Clinical laboratory fee schedule data reporting deadline is July 31, 2026

CMS requires applicable clinical laboratories to report private payer rate data for the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule by July 31, 2026. This mandatory data collection, required under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), is used to set Medicare payment rates for lab tests for the next three-year cycle. Laboratories that meet the reporting threshold and fail to submit data by the deadline face penalties, including a reduction in future Medicare payments. Labs must verify their reporting obligation and prepare to submit data on test volumes and payment rates from January through June 2026.