NAACLS Responds to CMS Memo

In April, 2016 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo to State CLIA Survey Agency Directors stating that an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing is the equivalent to a degree in biological sciences for purposes of performing or supervising performance of moderate and/or high complex medical laboratory testing.

NAACLS joined with others in the medical laboratory community in communicating serious concerns with the CMS memo content and its implications by sending the CMS a letter detailing the concerns and explaining the significant differences in science coursework preparation between a nursing degree and one in the clinical laboratory sciences. NAACLS, as the premier international agency for accreditation and approval of education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences, is uniquely qualified to comment on the educational preparation of clinical laboratory professionals. The letter encouraged the CMS to review the NAACLS Standards and to rescind the policy. The letter sent to the CMS by NAACLS may be accessed at here – naacls-letter-to-cms.