Laboratory Quality: Financing the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) Program

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed user fees paid to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) activities, focusing on the: (1) CLIA program budget history, including their rationale for recent fee increases; (2) allocation of increased fees across laboratories and states; and (3) information HCFA provided to states on CLIA program operations and the recent increase in fees.