Effective March 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officially transitioned the CLIA program to a fully electronic system. This means CLIA certificates and fee coupons are now issued electronically, all CMS notifications related to CLIA will be sent via email, and CMS will no longer accept paper check payments.
Add [email protected] to your priority inbox or safe senders list to prevent notifications getting marked as spam. Pharmacies with a CLIA certificate of waiver have two options to ensure your email address is up to date with CMS to receive important notifications and billing information:
- Fill out the CMS-116 application form. To switch, check the box, “Receive notifications including electronic certificates via email.”
- Send written notification to your state agency by email. To help the state agency make the switch, include the laboratory name, laboratory director or owner's name, CLIA number, and director or designee's signature.
For more information on complying with this new electronic system, please refer to this FAQ sheet. Additionally, if helpful, here's information we distributed in qAM earlier this year.
