Home 5 Clinical Diagnostics Insider 5 Top 25 Lab Tests for 2015 by Medicare Payment

Medicare Part B paid $7 billion for lab tests in 2015, the same amount it shelled out in 2014. But 2015 Medicare payments for the top 25 lab tests dipped slightly to $4.1 billion, as compared to $4.2 billion in 2014. These are among the key conclusions of a new report issued by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) as part of its Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA) mandate to monitor Medicare payments for lab tests in advance of the new payment system taking effect on Jan. 1, 2018. Medicare Lab Payments by the Numbers The $7.0 billion paid for lab tests under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) accounted for roughly 3% of all Part B payments made in 2015, according to the report. Where did that money go? What Medicare’s $7 Billion in 2015 Lab Spending Went Toward Tests Beneficiaries Labs Providers 474 million: number of tests billed 3.7: average number of tests received by beneficiaries in a day 24: average number of tests per day for top 1% of beneficiaries 27 million: Medicare beneficiaries that received at least one test 17: average number of tests per beneficiary 109: average number of tests per beneficiary […]

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