Apr 3, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily
Financial and clinical fortunes may soon shift for many medical laboratory organizations
By every measure, the clinical laboratory industry is entering a high-stakes period during the next 24 months. Powerful trends are reducing lab budgets and payers are cutting the prices paid for medical laboratory testing. The question on everyone’s mind is “will it get better or worse in the months ahead?”
This question will be asked plenty of times to speakers at the nation’s largest gathering of clinical lab executives and pathology business leaders. On April 30-May1, the upcoming 18th Annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. A record crowd has already registered to attend. (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…)
Jan 28, 2013 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Management & Operations
Any change of ownership in the fifth largest in vitro diagnostics company would represent a major development in the medical laboratory testing marketplace
Medical laboratory managers may see more consolidation in the in vitro diagnostics market if executives at Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) decide to sell its Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (OCD) unit. This decision was announced earlier this week during J&J’s conference call to discuss its fourth quarter 2012 financial report.
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is considered the fifth largest IVD company. Thus, any sale or spin-off of this $2 billion enterprise will be a significant development for the clinical laboratory and pathology testing industry. (more…)
Nov 8, 2012 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations
Speakers at Sixth Annual Lab Quality Confab told attendees that ACOs and integration of clinical care now make it important for medical laboratories to use Lean and QMS to deliver more value while substantially reducing costs
DATELINE: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Here at the 6th annual Lab Quality Confab and Process Improvement Institute (LQC), an enthusiastic crowd of clinical laboratory industry “first movers” gathered to learn how leading medical laboratories, pathology groups, and hospitals are harnessing the power of process improvement to drive gains in quality, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.
Institute of Medicine Report RecommendsContinuous Learning
LQC’s founder and host, The Dark Report‘s (TDR) Editor-in-Chief, Robert Michel, opened the general session on day one with a look at a recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The report, titled “Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America”, has significant implications for healthcare providers. Including clinical laboratories. (more…)
Oct 17, 2012 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing
By purchasing this laboratory outreach business, Quest Diagnostics defends its turf in central Massachusetts and creates opportunity to consolidate testing from three medical lab facilities
Late yesterday, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) formally announced that had signed a “definitive agreement today to purchase the clinical laboratory outreach business of UMass Memorial Medical Center.” The laboratory is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and the parties expect the transaction to close within 90 days.
For UMass, the sale of its medical laboratory outreach business comes as part of an ongoing effort by UMass Memorial Health Care (UMMHC)—the parent health system—to divest a number of service lines that were in its health ventures division. This included home health and hospice services, along with the medical lab outreach business. (more…)
Oct 1, 2012 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing
New eyewear technology could make venipuncture easier for phlebotomists and increase patient satisfaction with that medical laboratory service
New technology now makes it possible for the wearer of a special pair of glasses to detect hidden vasculature and changes in the blood through the skin. Some experts predict that this innovative technology might be used by medical laboratory phlebotomists to improve the collection of blood—thus raising patient satisfaction with phlebotomy services.
Eyewear Technology Shows Serious Potential for Medical Use
Developed by 2AI Labs, a company based in Boise, Idaho, the glasses amplify fluctuations of oxygen levels in hemoglobin just beneath the skin. The story was reported in Technology Review. (more…)
