WASHINGTON , June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The House Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies Bill, which includes $5 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve pediatric reference intervals. The development of better pediatric reference intervals is essential for children to get accurate diagnoses and effective care. The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) commends the House Committee on Appropriations for supporting this initiative and urges legislators to pass this bill when it’s taken up by the entire Congress.
The current lack of accurate pediatric reference intervals is a serious issue that can lead to incorrect diagnoses and treatments for children. To correctly interpret pediatric lab test results, providers must evaluate results within the context of reference intervals, which are the range of normal test values expected in a healthy child. If a test result falls outside of the reference interval, this alerts the pediatrician that a child might have a condition requiring medical intervention. However, limited access to samples from healthy children has significantly hindered the establishment of accurate pediatric reference intervals. So while reference intervals for adults are generally reliable, there is considerable inconsistency in the ranges provided for young patients.
For many years, ADLM has led an ad hoc coalition of major healthcare groups that has worked to remedy this issue and that includes several pediatric organizations and medical device manufacturers. Fifty-four groups, including ADLM, the Children’s Hospital Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and others, have urged Congress to fund this initiative. This year in particular, the association has discussed the need for better pediatric reference intervals in a congressional briefing about children’s medical testing. ADLM has also visited individual congressional offices to discuss the need to address this critical issue. Now that this funding has been included in the FY2027 Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies Bill, ADLM will advocate that Congress include it in any final budget package.
“We would like to thank the House Committee on Appropriations for including this essential funding in the FY2027 Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies budget,” said ADLM President Dr. Paul J. Jannetto. “The development of better pediatric reference intervals will ultimately lead to the improvement of testing provided to our nation’s youngest and most vulnerable population. Federal involvement plays a crucial role in advancing this initiative.”
About the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)
Dedicated to achieving better health for all through laboratory medicine, ADLM unites more than 70,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from 110 countries around the world. Our community is at the forefront of laboratory medicine’s diverse subdisciplines, including clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, clinical microbiology, and data science, and is comprised of individuals holding the spectrum of lab-related professional degrees, certifications, and credentials. Since 1948, ADLM has championed the advancement of laboratory medicine by fostering scientific collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of innovative solutions that enhance health outcomes. For more information, visit www.myadlm.org.
Christine DeLong
ADLM
Director, Editorial and Media Relations
(p) 202.835.8722
cdelong@myadlm.org
Bill Malone
ADLM
Senior Director, Strategic Communications
(p) 202.835.8756
bmalone@myadlm.org
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SOURCE Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)
