CANOGA PARK, Calif. — The Free Speech Coalition says a press release issued today by Talent Testing Service (TTS) appears to be an attempt by its operator "to gain financial advantage over his competitors by providing misleading information."
Earlier today TTS CEO Sixto Pacheco said in the release that there is a "testing loophole" in the FSC/APHSS/PASS clearance database. Pacheco made the statement as he announced the introduction of a testing protocol called the “Gold Standard Panel (GSP).”
“As we have previously stated to FSC/APHSS/PASS, we have strongly recommended that the facility issuing a non-clearance to a talent into system must also be responsible for issuing the follow up clearance.” Pacheco said in the release. “At this time, some talents that are not cleared by TTS, due to more rigorous testing protocols in place, shop around for a less stringent panel in order to obtain a follow-up clearance. This simple change in policy will have an enormous positive impact on the clearance system."
Diane Duke, who leads the FSC as well as adult performer-testing program PASS, told XBIZ that Pacheco's statements were "most disappointing."
"The current test panel was created and approved by the PASS Medical Advisory council which includes Dr. Darcy and Dr. Smith — doctors associated with and/or recommended by TTS itself," Duke said.
"Moreover, the PASS panel is no different than Talent Testing's GSP with the exception that the PASS panel's TrepSure test cascades to the RPR test," she said. "This means, if there is a positive TrepSure, an RPR will be run to determine if the TrepSure is a false positive. Consequently, Talent Testing's panel provides no additional protection for the performer."
"As far as the concern expressed in the press release that performers 'shopping around' might evade the protections offered by PASS, we did develop a policy when TTS offered Hepatitis testing prior to it being added to the test panel. If a testing facility has a medical issue with a performer with which they were concerned, the doctor associated with that facility would contact PASS and we would contact the physicians from the other testing facilities and ask them to red-flag that performer until he or she had resolved the issue with the doctor from the original facility. TTS was made aware of this policy as was its doctor.
"The real danger here is Talent Testing's attempt to undermine the industry's Performer Availability Screening Services. It is time — once and for all — for Talent Testing to decide if it wants to be part of the program or not. If it does, then the appropriate means to determine what is medically necessary, and ultimately what is best for performer safety should be determined by the doctors and not used as a marketing tool for the benefit of one testing facility over another."
