December 20, 2022
Payers
  • The U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report revealing that Medicare Part B spending on lab tests surged last year to $9.3 billion. The 17 percent increase was driven by higher volumes of COVID-19 tests and demand for genetic tests that exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Medicare Part B spent $2 billion on COVID-19 tests last year, a 29 percent increase over 2020. The HHS OIG predicts that the increased availability of at-home COVID tests will likely continue the upward trend this year. (Report here)