Apr 27, 2011 | Laboratory Pathology, News From Dark Daily
Government agencies in both the United States and the United Kingdom look at direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests
Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) medical tests are under attack by multiple federal agencies here in the United States, even as authorities in the United Kingdom (UK) similarly question the potential of these genetic tests and molecular diagnostic assays to harm and/or mislead consumers.
Of course, many pathologists and clinical laboratory managers here in the United States know that multiple government agencies have spent the last year scrutinizing the DTC market. There is the possibility that new regulations and laws enacted as a result of these investigations could not only bring DTC genetic testing under tighter government oversight, but these same regulations might also ensnare certain genetic tests and medical laboratory assays that have appropriate uses in clinical care.
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Feb 2, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Speakers at Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine See Increased Role for Pathology
DATELINE: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND—As our North American readers of Dark Daily arrive for work this morning, it will be late afternoon here in the United Kingdom and the last presentations on the second day of the 10th annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) will be wrapping up.
It was a packed auditorium this year at FiLM, as clinical biochemists, pathologists, and medical laboratory scientists gathered to learn about achieving best practices in pathology management and clinical laboratory operations. One reason for this heightened interest is the major reforms already cascading throughout the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).
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Jan 6, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Pathologists and Medical Laboratory Leaders to Gather For 9th Annual FiLM Conference
Many pathologists and clinical laboratory managers outside of the United Kingdom (U.K.) remain unaware of its government budget-cutting initiatives that call for all sectors of government services to spend as much as 20% less money during the coming budget cycle. The nation’s oft-admired National Health Service (NHS) will also undergo unprecedented reforms even as it sees severe budget cuts.
Critics of the announced budget cutbacks—put forth by the newly-elected coalition government that took office last spring—predict that reduced spending on healthcare will affect everything from hospital staffing to clinical laboratory testing to the available number of students in medical schools. These critics believe patient wait times will greatly increase, and access to some medical services may be severely restricted. (more…)
Jan 27, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Speakers at FiLM conference emphasize that laboratories must organize to support ongoing integration of clinical care
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND: As you read this, several hundred pathology and clinical laboratory leaders are gathered in Birmingham, England, today to learn about the latest trends and most important developments in healthcare and laboratory medicine. They have assembled to participate in the Eighth Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM).
The short term news for pathology laboratories in the United Kingdom is discouraging. The National Health Service recently declared a goal of reducing spending on laboratory testing by £500 million (US $807.2 million) in upcoming budget cycles. This represents a reduction from current funding levels of about 15%.
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Aug 8, 2008 | Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement
Many Dark Daily readers remember “Marcus Welby, M.D.” This popular TV show ran from 1969 to 1976 and starred actor Robert Young in the role of Marcus Welby, M.D. His sidekick was assistant Steven Kiley, M.D. (played by James Brolin). Dr. Welby was the dedicated family practice physician who treated patients as individuals in an age of specialized medicine and uncaring doctors.
Now, there is a movement among physicians to return to the caring compassion displayed by Marcus Welby, M.D. These physicians are endorsing a new model of patient care known as the “medical home.” The medical home is gaining momentum nationwide as an alternative to the current system of jumbled provider networks, says the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In addition to the AAMC, such organization as the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association, are promoting the concept of the medical home.
The AAMC defines the medical home as one that: 1) includes an ongoing relationship between a provider and patient; 2) provides around-the-clock access to medical consultation; 3) respects a patient’s cultural and religious beliefs; 4) provides a comprehensive approach to care; and, 4) coordinates care through providers and community services.
The medical home model puts the emphasis on primary care. It changes reimbursement to physicians so that they have an incentive to promote the early detection of illness and active intervention. This is similar to a major effort by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS). In recent years, the NHS has shifted funds away from acute and specialist care at the hospital trusts and transferred those funds to primary care trusts. In this way, the NHS has made primary care physicians responsible for early diagnosis, as well as pro-active management of patient care.
On July 21, USA Today reported that, here in the United States, individual states, the federal government, and private insurers are experimenting with ways to pay primary care physicians more money to oversee and coordinate patients’ care. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans a demonstration project in 2010 to test whether paying primary care doctors more per month to treat patients with chronic illnesses in medical home settings results in better care and lower costs, compared with traditional clinical practices. The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA) mandates a demonstration in as many as eight states. This demonstration project will provide targeted, accessible, continuous, and coordinated family-centered care to Medicare beneficiaries who are deemed to be high need (that is, with multiple chronic or prolonged illnesses that require regular medical monitoring, advising or treatment.)
If the patient-centered medical home concept gains support, it could mean that clinical laboratories will see a greater demand for near-patient and point-of-care testing capabilities. That’s because, as caregivers visit patients in various settings, including patients’ homes, caregivers will want both fast access to lab test results and the ability to view those test results remotely.
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