Interview Alert: Experts Available to Comment on Dramatic Increases in CLIA Certificates of Waiver Demonstrate New Trend in Pharmacy Services
New research shows that consumer demand for COVID-19 testing has driven pharmacies to become nation’s second-largest provider of CLIA-waived tests
FORT WORTH, Texas- FDS Amplicare, a leading pharmacy technology provider, and its training partners, Don and Mike Klepser, both pharmacy professors and leading experts in the field of Point-of-Care Testing (POCT), strongly support ongoing expansion of community pharmacies as CLIA-waived facilities. Pharmacies have increasingly become an essential source for consumer access to CLIA-waived Point-of-Care diagnostic tests.
Researchers Don Klepser, PhD, MBA, and Mike Klepser, PharmD, FCCP, recently published in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, are available for media interviews to discuss their research that shows pharmacies are now the nation’s second-largest provider of CLIA-waived tests by the total number of locations, trailing only physician offices. They found that the number of pharmacies with CLIA certificates of waiver jumped 45% to 15,671 from 2015 to 2020. Most of the growth occurred between 2019 and 2020, suggesting that surging consumer demand for COVID-19 diagnostic testing was behind the surge in CLIA certificates of waiver.
Jason Ausili, FDS Amplicare’s Chief Clinical Officer, is available for media interviews about how community pharmacies can build a Point-of-Care Testing practice during this unprecedented time. Administrative barriers have been relaxed and both the CLIA waiver application and the Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN) processes have been expedited to help clear the path for those interested.
CLIA Waivers Background:
The U.S. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) enabled greater access to simple, low-risk (CLIA-waived) tests by allowing their use in facilities such as pharmacies, long-term-care facilities, and physician offices. To administer CLIA-waived tests, these facilities must obtain a CLIA certificate of waiver from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The COVID-19 pandemic has recently focused a spotlight on CLIA-waived diagnostic testing, as the lack of a vaccine or effective treatment in the early days of the pandemic left diagnostic testing as one of the only tools to control the virus’ spread. To meet this increased patient demand for diagnostic testing, the federal government authorized licensed pharmacists to order and administer authorized COVID-19 tests, attributing the decision to the close relationship pharmacists have with patients and healthcare providers as well as the convenient proximity of pharmacies to most Americans.
The recent rise in CLIA certificates of waiver illustrates that pharmacies have embraced the opportunity to further entrench themselves as hubs of healthcare in their communities. However, to fully reap the benefits, pharmacies must adopt the operational tools, training and software solutions needed to seamlessly bill payers for CLIA-waived tests, in addition to the patient communication platforms to support engagement.
About FDS Amplicare
FDS Amplicare strengthens the health of pharmacies and their patients. We empower community pharmacies to build the clinically-focused New Era Pharmacy, enabling their business to thrive now and successfully transition to a community and population health provider through data insights, purpose-built technology solutions, and clinical services enablement.
