Dec 18, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Management & Operations, Uncategorized
Adoption of digital PCR is slow at this time, but pathologists may want to track how researchers use this technology in the new clinical laboratory assays they use
Molecular pathologists will be interested to learn that there is a new contender in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) arena. It is digital PCR, and it has specific advantages over traditional real-time PCR methods.
For example, digital PCR can target specific DNA sequences in just one molecule of DNA. This new tool allows researchers to isolate rare genetic mutations too difficult to segregate with real-time PCR, noted a report from Insight Pharma Reports. (more…)
Dec 16, 2013 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations
Across the nation, as many as 500 ACOs are organizing or already delivering clinical services to as many as 43 million Americans
There is no better way to track the progress of accountable care organizations (ACOs) than to monitor a list of the largest ACOs in the United States. Many pathologists and clinical laboratory managers already serve patients who are enrolled in ACOs.
Oliver Wyman, a consulting firm headquartered in New York City, is tracking the development of ACOs in different regions of the nation. It recently published the statistics on the number of ACOs and estimated ACO enrollment.
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Dec 9, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Healthcare’s coming shift from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement creates both a crisis and an opportunity for clinical laboratories and pathology groups.
With the era of fee-for-service medicine under siege, every clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology organization needs a strategy for getting paid, as new reimbursement models that support patient-centric care will make up a larger portion of lab revenues. Unfortunately, few real-world examples exist today to guide clinical laboratory executives as they develop these strategies.
Patient-centric medical care is an important goal for every healthcare provider. Patient-centered medical homes are enjoying strong growth and acceptance. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are designed to serve the individual needs of each patient. Meanwhile, hospitals and physicians are getting better at measuring patient satisfaction because health plans are basing payment on these scores. (more…)
Dec 4, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations
Radiology and pathology associations are supporting a new bill in Congress to address self-referrals made by urologists
Criticism is mounting against urologists who refer their patients to radiation providers in which they have an ownership relationship. This criticism is strikingly similar to concerns that pathologists and others have expressed about situations where urologists refer their patients to anatomic pathology laboratories in which they have an ownership relationship.
Study about Radiation Therapy Referrals Published in NEJM (more…)
Nov 27, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
A new approach to genetic testing of critically ill children, developed by researchers at Children’s Mercy Hospital, can be a road map other medical laboratories can follow
In Kansas City, a medical team at Children’s Mercy Hospital has demonstrated that rapid whole human genome sequencing, when combined with interpretative software, can return clinically actionable answers quickly enough to be of value to physicians who are diagnosing patients showing symptoms of genetic conditions.
As many pathologists and clinical laboratory managers know, childrens’ hospitals across the nation are often at the vanguard of using molecular diagnostics and genetic tests to guide diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients. Having the capability to make fast and accurate diagnoses of genetic conditions gives physicians at these institutions the ability to significantly improve the outcomes of their patients.
A report published by Medpagetoday.com reported the findings of researchers at Children’s Mercy Hospital. (more…)
Nov 25, 2013 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
This innovative gadget can also telephone the doctor to warn of an eminent event, like heart attack, before it occurs
French researchers are zeroing in on a tiny, chip-based medical laboratory test device designed to be implanted under the skin. This miniature blood laboratory may revolutionize healthcare by continuously monitoring high-risk, chronically ill patients.
This ground-breaking work is being done by developers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), or Swiss Institute of Technology, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The implantable lab-testing device is linked to the user’s cell phone and can send alerts to doctors before symptoms are evident. (more…)
