Dec 15, 2014 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Specialist physicians will benefit from enriched medical laboratory consultations involving pathologists and other clinical laboratory scientists
Increasing numbers of medical specialists are launching patient-centered specialty practices (PCSP). This trend has implications for clinical laboratories and pathology groups because these office-based physicians will want tighter clinical and operational integration with other healthcare providers who treat the same patients.
Specialist physicians are watching the growth of patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) and how PCMHs are organized to provide proactive clinical services and maintain access to patients. In adopting this care model for specialty medical practices, these specialists will typically utilize a more extensive menu of medical laboratory tests and anatomic pathology professional support from their laboratory providers. (more…)
Dec 9, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Healthcare’s coming shift from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement creates both a crisis and an opportunity for clinical laboratories and pathology groups.
With the era of fee-for-service medicine under siege, every clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology organization needs a strategy for getting paid, as new reimbursement models that support patient-centric care will make up a larger portion of lab revenues. Unfortunately, few real-world examples exist today to guide clinical laboratory executives as they develop these strategies.
Patient-centric medical care is an important goal for every healthcare provider. Patient-centered medical homes are enjoying strong growth and acceptance. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are designed to serve the individual needs of each patient. Meanwhile, hospitals and physicians are getting better at measuring patient satisfaction because health plans are basing payment on these scores. (more…)
Nov 22, 2013 | Laboratory News
In Its Second Year, Medical Home Program of CareFirst BCBS Produced $98 Million in Savings, along with Significant Quality Improvements
One of the nation’s largest patient-centered medical home (PCMH) programs has reduced costs dramatically and improved care quality for the second consecutive year. It recently reported the achievements produced during its first two years of operation.
This accomplishment is more evidence for pathologists and clinical laboratory executives that a properly implemented medical home program can deliver measurable gains in patient outcomes and corresponding reductions in the overall cost of care. In January 2011, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield started a PCMH program for primary-care physicians (PCPs). It serves about 1 million members in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia.
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