Mar 20, 2015 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
In California, a survey found significant inaccuracies in provider directories posted online—may trigger action by regulators to have insurers address this problem
Transparency in healthcare is an important trend. In recent years, much attention has been given to increasing the transparency of the prices charged to patients by hospitals, physicians, and medical laboratories. But now the transparency trend is about to drive change in the provider directories that health insurance plans make available to their beneficiaries and consumers.
When choosing a health plan, many people look for insurance that includes their own physician, or at least a doctor close to home. That is why an accurate and up-to-date provider list is essential to consumer choice and access.
But many health insurers fall short in this regard. California recently released chastising reports on two of its major health plans, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (ABCBS) (NYSE:WLP) and Blue Shield of California, (BSCA) for publishing inaccurate provider lists on the state’s California Covered insurance exchange. (more…)
Feb 4, 2013 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Telemedicine allows U.S. pathologists and other specialists to boost revenue by consulting with international partners.
Pathology laboratories in the United States are among the first adopters of a trend toward international telemedicine.
Pathologists working at a handful of well-known healthcare organizations here in the United States are forming partnerships with other hospitals and health systems worldwide, particularly in China. (more…)
Aug 17, 2012 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Pathology groups and clinical labs could use the world’s fastest camera to diagnose cancer at earlier stages
There’s a new optical microscope that can detect rogue cancer cells. It was developed by engineers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). The achievement could create new diagnostic capabilities for pathology and clinical laboratory medicine.
New Instrument Detects Circulating Tumor Cells
The target for this new high-speed microscope are Circulating cancer tumor cells (CTC). CTCs are the precursors to metastasis and metastatic cancer accounts for about 90% of cancer mortalities. However, CTCs are difficult to find and identify. Among a billion healthy cells, only a minute number of CTCs exist. (more…)
Dec 1, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Researchers at UCLA have published the foundation science to use saliva as the specimen for sophisticated diagnostic testing
Someday soon, when your dentist asks you to say “Ah”, he will then collect a saliva specimen and use a chairside point-of-care test (POCT) to screen you for any number of conditions and diseases. This is the goal of a research team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who recently developed what they call the Salivaomics Knowledge Base (SKB). It is a web-based data management system dedicated to help clinicians use saliva as a diagnostic tool.
(more…)
