Mar 29, 2013 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Clinical laboratory and pathology data from the two of the state’s largest hospital systems will soon be available to providers using the CliniSynch HIE
Ohio’s statewide health information exchange (HIE) is gaining two prominent new members and both are located in the Cleveland metropolitan area. Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals (UH)—two of the Ohio’s largest health systems—announced plans to connect to CliniSync Ohio’s statewide HIE.
Among other things, this will bolster the amount of clinical laboratory test data that can be accessed through the CliniSync HIE. That’s because both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals operate sizeable medical laboratories that serve large populations of patients in Cleveland and the surrounding region. (more…)
Mar 25, 2013 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
ISO 15189 is a quality management system specifically designed for the needs of medical laboratories
Use of quality management systems (QMS) by innovative clinical laboratories and pathology groups enables them to drive impressive gains in quality, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. This is a key development at a time when medical laboratory budgets are shrinking and more cuts in lab test prices are expected.
Going the Extra Mile to Improve Quality Could Be Strategic Opportunity
On all fronts of laboratory medicine, requirements are becoming more stringent. Each year, labs find themselves held to higher standards for compliance with both Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) requirements and Medicare accreditation guidelines. This situation will become further complicated as clinical labs face the need to also meet the requirements of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and similar models of integrated clinical care. Early adopters are responding to these marketplace dynamics by making strategic use of a QMS to boost the performance of their clinical laboratory organizations. As they do, they often gain a competitive advantage. (more…)
Mar 20, 2013 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Management & Operations
Never before has a major LIS vendor boldly acquired a lab equipment manufacturer with an intent to integrate and sell both products as a bundle to medical laboratories
In an unexpected move, healthcare informatics giant Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ: CERN) purchased a clinical laboratory automation company. On Monday, Cerner announced that it acquired Labotix Automation Inc., of Peterborough, Ontario.
Cerner Gains Foothold in Market for Medical Laboratory Automation
The acquisition gives Cerner an interesting foothold in the clinical laboratory automation market. For many pathologists and medical laboratory managers, the deal raises interesting questions, since Cerner—primarily known among labs for its laboratory information system (LIS) and its anatomic pathology laboratory information system (PLIS)—now is the owner of a company that manufactures hardware. (more…)
Mar 18, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Goal is to deliver more accurate medical laboratory testing in developing countries to improve quality of care
Picture a point-of-care (POC) device that produces highly accurate HIV results at a lower cost and 10 times faster than traditional ELISA testing currently done by clinical laboratories—then automatically, instantaneously transmits and synchronizes the results with cloud-based electronic healthcare records. This device is a reality and was developed by researchers at Columbia University in New York City.
Pathologists and medical laboratory professionals should know that this POC device was developed specifically to support laboratory-quality HIV-testing in remote areas of developing countries. Its creators want to also revolutionize the ability of patients and consumers worldwide to manage their health. (more…)
Mar 15, 2013 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Nearly 500 healthcare organizations nationwide to participate in payment bundling for 48 Conditions
Medicare’s largest bundled reimbursement project to date is now launching. Clinical laboratory executives and pathologists are watching for clues as to how these bundled payment arrangements will compensate the clinical laboratory testing done on behalf of patients whose care is covered by this latest Medicare initiative.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will commence implementation of Phase 1 of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative. This will be a three-year project that will test the viability of a universal bundled payment system to improve coordination and quality of care and lower costs. It is also the largest bundled-payment pilot to date, with nearly 500 participants, according to a story published by Healthcare Finance News.
One major goal of this Medicare project is to begin moving providers from the current fee-for-payment model to a single, lump-sum payment model. This would be true for all Medicare Part A and Part B services provided during one episode of care. (more…)
Mar 11, 2013 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Improved expert system may lead to more clinical laboratory testing for patients with subclinical thyroid disease
It’s long been predicted that use of computer algorithms to sift through clinical data sets can be one way to detect disease. This is a diagnostic method that—in theory—could either increase or decrease the need to perform medical laboratory tests for certain types of diseases.
A paper recently published by researchers in India describes an improved algorithm to detect thyroid disease by computer screening. The advancement could lead to earlier detection of subclinical thyroid problems and allow for earlier diagnosis and intervention.
Detecting Disease with Computer Algorithm and Electronic Health Records
Jaganathan Palanichamy and Rajkumar Nallamuthu of the PSNA College of Engineering and Technology in Tamilnadu, India, showed that the classification of a raw dataset from patient records can allow the detection of undiagnosed thyroid problems through computerized screening. They described the results of the study in a paper published by the International Journal of Computational Science and Engineering. (more…)
