Mobile electrodiagnostic laboratories provide substandard patient care: An educational report

Mobile electrodiagnostic (EDx) laboratories often do not appear to comply with Medicare rules or the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) standards. Methods: The AANEM Professional Practice Committee reached a consensus based on expert opinion on the typical deficiencies of EDx studies performed by mobile EDx laboratories and made recommendations on proper performance. Results: Mobile EDx laboratories should be registered as independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs) and be held to the standards established by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Testing performed in a mobile EDx laboratory is often performed: (1) without a physical exam by a qualified EDx physician; (2) without adequate physician supervision; (3) without interpretation “on site” or in “real time”; (4) without an accompanying needle electromyography study; and (5) with an excessive number of tests. Conclusions: The AANEM recommends that payers require companies that perform studies in a mobile EDx laboratory but have failed to register as an IDTF to be held to the standards listed in the federal rules. Muscle Nerve 52 : 1130–1133, 2015