Direct Primary Care a New Option for Patients to Receive High-Quality Medical Care at Affordable Prices

Jun 20, 2018 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing

Medical laboratories prepared to receive direct payments for services rendered will have an advantage as more physicians’ practices convert to concierge medicine and stop taking insurance or Medicare A growing number of physicians are looking at new care delivery models as increasing costs and narrow networks drive patients into high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). These can include concierge medicine and direct primary care. Clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups will need to...

UnitedHealth Group Says 50% of Seniors Will Enroll In Medicare Advantage Plans within 10 Years; Clinical Laboratories Soon May Have Less Fee-For-Service Patients

Jun 18, 2018 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations

Clinical laboratories will want to develop value-based lab testing services as the nation’s largest health insurers prepare to engage with Medicare Advantage patients in record numbers UnitedHealth Group (UNH), the nation’s largest health insurer, forecasts wildly impressive growth of Medicare Advantage plans and value-based care. If this happens, it would further shrink the proportion of fee-for-service payments to providers, including medical laboratories. Changes to how clinical...

First Time Ever: Less than Half of All Healthcare Practices in America are Physician Owned—Are Doctors Giving Up Their Independence and Will Independent Clinical Laboratories Lose Test Orders to Hospital Labs?

Jun 15, 2018 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing

Often when a hospital health system buys an independent physicians’ practice, the new owner would like its clinical laboratory to serve that medical group After a hospital or health system buys a physicians’ practice, it is common that the new owner has its in-house medical laboratory provide lab testing to the newly-acquired medical group. Such a purchase is generally good for hospital labs, but not so good for any independent lab that, prior to the sale, had been serving the newly-sold...

Walmart Remodeling In-Store Pharmacies to Include Private Consultation Rooms

May 30, 2018 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

As healthcare continues to expand outside of traditional environments, clinical laboratories must adapt to providers’ changing needs Healthcare settings continue to pop up in non-traditional locations. For years, clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups have had to adopt to a changing healthcare landscape, such as the trend to move care out of hospitals and doctor’s offices to lower costs and improve access. In some instances, treating patients in their homes is safer for patients’...

Healthcare Consumers in India Express Distrust of Their Nation’s Loosely Regulated Pathology Industry; Just 20% of Those Surveyed Voice “Trust” in Medical Laboratories They Use

May 9, 2018 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Supreme Court of India ruling may finally ignite a crackdown on illegal medical laboratories that operate without a licensed pathologist What would happen if 80% of Americans did not trust the medical laboratories that run their diagnostic tests? What impact would that have on this country’s clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology industry? Certainly, a significant one. Well, that’s exactly what has happened in India. A survey on graft in India’s healthcare system conducted by LocalCircles,...

Some Hospitals Launch Concierge Care Clinics to Raise Revenue, Generating both Controversy and Opportunity for Medical Laboratories

Apr 23, 2018 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations

Critics are quick to note that this creates a disparity in how patients access healthcare services Independent concierge care (AKA concierge medicine) is available to anyone willing to pay the additional costs, which are over and above any health insurance. In a concierge care medical practice, patients pay an annual retainer fee to gain increased access to doctors, specialists, and services, such as faster TATs on clinical laboratory testing. Depending on the program, concierge care also can...