Does New Opioid Law Require Clinical Laboratories to Change How They Pay Sales Employees?

Apr 1, 2019 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Recently enacted EKRA law prohibits payment activities that were legal under the previous Anti-Kickback Statute, confusing clinical laboratories and legal experts alike There is a relatively new law on the books that impacts clinical laboratories, and lab leaders tasked with ensuring compliance with federal statutes need to fully understand it because getting it wrong could have dire consequences. The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for...

PAMA Price Reporting Update: Insights to Help Prepare to Meet the Requirement

Mar 28, 2019 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily

Prior (2018) price reporting cycle offers lessons that can help clinical laboratory benefit administrators and personnel take an informed approach to meeting the requirements of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA) With the PAMA Private Payor Price Reporting period under way, some clinical laboratories may be grappling with questions about the new requirements. Under PAMA, applicable labs must report private payer data on selected Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests (CDLTs) to...

Medicare-for-All Bill Has Little Chance of Passage in Congress, Even as Universal Healthcare Debate Gains Momentum Among Democratic Presidential Hopefuls

Mar 27, 2019 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations

Massive government takeover of healthcare would create single-payer healthcare system, doing away with Medicare Advantage and individual choice All clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups have a strong interest in how any reform of US healthcare at the federal level might be accomplished. In that spirit, Dark Daily is providing a quick overview of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 (HR 1384). The name is misleading. The bill would actually end Medicare and all private health...

Analytics Help Clinical Laboratories Minimize Risk and Remain Innovative as Esoteric and Molecular Testing Markets Grow

Mar 20, 2019 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Data-driven proof supports decision-making that optimizes efficiency and boosts bottom lines in the face of shrinking margins and increased competition Molecular and esoteric testing developers continue to make advanced assays and diagnostic technologies available to medical laboratories. However, some laboratory senior management and stakeholders may be reluctant to invest in them even though the market for such testing is poised for significant growth. That’s because lab shareholders might...

Scientific Paper on Private Equity Ownership in Dermatology is Removed from Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal’s Website After Dermatologists Complain

Feb 27, 2019 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing

The paper’s authors stand by their research and claim “requested corrections” were to protect reputations and not correct inaccuracies Private equity companies have invested in and acquired clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups for the past 25 years. It’s not unusual to find private equity firms buying other medical specialty practices as well. But questioning the reasons behind such acquisitions by private corporations, or physicians’ participation in such practices is,...

Many Hospital Laboratories Must Report PAMA Private Payer Clinical Lab Test Price Data as ‘Applicable Labs’ in 2019, But Lack Systems and Expertise for This Task

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...