Jim O'Neill

By: Jim O'Neill on October 12th, 2026

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Heading to AMP 2026? 5 Billing Questions Molecular Labs Should Bring to Seattle

Medical Billing / RCM | Genomic Testing | Laboratory

The AMP 2026 Annual Meeting & Expo runs November 10 to 14 in Seattle, with the main program November 12 to 14. The ADS lab team will be in Booth #1901. Molecular lab leaders will spend three days on new assays, sequencing workflows and what comes next in precision diagnostics.

The science gets the spotlight. The billing decides whether those tests get paid. If you are heading to Seattle, here are five questions worth bringing with you, and worth answering before your next payer audit.

Find out what your lab is leaving on the table

Visit the ADS lab team at Booth #1901, or if you are not going to Seattle, get a free Laboratory Performance Review that shows where your molecular claims get denied and what it costs you. Fifteen minutes, no cost, and you keep whatever we find whether you work with us or not.

Get my free performance review →

1. Are our Z-codes and MolDX registrations current for every panel?

In MolDX jurisdictions, many molecular tests need a registered DEX Z-Code before Medicare will pay, and expanded panels need their own registration. A panel that changed targets, or a new test that went live before registration was finished, can deny on every claim no matter how good the science is. Ask who owns registration at your lab and how often it is checked against what you actually run.

2. Where are our molecular denials actually coming from?

Denial reason codes such as CO-50 (medical necessity), CO-16 (missing information) and CO-97 (bundling) tell you where the process breaks. If your team only sees a total denial rate, you cannot fix the cause. Break denials out by code, payer and test, and the pattern usually points to two or three fixable problems.

3. Are we confirming prior authorization before the specimen runs?

More payers now require prior authorization on molecular and genetic testing. For a lab, that check has to happen up front, before the test is performed. Once a test runs without it, there is usually nothing to recover. The fix is a front-end workflow that confirms authorization requirements by payer and test, not a back-end appeal.

4. What does the 2027 PAMA rate reset mean for our top codes?

CMS sets Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule rates from private payer data that labs reported earlier this year, and those rates take effect January 1, 2027. Know which of your highest-volume molecular codes are exposed, and make sure your payer mapping is clean, so you can plan around the change instead of discovering it in your remits. Our post on why a strong quarter can still leave money on the table covers what to check now.

5. Can our billing system show us any of this?

Many labs run molecular testing on billing tools built for general medical practices. Those tools rarely understand Z-codes, MolDX technical assessments or code stacking on complex panels. If answering the first four questions means pulling spreadsheets by hand, that is the answer to this one.

For a deeper look at where high-complexity panels fail, read Molecular and Genetic Diagnostics Billing: Avoiding Denials on High-Complexity Panels.

Meet the ADS lab team at Booth #1901

ADS is exhibiting at the AMP 2026 Annual Meeting and Expo in Seattle, Booth #1901
Find ADS at Booth #1901, AMP 2026, November 10 to 14, Seattle

Jim O'Neill, Gene Spirito and Shane Cogossi will be at ADS Booth #1901 during the expo. Bring any of these questions and they will walk through your denial patterns, MolDX workflow and 2027 rate exposure with you. Want a set time? Use the form below to book 15 minutes with the team before the show.

ADS has supported specialty billing for 49 years, and our laboratory billing services and software are built around lab-specific rules, not general medical billing.

Get your free Laboratory Performance Review

Fifteen minutes, no cost, and you keep whatever we find whether you work with us or not. We look at where your claims get denied and where revenue is slipping, then show you what it is worth.

Precision Diagnostics, a national toxicology lab, now collects 8%+ more on the same charges with ADSRCM.

Going to AMP? Fill out the form and our lab team will book a time with you at Booth #1901. Not going? We will set up your review by phone.

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About Jim O'Neill

As the company’s Laboratory Services Business Development Manager, Jim has 30 years’ experience in LIS and financial systems including 20 years as the owner of CSS (Avalon LIS). With a Bachelor’s degree in information technology from Rowan University, Jim has worked / consulted with over 500 labs in the US and internationally in improving their LIS and financial solutions. Jim is genuinely people-oriented and civic-minded; he’s the former Mayor of Northfield NJ and is currently on the town’s council. Feel free to reach out to me at 1-800-899-4237 ext. 2264