PRESS RELEASE
Pathology Webinars, LLC
21806 Briarcliff Dr.
Spicewood, Texas 78669
512-264-7103 o
512-264-0969 f
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Rich Faherty
rfaherty@darkreport.com
AUSTIN, Texas (March 30, 2018)—As new technology is incorporated into the practice of pathology, as consolidations increase, as reimbursement models evolve, and as consumerism takes on a more important role in healthcare—the field of pathology continues to transform.
How these myriad changes affect pathology practices, and what pathologists can better do to prepare themselves is the topic of an all-new webinar being presented Wednesday, April 4 at 2 PM EDT. When participants register to attend “Why Healthcare’s Accelerating Transformation is Both Threat and Potential for Anatomic Pathologists: A Candid Look at Eroding Group Practice Finances, Unwelcome Payer Trends, Clinical Opportunities, and the Promise of Genetic Medicine,” they can listen and learn from four of the most highly regarded experts in the field of pathology who will provide a comprehensive understanding of the trends, their consequences for both private practice pathology groups and pathology labs, and clear, concise steps that can be taken to protect, and even increase, pathologist income. The esteemed faculty:
Bruce A. Friedman, MD, Emeritus Professor of Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
Friedman was a founder of a yearly clinical lab software conference called AIMCL that was offered for 21 years in Ann Arbor under the auspices of the University of Michigan. He is credited with having named the field of pathology informatics in an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Pathology in 1990. He was a founding member, and one of the two founding presidents, of the Association for Pathology Informatics (API). Friedman has served as a consultant and advisor to in-vitro diagnostic and lab software companies as well as hospitals and academic institutions. He served as the co-director of the Pathology Informatics Summit from 2010-2012 conferences.
Robert McGonnagle, Senior Director and Publisher, College of American Pathologists, Chicago, IL
McGonnagle has been involved with the Publications Division of the College of American Pathologists publications since 1982, beginning as a freelance contractor. He is now Senior Director and Publisher of the College’s CAP Today and Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
Al Sirmon, Co-Founder, Pathology Practice Advisors, LLC, Pawleys Island, SC
Sirmon started Pathology Practice Advisors in 2016 with Chappy Manning. PPA provides both ongoing and special one-time project support to pathology practices nationwide. Mr. Sirmon was also a co-founder of Pathology Service Associates (PSA), a management services organization and billing company for pathology practices that he grew from 10 employees and five pathology practices in 1994 to more than 500 employees and 100 pathology practices nationwide when it was acquired in 2012. Prior to PSA, Sirmon spent fifteen years in public accounting helping small business clients, and became the practice manager of a pathology practice and independent clinical lab in 1988.
Keith J. Kaplan, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Corista, Concord, MA
Since 2007, Dr. Kaplan has been publisher of The Digital Pathology Blog at tissuepathology.com, the industry’s leading pathology blog. Kaplan is a graduate of Michigan State University and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He completed residency training in anatomic and clinical pathology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While at Walter Reed, Kaplan was named Resident of the Year, and in conjunction with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, he founded and directed the Army Telepathology Program. This program connected 25 hospitals internationally for consultation via telepathology. Dr. Kaplan was also with Mayo Clinic as an Associate Professor of Pathology of Mayo Medical School. Since then he has served as CMO for Corista and is an active member of the CAP and executive board member of the American Pathology Foundation.
This engaging webinar, to be presented in an informal roundtable format, will have dialogue centered on four primary areas:
Consolidation: Some pathology practices are finding it increasingly difficult to match the services and support provided by larger practices. Smaller practices will learn the signs they need to look for—indicators that may tend to force them into consolidation—in order to be best prepared. Also to be discussed are the downstream effects of consolidation, including the impact of changing career paths as independent practices are absorbed by larger practices, hospital systems and the big labs.
Shift in Reimbursement Models: With a shift to patient responsibility, higher deductibles, higher co-pays, movement of procedures from hospitals to offices, and other changes in the payer universe, effects on reimbursement have been profound. Participants will learn how other pathology practices are successfully managing these issues.
Consumerism in Pathology: Pathology, like all of medicine, is moving toward patient-centricity. As diagnostics moves ever closer to consumers, the practice of pathology is being affected. Consider urgent care centers and retail clinics becoming major first tier medical centers, in addition to telemedicine, patient wearables, and home care devices—just a few of the emerging trends that have the potential to bring down reimbursement and lead to consolidation, or at the very least—force pathologists to become more specialized. Specific steps that can be taken to mitigate this shift will be covered.
Artificial Intelligence, Digital Pathology, and Genomics: These areas are huge forces in the field of pathology, and incredible tools that will enable pathologists to excel, and to provide efficiencies to counter some of the obstacles being faced. Our experts will share the latest opportunities in these areas.
For more information about “Why Healthcare’s Accelerating Transformation is Both Threat and Potential for Anatomic Pathologists: A Candid Look at Eroding Group Practice Finances, Unwelcome Payer Trends, Clinical Opportunities, and the Promise of Genetic Medicine” and to view webinar details including presenter biographies and pricing, click here. You may also contact Richard Faherty at 512-264-7103.
About Pathology Webinars, LLC
For more than five years, Pathology Webinars has produced webinars for pathologists and medical laboratories. Our topics deliver the information essential to the clinical and financial success of your pathology group and laboratory.
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