Number 3 Academy expresses concerns with POL payment methodology Twenty years ago, when Paul Fischer, M.D., was wrapping up his textbook, The Office Laboratory , that topic was very different. You could run a quick test, then return with results a few minutes later.
Nothing is quite as efficient as providing 'teachable moments' to a patient.
Now, all FPs know, the situation has changed for physician office laboratories. Most likely you can't handle it in-office and might have to send the sample out to a reference laboratory. You'll wait a few days for results, call the patient to give the results and schedule another appointment, if needed. The Academy agrees and has voiced its concerns in a statement on the Medicare payment methodology for clinical laboratory services. The statement was sent Jan. 24 to an Institute of Medicine committee that is studying the issue.