Feb 15, 2019 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Mobile, wearable, mHealth monitoring devices are a key element of many employer fitness programs and clinical laboratories can play an important role in their success For years Dark Daily has encouraged clinical laboratories to get involved in corporate wellness programs as a way to support their local communities and increase revenues. Now, leveraging the popularity of mobile health (mHealth) wearable devices, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has found a new way to incentivize employees participating...
Feb 13, 2019 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations, Webinars
Medicare officials are including most hospital laboratories in this PAMA data reporting cycle, but hospitals face $10,000/day federal penalties for not filing, filing late, or filing incomplete or inaccurate data Clinical laboratories operated by hospitals and health systems could prove to be a game changer for the lab industry in this upcoming PAMA private payer lab test price reporting cycle. But that upside comes with risk. For this reporting period, the federal Centers for Medicare and...
Feb 11, 2019 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
With a now-estimated price tag of $16.1 billion, federal regulators and government representatives question the VA’s replacement for their VistA medical records system Originally estimated to cost $10 billion, a contract to replace the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health record (EHR) system will now cost $16.1 billion, according to new estimates, and this has drawn increased scrutiny from regulators and the media. ProPublica reports that the initial deal signed in May...
Feb 8, 2019 | Clinical Laboratory/ Pathology Coding, Billing, and Collection Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Most of the hospital closures occurred in states that did not expand their Medicaid programs following the Affordable Care Act of 2014 Sustained financial pressure is not limited to clinical laboratories. Rural hospitals are under grave financial pressure as well. These hospitals are particularly vulnerable, and many have closed their doors, leaving local physicians and independent pathologists in those communities with an unclear path going forward. Now, a recent study by the North Carolina...
Feb 6, 2019 | Laboratory Pathology
Brazilian study finds Staph, E. coli, and other bacteria that contribute to hospital-acquired infections in reusable water bottles used by members of multiple fitness centers In the latest example of Microbiologists swabbing and culturing samples taken from common, everyday items, a research team in Brazil has found germs associated with hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) infections on reusable water bottles carried by individuals working out in local fitness clubs. Dark Daily recently...
Feb 4, 2019 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Uncategorized
Pharmaceutical developers are combining genetic sequencing and precision medicine to create new drug therapies and cancer treatments designed for specific patients Most anatomic pathologists are aware of the rapid advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy—sometimes also called immune-oncology. This is an area of healthcare where precision medicine and personal genetics become crucial elements in developing more effective drug regimens. Scientists are combining those two areas of research...
