Apr 5, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
As cognitive and cloud computing continue to advance, and mobile technologies become more accessible across the globe, innovative apps and mobile attachments are using algorithms to replace the need for complex and time-consuming diagnostic tests
Mobile healthcare—also known as mHealth—is attracting plenty of research dollars as entrepreneurs look for ways improve consumers’ access to various medical services in ways that could reduce healthcare costs. For that reason, some mHealth solutions may be used by clinical laboratories and pathology groups to give patients faster access to diagnostic services and information about medical laboratory tests.
Most mHealth solutions excel at doing a single, defined task well. In some cases, they are faster and as accurate as human-based testing or observation. However, few solutions can tackle complex diagnostics, such as determining the pathogens involved in sepsis. And mHealth cannot replace the human element of communication and empathy, which will always have a place in the medical process. (more…)
Nov 28, 2016 | Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations
Aging population and funding challenges could cause doctors in United States to shorten appointment slots for patients here as well
Across the globe, health systems share a common challenge: how to meet the steady increase in the number of patients demanding access to clinical care with a workforce of physicians, nurses, and clinicians that may be shrinking due to retirements and other factors. Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will want to stay alert to these developments, because this same trend is at work within the United States.
The United Kingdom (UK) offers a good example of this problem. Claiming doctors are being “run into the ground,” general practitioners in the UK are calling for an end to the country’s standard 10-minute office visit and a decrease in the number of patients they see per week.
The British Medical Association (BMA) blames general practitioner (GP) burnout on:
• Rising demand from an aging population with multiple health needs;
• Physician and staff shortage; and
• Inadequate federal government funding for healthcare.
Those factors also are at play within the United States (US) healthcare system. The possibility exists that health system administrators might want to create a standard of 10-minute appointment intervals as a norm for primary care physicians in this country. (more…)
May 2, 2016 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily
At Human Longevity, Inc. and the United Kingdom’s 100,000 Genome Project, knowledge gained from whole-genome sequencing is starting to be used to improve patient care
NEW ORLEANS, LA—Whole-human gene sequencing is poised to provide significant contributions to improving clinical care. That was one conclusion from expert speakers at the 21st annual Executive War College on Medical Laboratory and Pathology Management that happened here this week.
How fast knowledge from whole-human gene sequencing finds its way into clinical diagnostics and healthcare can be debated. But what is unquestioned, based on these presentations, is that insights gained from the analysis of large numbers of human genomes will trigger a revolution in how pathologists and physicians diagnose, treat, and care for patients. (more…)
Apr 4, 2016 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
The National Health Service of England (NHS) ended 2014 with a budget overrun of £800 million, placing financial stress on the entire UK health system
According to a recently released report, nearly all hospitals in the United Kingdom are currently in financial stress. The report indicates that only seven of the 138 hospital trusts are profitable, with the remaining ones operating in a deficit situation.
Here in the United States, the UK’s National Health Service is often touted as an example of a successful single-payer health system. Thus, the extraordinary financial problems within the NHS offer pathologists and clinical laboratory managers in this country some insight into the serious challenges confronting the NHS, including increased demand for services, which puts additional stress on existing hospital budgets. (more…)
Aug 14, 2015 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Management & Operations
National Health Service agency admits to releasing information on 700,000 patients who opted out of nation’s new centralized medical-information database
In the United States, the debate is ongoing about how healthcare data is used while at the same time protecting patient privacy. The outcome of this debate will be increasingly important for medical laboratories because—in order to deliver more value—labs will want to combine lab test data with other sources of clinical information.
Thus, a similar debate over patient privacy and use of health data in the United Kingdom will be of interest to pathologists and clinical laboratory managers in this country. Recently, England’s National Health Service (NHS) came under fire for releasing information on about 700,000 patients against their wishes—a breach the NHS blamed on a lack of funding and “technical issues” encountered by the body responsible for overseeing the country’s big data initiative for healthcare.
700,000 Patients Opted Out of UK’s Centralized Medical Database
The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has admitted to Members of Parliament that medical details from as many as 700,000 patient records have been shared with organizations and companies, despite the fact that those patients opted out of NHS England’s new centralized medical database, Care.data. (more…)
