Apr 9, 2009 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Pathology
Learn why medical labs shoot themselves in the foot when advertising and interviewing candidate!
Probably the single most publicized trend in laboratory medicine is the shortage of medical technologists (MTs), clinical laboratory scientists (CLS), and medical laboratory technologists (MLTs). This shortage prevents many clinical laboratory managers from keeping their laboratories staffed at authorized levels.
Equally publicized is the looming mass exodus of Baby Boomers from clinical laboratory positions as they hit retirement age. The oldest Baby Boomers, born in 1946, are turning 63 this year! They are already eligible for early Social Security benefits and just 24 months from turning 65-the age when full Social Security and Medicare benefits are available to them.
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Apr 7, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Here in Chicago at the huge HIMSS meeting, people are paying attention to lab testing
Dateline: Chicago, IL-Most physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers are quite familiar with the “Five Rights of Medication.” If one innovative healthcare company is successful, soon all these folks will be equally familiar with the newly-articulated “Five Rights of Laboratory Testing,” which emphasizes that every patient is entitled to receive the proper benefits from laboratory testing.
Sunquest Information Systems, Inc has launched a campaign to promote the Five Rights of Laboratory Testing. The goal is to increase awareness among all healthcare workers of the need to exercise vigilance when ordering laboratory tests and using laboratory test data in patient care decisions.
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Apr 6, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Meet the concept of the medical home. It is a managed-care delivery model that charges physicians with coordinating overall care for patients with chronic illnesses. Since its’ inception just a few years ago, it has spread nationwide. Medical home demonstration projects now operate in 22 states. Two states, Rhode Island and North Dakota, have implemented statewide programs.
By design, the medical home is a patient-centered, integrated care model. An important goal is to create a strong, long-term relationship between the physician and the patient. It does this by replacing episodic care based on illness with proactive, coordinated care provided by a physician-led team.
In 2008, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) introduced standards to determine if a medical practice operates as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). These standards meet the definition of a medical home as defined by a consortium that includes the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians and American Osteopathic Association.
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Apr 1, 2009 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
As more attention is paid to reducing the number of healthcare-associated infections (HIAs), hospitals and health systems respond with proactive programs to eliminate many obvious sources of such infections. In turn, this affects hospital laboratories, since they play a key role in every hospital’s infection control program.
The basic statistics are stunning. Hospital-acquired infections (HIAs) affect nearly 2 million Americans annually, resulting in 90,000 deaths and up to $6.5 billion in extra costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
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Mar 31, 2009 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Essential action area for clinical laboratory management and pathology management
With the American economy in a tailspin, payers and patients want to delay or avoid payment for laboratory testing services. That is not good news for clinical labs and pathology groups. It means their billing and collection departments must perform at an even more productive level just to stay even!
At the same time, during poor economic times, “cash is King!” Clinical laboratories and pathology groups can protect cash flow and increase their revenues by boosting the effectiveness of their billing/collection efforts. This is a proven management strategy. In response to the glum economic news of recent months, proactive clinical lab directors and pathologists have begun devoting more attention and resources to their laboratory’s billing and collection department.
A variety of experts in laboratory coding, billing and collections have been tapped to share their expertise at the upcoming 14th Annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management . It takes place on April 28-29, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. These experts can help you take your lab’s coding/billing/collection performance to the next highest level. That means more cash flow and increased revenue just when it is most needed by your laboratory.
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