Luminex workshop offered a look at flexible molecular testing for GI cases
We’re finally recovering from the whirlwind that is ASM Microbe, the annual mega-conference of the American Society for Microbiology. This year, the event took place in sunny San Francisco, bringing thousands of microbial experts together to discuss the latest advances and challenges in this field.
One of these challenges is reimbursement, particularly for multiplex and syndromic molecular tests. A lack of clinical utility studies has led to some unfavorable coverage decisions for these tests, and the community is eagerly looking for ways to overcome these challenges. After all, getting results back quickly is clearly in the best interest of patients. Luminex’s own Stephanie Ibbotson, Director of Market Access and Reimbursement Affairs, spoke about this in a session that was covered by GenomeWeb. She described how Luminex has shifted its mindset around test development, based in part on the well-known MolDX determination. This shift resulted in balancing payor perspectives with customer requests for test content and designing more flexible testing options.
This kind of flexibility was on display at a Luminex-sponsored scientific workshop about molecular panels for patients with gastrointestinal issues. Speakers Dr. Susan Butler-Wu, Director of Medical Microbiology at LAC+USC Medical Center, and Dr. David Pride, Associate Director of Microbiology at the University of California, San Diego, presented the importance of having greater control over which pathogens they test for and the need to tailor testing of each patient in a landscape of shifting clinical guidelines and reimbursement policies.
Speaking of GI issues, we noticed an increased focus this year on C. difficile infections. It was highlighted in the clinical and public health microbiology track under the umbrella of antibiotic susceptibility testing, and also in the clinical infections and vaccines track as part of a discussion about healthcare-associated infections.
Luminex also had a booth at ASM Microbe, and we’d like to offer thanks to all of the clinicians and researchers who stopped by for demonstrations of our ARIES® and VERIGENE® Systems, for information about our infectious disease testing portfolio, and our flow cytometry products. We hope to see you again soon!
Related Content
- Infectious Disease Testing [Product Page]
- Reimbursement Advice for Labs Running Molecular Diagnostics [Blog]
- The Faces of Luminex: Stephanie Ibbotson, Reimbursement [Blog]
