of which resulted in laboratories incurring unexpectedly drastic cuts to Medicare reimbursement. NILA has worked diligently to protect community and regional independent laboratories, calling on policymakers to enact a long-term sustainable solution to PAMA. NILA also filed an amici curiae brief to support a lawsuit against PAMA, as well as successfully advocated each year for a delay to PAMA cuts and reporting.
NILA successfully fought for increases to Medicare’s Specimen Collection fee for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies, and Medicare’s Travel Allowance milage rate for trips of less than 20 miles to/from one location; collaborated with other government and professional organizations in a Memorandum of Understanding to provide for Diagnostic Surge Testing Capacity for Public Health Emergencies; and worked to provide COVID-19 relief to laboratories during the COVID pandemic.
To support independent laboratories that use laboratory developed tests, NILA submitted comments against the FDA proposed rule on regulating LDTs as medical devices. When the rule was finalized, NILA continued its advocacy by filing an amicus curiae brief to support a lawsuit filed against the rule. Ultimately, the plaintiffs prevailed in the lawsuit, and the rule was overturned.
NILA has supported various legislative efforts, such as working on amending the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018, and the implementation of legislation that prevents patients from receiving surprise medical billings.
Click here to see a comprehensive list of NILA’s achievements.
NILA’s Current Activities
PAMA Reform – NILA is advocating for Congress to repair the flawed implementation of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA). NILA aims to protect laboratories from potentially damaging cuts scheduled to take effect in 2026 and is working on a plan that would fix the flawed data reporting and rate setting methodology implemented by PAMA, protecting laboratories from drastic cuts to Medicare’s Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) and creating a more sustainable reimbursement system for future years.
NILA’s 3rd Party Insurance Payment Issues Task Force is working to address problems NILA members experience with private insurance company policies and payment practices. NILA’s third party Insurance Payment Issue Task Force has already met with one major insurer and is planning to continue meeting with others to discuss the problems NILA members are experiencing.
Navigating the dramatic changes in the U.S. health care system and ensuring that community and regional laboratories are a priority through the reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services. NILA continues to stay up to date with health policy changes made by the government, specifically focusing on any changes that may affect NILA member laboratories.
NILA Membership
Membership in NILA is available for laboratories and vendors serving the laboratory industry. Click here for details on NILA's membership structure and benefits.