Summary: | The Coverage and Analysis Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requested from The Technology Assessment Program (TAP) at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) a horizon scan to summarize the available scientific evidence on the quality of laboratory-developed ("home brew" or "in-house") molecular tests, which are currently not actively regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CMS has concerns about the quality of laboratory-developed tests and the validation currently being performed on these tests. AHRQ assigned this report to the following Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC): ECRI EPC (Contract Number: 290 2007 10063 I). To help CMS to address its concerns, this horizon scan is intended to: 1. identify types of laboratory-developed molecular tests (LDMTs) currently available for conditions relevant to the Medicare over-65-year-old population; 2. identify the methodologies and the processes that have been developed for the assessment of analytical and clinical performance of molecular tests; 3. summarize the role of Federal agencies in regulating LDMTs; and 4. identify the quality standards that have been developed for molecular tests by regulatory bodies, the industry, and the medical community
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