Sep 23, 2016 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Hood predicts US healthcare spending will drop in the coming years as genome sequencing becomes routine for hospital patients and big data leads to advancements in disease prevention
Systems biology is a field of scientific research that has the potential to provide plenty of new biomarkers that could be used by clinical laboratories to detect disease earlier and with more accuracy and to guide physicians on how to treat disease. Now comes news of a unique collaboration designed to use knowledge of systems biology in ways that can advance clinical care.
The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) recently teamed up with Providence Health & Services (Providence) to advance the mission of ISB’s President and co-founder Leroy Hood, MD, PhD, to transform healthcare through “Scientific Wellness.”
Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will want to note this new partnership. That’s because ISB’s end-goal is the pre-symptomatic diagnosis of disease using multiplex assays to pinpoint protein biomarkers that signal the presence of disease. (more…)
Sep 19, 2016 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
New molecular diagnostics lab has latest-generation molecular- and gene-sequencing systems to support efforts to deliver precision medicine to local patients
LEBANON, N.H.—This part of upstate New Hampshire may be rural and peaceful, but residents in this region are getting cutting-edge medical laboratory testing services from the clinical laboratory at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) that include state-of-the-art molecular diagnostics and genetic testing.
Last week, Dark Daily Editor Robert L. Michel was at DHMC to deliver a Grand Rounds lecture to the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, tour the lab, and meet with the pathologists, residents, and the clinical laboratory team. It was an opportunity to see how an academic medical center in a rural area is responding to all the changes happening in healthcare today. (more…)
Aug 5, 2016 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations
As health systems accept increased risk under healthcare reform, partnerships and provider insurance plans may also lead to greater rewards for hospitals and doctors
Even as pathologists, clinical laboratories, and other medical service providers adapt to value-based care initiatives and bundled payment plans, health systems are looking for ways to optimize both quality of care and treatment costs. In some cases this is the reason behind new joint ventures between provider and payer organizations.
Once such joint venture involves Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Aurora Healthcare. It was announced in an April press release.
The two partners created a newly licensed insurer called the Wisconsin Collaborative Insurance Company (WCIC). With both Anthem and Aurora Healthcare investing $5-million in the new insurance company, they will split equally any profits and losses derived from their new commercial health plan—Well Priority.
The plan includes services with 15 Aurora Healthcare hospitals as well as choice providers throughout the state. The first commercial plan will be available to fully insured and self-insured employers, with service starting January 1, 2017. (more…)
Jun 17, 2016 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
It’s not limited to recruiting; social media and LinkedIn are just as effective at helping lab managers advance their personal careers by helping them find their ideal jobs
It’s the toughest labor market in decades for skilled clinical laboratory and pathology professionals! In cities across America, lab managers struggle, not only to recruit and fill open positions, but also to retain their most-skilled staff members who are getting first-rate offers from competing labs.
How tight is the job market in pathology? Just ask the young pathologists who’ve graduated from their residency programs and fellowships. In recent years, it’s become tougher and tougher to find a position in a city of their preference that fits their subspecialty training. (more…)
Apr 14, 2016 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement
Wall Street Journal obtained copy of letter sent by CMS to Theranos, dated March 18, 2016, that notified its executives of sanctions that include revocation of Theranos’ CLIA license and a process by which the medical lab company can appeal
Theranos, the high-profile clinical laboratory company, had a day of reckoning yesterday. That’s when The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a story revealing that Theranos was sent a letter by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) providing notice of sanctions.
In a letter to Theranos executives, CMS said it is prepared to:
• revoke the company’s CLIA certificate;
• impose a fine of $10,000 per day;
• suspend and cancel the lab’s approval to receive Medicare payments; and
• impose a two-year ban on the owner, operator, and laboratory director for owning or operating a clinical laboratory.
Dated March 18, the letter is addressed to Sunil Dhawan, MD, Director; Elizabeth Holmes, Owner; and Ramesh Balwani, Owner. (more…)
Apr 6, 2016 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing
World’s largest medical laboratory management conference will take place on April 26-27 and showcase how innovative labs are delivering more value with lab testing services
By now, most pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals recognize that healthcare is prepared to accept the use of whole human genome sequencing for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. It is no longer a question of “will it happen?” Rather, the questions are now: “how fast will this happen and what must my lab do to be ready to support physicians in how they use the knowledge derived from whole human genome sequencing?”
Both of these questions will be answered by two globally-respected experts in the rapidly-advancing field of genetic medicine on April 26-27, 2016, at the 21st annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management. (more…)
