Press Releases & News
HIPAA Form 5010 Implementation: Real-World Solutions to Ease the Transition from 4010 to 5010 and Avoid Reimbursement Delays (Audio Conference)
AUSTIN, Texas (January 11, 2012) — Every clinical lab will soon learn whether payers will handle the transition to form 5010—required as of January 1, 2012—flawlessly or not. Ideally, clean claims should mean that payers send timely remittances to laboratories. But certain payers have already admitted that they weren’t 100 percent ready for form 5010 implementation on January 1. And in subsequent days, other payers have struggled to process claims in a timely fashion. Most likely, many laboratory billing and collections departments have already encountered unexpected payer glitches.
Why Medicare Carrier Proposes Major Changes in the Handling of Code Stacked Molecular Test Claims Is Topic of December 20 Audio Conference (Audio Conference)
AUSTIN, Texas (December 7, 2011) – Medicare carrier Palmetto GBA is proposing new processes that govern how it will handle code stack claims for molecular diagnostic tests (MDT) and laboratory-developed tests (LDT) in the J1 region, to become effective on February 27, 2012. This marks the first known effort by a payer to address specific problems caused when laboratories submit code stacked claims for genetic tests and molecular diagnostics assays.
Announcing Date of 17th Annual Executive War College on Lab & Pathology Management (Pathology Executive Meeting)
AUSTIN, Texas (December 6, 2011) – A record crowd is expected when the 17th Annual Executive War College on Lab and Pathology Management takes place on May 1-2, 2012, in New Orleans, Louisiana. This high-energy conference is the largest gathering of clinical lab executives and pathologist business-leaders in the United States.
A CEO’s Guide to Next Generation Revenue Cycle Management: What Service Providers Need to Know to Survive the Changing Diagnostic Healthcare Environment (White Paper)
AUSTIN, Texas (October 18, 2011) – The U.S. healthcare system is under enormous economic pressure like never before – increased governance, organizational change, technological advances, all combined with a faltering economy. Healthcare trends require unprecedented agility and responsiveness to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape. Diagnostic laboratory services influence 70% to 80% of medical decisions; as a result, changes in healthcare are magnified in the clinical diagnostic laboratory segment. Laboratories and institutions that fail to aggressively adapt to this dynamic environment are at grave risk of losing market share or going under completely.
Washington Puts Lab-Test Cost-Cutting on the Table for 2012: Devastating Fee Cuts Plus Other Congressional Proposals and How Your Lab Can Prevent Them (Audio Conference)
AUSTIN, Texas (October 17, 2011) – It’s back! Congress is once again considering reinstituting patient co-insurance for Medicare lab testing. But that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Congress is debating other equally damaging proposals to substantially reduce reimbursement for laboratory testing. The “big-three” threats to lab-test reimbursement under discussion are:
Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) in the 21st Century: The Challenges and the Promises (White Paper)
AUSTIN, Texas (August 24, 2011) — Recent changes in federal and state legislation, as well as reimbursement issues that have placed financial pressure on clinical laboratories, have motivated laboratories to find ways to make their workflow more efficient and cost-effective, with an emphasis on installing laboratory information systems (LIS) that can interface with their institution’s electronic health records, instrumentation, and client’s electronic medical records.
Achieving Financial Success with Hospital Laboratory Outreach: Six Proven Ways to Boost Net Revenue (Audio Conference)
AUSTIN, Texas (August 9, 2011) — Seventy two percent of laboratory outreach programs admitted having serious collection problems that resulted in low net revenue, high bad debt, and internal inefficiencies, according to a recent survey. However, laboratory outreach programs can quickly implement strategies to produce more clean claims that are paid on first submission, collect surprisingly large amounts of bad debt, and generate substantial increases in net revenue and cash flow.
How Internet-Based Lab Tests Access Helps Clinical Laboratories Serve Un-Insured and Under-Insured Patients (White Paper)
AUSTIN, Texas (July 21, 2011) — When consumers need to pay for laboratory tests out of their own pockets, they will oftentimes forgo them due to limited funds. Some Internet-based companies are offering a solution to this dilemma with low-cost lab tests. These tests are particularly appealing to patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or have high deductible health insurance plans.
Reducing Manual Steps, Improving Turnaround Times, and Creating a Lean Laboratory Environment: ISD Testing on the Dimension® Integrated Chemistry Systems
AUSTIN, Texas (July 15, 2011) — Among the challenges facing the clinical laboratory environment in the past 10 years are significant medical technologist vacancy rates, increased competition, and a significant number of opportunities to inadvertently make testing errors. With such macroeconomic challenges the industry has used a variety of methods, including Lean quality management, to identify ways to increase productivity, decrease costs, and become more efficient at generating test results.
Preparing for a Medicare RAC Audit Essential Do’s and Don’ts for Labs to Reduce Compliance Risk and Avoid Penalties (Audio Conference)
AUSTIN, Texas (July 8, 2011) — As part of a new Medicare program — Recovery Audit Contractors Program (RAC) —independent auditors are visiting provider facilities, including clinical labs and pathology groups, in an effort to recover an estimated $24 billion a year resulting from abuse, fraud, and reimbursement problems. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have designated four independent companies to conduct RAC audits, and they’ll have surprising authority to view source documentation.
Longhorn Laboratory Partners Selected by Maplewood Software to Distribute ScheduleLabs
AUSTIN, Texas (June 13, 2011) – In response to growing demand for ScheduleLabs, an automated laboratory staff scheduling solution, Maplewood Software, Inc., has selected Longhorn Laboratory Partners, LLC, to be its national and global distributor. As part of this agreement, Longhorn will also distribute Maplewood’s InspectionReady suite of products that helps medical laboratories maintain a paperless, 24/7 readiness for laboratory accreditation inspections.
ACOs and Medical Homes: Preparing a Lab for Dramatic Changes in How Physicians Use Clinical Laboratories (Audio Conference)
AUSTIN, Texas (June 8, 2011) — In less than seven months, the federal Medicare program will begin contracting with Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). At this point, clinical laboratories and pathology groups have little time left to craft an intelligent strategy to serve this new model of integrated patient care.
Lab Quality Confab Is the One-Stop Shop for All That’s Best, New, and Effective in Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO
AUSTIN, Texas (May 26, 2011)—In only a few months, the fifth annual Lab Quality Confab will bring together clinical laboratory managers and pathology leaders from around the world to broaden their skills, deepen their knowledge, and meet professionals best positioned to advance their careers. Lab Quality Confab is designed and organized to be the ultimate resource in Lean, Six Sigma, ISO, and other important process improvements and quality management systems. It’s the one-stop shop for all that’s best, new, and effective.
War College to Tackle ‘Holy Trinity’ of Health Reform
(From ADVANCE Magazine)
With more than 80 sessions this year, the College’s agenda–and its reputation–are expanding. “We are on track to have more than 650 people from as many as 10 countries around the world,” conference organizer Robert Michel, editor-in-chief of The Dark Report, based in Spicewood, TX, tells ADVANCE. “Not many conferences focus on best practices in lab operations. It makes the Executive War College distinctive in the calendar of events in the lab world.”
Connecting Labs to Physicians’ Electronic Health Records: Effective Strategies for Laboratories to Add Value
AUSTIN, Texas (April 29, 2011) —With physicians’ adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) soaring, laboratories are facing increased demand for integrated connectivity for orders and structured results reporting, as well as the threat of reduced utilization and loss of market share if unprepared. Partnering with an open connectivity provider will enable laboratories to offer a single, efficient, cost-effective integration strategy to physicians’ EHRs.
The Essential Guide to Achieving the Perfect Pathology Fellowship: Useful Advice and ‘Must-Do’s’ for First-, Second-, and Third-Year Residents
AUSTIN, Texas (April 21, 2011) — Early in their four-year residency programs, pathology residents should start searching for the perfect fellowship and employers should emphasize the need for residents to acquire subspecialty expertise before they begin a career in pathology and laboratory medicine.
Managing Multiple Generations in Your Lab: Proven Methods to Motivate Gen X, Gen Y, and Baby Boomers in the Same Workplace
AUSTIN, Texas (April 6, 2011) — With four generations of employees now working side by side, laboratory managers need to rethink their management strategies. Each generation approaches work differently—whether it’s how they want feedback, how they connect to an organization, or how they access information. Attempting to manage them with a single approach is likely to result in conflict and a lack of productivity that no clinical laboratory or pathology group can afford.
Risk of Misdiagnosis Due to Tissue Contamination May Be Higher for Certain Specimen Types:
Changes to laboratory staining techniques offer opportunity to reduce contamination events
AUSTIN, Texas (March 17, 2011) — Determining if an artifact on a slide is a contaminant or patient tissue can require hours of extra time in analysis. The risk of misinterpretation may be greater than most pathologists realize, especially in certain tissue types. Some studies report slide contamination rates of up to 25%.
Negotiating Requests for Proposals: How a Laboratory Can Get the Best Value
AUSTIN, Texas (March 11, 2011) - With talk about proposed new healthcare reforms has come an increased focus on the price of healthcare. As a result, hospitals, laboratories, and other institutions are examining how they can reduce costs and get the biggest bang for their buck.
Getting Paid for Molecular Tests: How Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups Should Respond to Pre-Authorization Requirements by Payers
AUSTIN, Texas (February 1, 2011) — The proliferation of molecular diagnostics is bringing a tidal wave of complexity, cost and quality issues for payers, clinicians and laboratories. As a result, payers are accelerating efforts to appropriately manage the utilization and reimbursement of molecular diagnostics and genetic tests.
Transforming Clinical Lab Middle Managers into Top-Performing Team Contributors!
AUSTIN, Texas (October 14, 2010) — MANAGEMENT SKILLS AT ALL LEVELS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND! Across the nation, clinical laboratories and pathology groups need skilled and competent management leaders. Now you can step up your personal management career and your contribution to your laboratory organization. Our special two-day workshop delivers you the customized management tools, insights, and hands-on competence you need to move up your lab’s management ladder
How Meaningful Use and EMR Adoption Will Reshape Your Lab’s Competitive Future and Its Profitability
AUSTIN, Texas (September 14, 2010) — Clinical laboratories and pathology groups will soon be required to maintain laboratory information systems (LIS) that can interface directly with physician’s office electronic medical records (EMR)—if they want to remain competitive. That’s according to industry experts who predict that the push to prove “meaningful use,” and receive the maximum incentive funds under the HITECH Act, will drive more than 400,000 physicians toward EMR implementation over the next 60 months.
Clinical and Pathology Laboratory Leaders to Share Successes in Process Improvement, Lean, and ISO 15189
AUSTIN, Texas (September 1, 2010) -Clinical and pathology laboratory leaders from across the nation and the globe will soon gather at the fourth annual Lab Quality Confab to share successes, innovations, and case studies in the use of process improvement techniques, including such proven methods as Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO 15189. Lab Quality Confab http:www.labqualityconfab.com will take place on November 2-3, 2010, at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.
Executive War College 2010 to Focus on Economy, Health Care Reform, and Information Technology
AUSTIN, Texas (February 26, 2010)- With several mergers & acquisitions announced in recent weeks there is good news for those planning to attend the upcoming 15th Annual Executive War College. Laboratory Executives will learn from highly experienced professionals while gaining a wealth of operational knowledge, proven management strategies, and real world best practices.
Physician Use of EMRs Requires Clinical Laboratories to Create a Winning LIS-to-EMR Interface
AUSTIN, Texas (January 6, 2010) — With the federal government offering $20 billion dollars to encourage physicians to adopt Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, it is a gamechanger that requires clinical laboratories to step up with an LIS-to-EMR interface if they want to continue their business relationship with these physicians.
Labs Respond to Uncertain Economy and Healthcare Reform With Lean Six Sigma Successes
AUSTIN, Texas (December 2, 2009) — With the economy in the tank and Congress about to enact radical reforms to the American healthcare system, clinical laboratories and pathology groups are struggling to stay financially solvent. However, a subset of American clinical labs are holding their own. THE DARK REPORT has investigated their success and finds one common attribute sets them apart from struggling labs: effective use of Lean and Six Sigma methods.
Succession Planning in Laboratories Is Topic of Special Audio Conference
AUSTIN, Texas (November 9, 2009)— Most clinical laboratories and pathology groups are unprepared to cope with the numerous and regular wave of impending retirements as Baby Boomer bench supervisors, department managers, and senior administrators reach the age of 65. That makes succession planning a critical success factor for all laboratories in the United States.
FREE White Paper: Revenue Cycle Management Contributes to Increased Laboratory Profits and Valuations
AUSTIN, Texas (October 22, 2009) — There is no doubt that the complexity of laboratory revenue cycle management is unmatched in all of health care. With frequent regulatory and compliance rules changes, ever tightening margins, and a severely weakened economy, it is getting harder and harder for potentially acquirable independent labs to be sure they are not leaving potential profits on the table. THE DARK REPORT is happy to offer our readers a chance to download our recently published White Paper “A CEO’s Guide to Increasing Laboratory Valuation: ” at absolutely no charge. This free download will provide readers with a detailed analysis of how laboratories can maximize reimbursement to increase revenue and valuation operating margin.
New Managed Care Contracting Trends, Issues, and Opportunities for Clinical Labs and Pathology Groups
Austin, TX (September 9, 2009) – Negotiating managed care contracts can be the most challenging and intimidating aspect of maintaining a competitive commercial lab or pathology group. In our upcoming audio conference “New Managed Care Contracting Trends, Issues, and Opportunities for Clinical Labs and Pathology Groups”, THE DARK REPORT will present two leading voices in the field to discuss how labs and pathology groups can turn the tables on health insurers to guarantee maximum reimbursement. The audio conference will take place on Thursday September 17th, 2009 at 1 PM EDT.
Pathology and Radiology’s Combined Future is Now at Kansas University: How Integrated Breast Cancer Diagnostics Is Changing Patient Care for the Better!
AUSTIN, Texas (July 17, 2009) — In a pioneering effort at Kansas University, a radiologist and a pathologist are working side-by-side to review each other’s primary images and issue a single, integrated diagnostic report for breast cancer patients! The big, positive surprise from this groundbreaking collaboration is measurable improvement in diagnostic accuracy, leading to improved patient outcomes.
Lab Managers: How to Become A Better Coach and Create a More Productive Working Environment
AUSTIN, Texas (July 3, 2009) — As a lab manager, part of your job is staff development—getting members of your team to take on more responsibility and eventually become managers themselves. But if you were never taught how to develop employees—and many managers weren’t—you’re probably wondering where to begin.
Executive War College to Focus on the Role of Digital Laboratories Reinventing Health Care
AUSTIN, Texas (March 13, 2009) – The DARK REPORT, a leading source of practical information for laboratory professionals, announces the 14th Annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management is scheduled for April 27-29 at the Sheraton New Orleans, with a bonus day of intensive workshops April 30.
Quest Diagnostic’s Problem with Inaccurate Vitamin D Results was First Reported by THE DARK REPORT
AUSTIN, Texas (January 12, 2009) — Last week, it was national news when Quest Diagnostics Incorporated acknowledged it had reported inaccurate Vitamin D tests on tens of thousands of patients during 2007-2008 and was conducting a patient recall/retest program. This story was first uncovered and reported by the lab industry’s reliable source for lab business intelligence, THE DARK REPORT, in its December 22, 2008 issue.
Increase Your Lab Revenue With Better Billing & Coding
AUSTIN, Texas (August 26, 2008) – If you’re looking for ways to boost your lab’s revenue in the coming months (and who isn’t?), you won’t want to miss the August 26th DARK REPORT audio conference where you’ll learn proven steps to help you generate cash from unbilled services and lost or unpaid claims. Presentations by Kevin Ellison, President & CEO for Kellison & Company and Mark Edwards, Vice President of Operations for Kellison & Company both based in Cleveland Ohio.
How Hospital Labs Can Benefit from New Molecular Tests and Technologies
AUSTIN, Texas (September 4, 2008) – Advances in molecular testing and molecular technologies are creating new opportunities for hospital and health/system laboratories. To help laboratories provide these brand-new molecular advances to physicians-and significantly increase revenue, THE DARK REPORT announces a special audio conference “How Hospitals And Health System Labs Can Profit From New Must-Have Molecular Tests And Technologies.”
Global Gathering of Clinical Laboratory Leaders Using Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO:15189
AUSTIN, Texas (September 2, 2008) – Later this month, clinical laboratory leaders from across the globe will gather at the second annual Lab Quality Confab to share successes, innovations, and case studies in the use of Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO:15189 in clinical laboratories, pathology laboratories, and hospitals. Lab Quality Confab http:www.labqualityconfab.com will take place on September 24-25, 2008, at the Atlanta Hilton in Atlanta Georgia. Speakers from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, and Sweden will provide insight and experience about the use of Lean, Six Sigma, and ISO:15189.
THE DARK REPORT Announces a Special Audio Conference
AUSTIN, Texas (October 1, 2008) – Today’s most innovative clinical laboratories and pathology labs are tapping a powerful resource to achieve world-class outcomes-their managers! THE DARK REPORT announces a special audio conference “Improving Lab Management Productivity: How To Evaluate Your Team And Stimulate Increased Performance And Profitability.” This audio conference will take place on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 1 PM EDT.
Winning Managed Care Contracting Strategies for Labs and Pathology Groups
AUSTIN, Texas (December 3, 2008) – Labs and pathology groups can turn the tables on health insurers during managed care contract negotiations by using proven strategies to win generous reimbursement. These techniques and more will be discussed at the upcoming special audio conference “Managed Care Lab Contracting: How To Negotiate The Best Pricing And Terms For Your Lab.” This audio conference will take place on Wednesday December 17th, 2008 at 1 PM EDT. Produced by THE DARK REPORT, the first speaker featured is Michael Snyder of Laboratory Management Strategies.
Innovators in the Integration of In Vivo and In Vitro Diagnostics to Share Breakthroughs at Molecular Summit on February 10-11, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas (December 10, 2008) – Rapid advances in genetics and molecular technologies now allow innovative radiologists and pathologists to integrate molecular imaging and molecular diagnostics in ways that advance patient care. Leaders in this effort to integrate in vivo and in vitro diagnostics will be speaking at the upcoming Molecular Summit on the Integration of In Vivo and In Vitro Diagnostics, which will take place on February 10-11, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
