Health agencies join forces for emergency diagnostic devices

Federal health officials are launching a new task force to speed up the development and deployment of diagnostic tests during public health emergencies. When a public health emergency like an outbreak happens, it's critical to get diagnostic tests out in the field quickly or develop new ones if needed. The FDA, CDC, and CMS all play a role: The FDA authorizes emergency use of tests, the CDC lends lab and epidemiology expertise, and CMS helps make sure labs produce accurate and timely results. Now, those agencies are joining forces to accelerate access to diagnostic tools during emergencies.