One loss for Medicare with requiring labs to compete...they already compete commercially with insurance plans...so again, how would a provision like this benefit the patient with perhaps having additional travel time, appointments booked in advance, help generate better health care?  BD 

SAN DIEGO – A federal judge Tuesday blocked Medicare officials from launching a pilot program aimed at cutting costs in the San Diego area by forcing local medical laboratories to compete for business from the federal government.

The decision could delay the launch of the project, which had been set for this summer, by as much as six months, said Patrick Hooper with Hooper Lundy & Bookman in Los Angeles. He represents three lab operators who sued this year to halt the program.  He also noted that the plaintiffs in the case – Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health and Internist Laboratory of Oceanside – could suffer “irreparable” harm in the form of lost business, layoffs or lab closures if their bids aren't selected.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- Judge halts program designed to cut medical lab costs

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