Quality, Regulation and Clinical Utility of Laboratory-developed Molecular Tests

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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