Labs Navigate Market Shifts and Fee Challenges with Steady Optimism

There’s no doubt laboratories are facing financial pressures. Rising supply costs, shrinking insurance reimbursements, proposed tariffs and general economic uncertainty have some lab owners concerned about raising fees. Nearly two-thirds of respondents to LMT’s 2025 Fee Survey say the economy has influenced their approach to routine price increases; of this group, half have delayed fee increases, while 32% have raised them less frequently or by smaller margins than usual (see charts below).

Some are waiting for signs of increased consumer confidence before adjusting prices. “Our clients are seeing patients choose cheaper treatment options to get them through for a while, so the quantity of AO4 cases we're completing is way down. When more of these cases start being scheduled, it will signal an improvement in confidence and we’ll consider increasing some fees,” says Rynhard Venter,...