The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations has approved a Fiscal Year 2027 spending bill that includes $5 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve pediatric reference intervals, a key component of laboratory test interpretation for children.
The funding is included in the FY2027 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies Bill and will next be considered by the full Congress.
Reference intervals provide the expected range of test values in healthy individuals and are critical for distinguishing normal results from findings that may indicate disease. While adult reference intervals are generally well established, pediatric intervals remain less consistent because of challenges associated with collecting samples from healthy children.
Improving pediatric reference intervals
According to the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), gaps in pediatric reference interval data can contribute to variability in laboratory result interpretation and may affect clinical decision-making. More accurate age-specific reference intervals could help clinicians better assess test results and guide patient care.
Read More: Labcorp, CHOP Partner to Expand Access to Pediatric Diagnostics Nationwide
The proposed funding follows advocacy efforts by a coalition of 54 healthcare organizations, including ADLM, the Children's Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. ADLM reported that the coalition has urged Congress to invest in improving pediatric reference intervals and has highlighted the issue through congressional briefings and meetings with lawmakers.
“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 in a press release. “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.”
If approved by Congress, the funding would support CDC efforts to develop more robust pediatric reference intervals, helping laboratories and clinicians interpret test results more accurately for pediatric patients.
Note: This news summary was generated by AI based on a published press release, followed by a review from human editors.
