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DARK Daily Laboratory and Pathology News
DARK Daily is an e-briefing service providing up-to-the minute news of relevance for anyone working in diagnostic medicine, from clinical laboratories and pathology groups to lab industry suppliers and diagnostic technology companies. DARK Daily is part of The Dark Intelligence Group, Inc. and is dedicated to bringing useful business and management intelligence to laboratory managers, pathologists and diagnostic executives. Our recognized expertise in the strategic direction of laboratory medicine and the management of laboratories is available through DARK Daily, The Dark Report, the Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management, timely White Papers, and strategic consulting services.Latest E-Briefings
Consumer Wellness Trend Portends Change in Existing Lab Testing Business Model
Blame it on informed, well-off consumers who pursue wellness and optimum health
Informed consumers may be shifting the healthcare paradigm even as Congress prepares to hammer out its vision of a radically-reformed healthcare system. At least that’s the view of one healthcare expert, who observes that the steady growth in the number of consumer home test kits, patient self-testing devices, and point-of-care tests is a major factor enabling this trend.
People today increasingly get their healthcare outside of the physician-centered healthcare system, stated Mary Kate Scott, Principal at the Los Angeles consulting firm, Scott & Co., in her recent report to the California HealthCare Foundation. continue reading
Congress Eyes Tennessee Group’s Plan for Reforming Healthcare In United States
Health reform plan preserves patient choice and requires no new government funding
As Congress gets down to the nitty gritty details of healthcare reform, a unique bipartisan proposal presented by the Rolling Hills Group, a group of Tennessee healthcare experts and community leaders, is gaining support on both sides of the aisle.
This healthcare reform proposal, initially developed for a statewide program in Tennessee, has captured Congress’ attention because it meets top health care reform priorities—universal coverage, lower costs, improved care and safety, but doesn’t require any new funding sources.
Vitamin D Testing: What the Government Giveth, It Taketh Away
New Study to Research if Supplements of Vitamin D, Fish Oil Reduce Health Risks
With the volume of Vitamin D testing skyrocketing in clinical laboratories across the nation, leave it to government bureaucrats to work at counter purposes to each other. With one hand, the federal Medicare program is proposing to restrict coverage guidelines and reimbursement for Vitamin D testing to Medicare patients. With another hand, the federally-funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding a large, multi-year study to assess the effect Vitamin D supplements and fish oil have in reducing health risks!
Researchers at Harvard Medical School will investigate whether taking daily dietary supplements of Vitamin D or fish oil reduces the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, and stroke in people with no previous history of such illness. Under a $20 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Institutes, researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, will recruit 20,000 participants for the study nationwide. continue reading
Daily E-Briefings
DARK Daily
DARK Daily is a free e-briefing service that provides one short, easy-to-read news item every weekday, highlighting noteworthy developments in the clinical laboratory industry. First alerts to important news events, incisive assessment of best-practice breakthroughs, and strategic insights on important trends make these e-briefings timely and invaluable. Sign up for the DARK Daily today and receive the special report 2008 Trends In Clinical Pathology Laboratory Management free.
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Since its founding in 1995, The Dark Report has been the laboratory industry’s most reliable source for useful business intelligence and innovations in the management of clinical laboratories and pathology group practices. Widely-read and much discussed, The Dark Report is respected as a source of knowledge and information that allows lab administrators, pathologists, and industry executives to be first to learn about the latest facts and trends that affect medical laboratories of all kinds.
Professional Services
Strategic Consulting
With a demonstrated track record of success, Robert Michel and the team at the Dark Intelligence Group, Inc. deliver strategic insight and market analysis that directly leads to increased revenues, improved profitability, and operational excellence. Having continuously worked with and visited laboratories, pathology groups, and lab industry vendors for more than 12 years, Robert Michel brings a unique set of skills and experience to any strategic challenge or opportunity.
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Energize your next public meeting, strategic retreat, or corporate event. Widely-recognized and often asked back for a second and third year, Robert Michel has a recognized ability to help audiences get more from the speakers and advance their knowledge and understanding about key trends and management innovations. One- and two-day management retreats are a specialty.
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For a dynamic and knowledgeable public speaker to turbo-charge your next meeting, contact the Dark Intelligence Group. When it comes to management of clinical laboratories and pathology group practices, Robert Michel and his colleagues are consistently ranked among the industry’s keenest minds.



