Ransomware Attacks on Scripps Health, Universal, and Utah Pathology Services Show Hospitals and Health Systems Are Increasingly in the Crosshairs
Recent attacks illustrate how costly a security breach can be and why clinical laboratories and pathology groups must work to protect their information systems from ransomware attacks Recent ransomware attacks on Scripps Health, Universal Health Services, and Utah...
University of East Anglia Researchers Develop Non-Invasive Prostate Cancer Urine Test
The researchers believe their test ‘could reduce the number of unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies by 32%,’ UEA reported New diagnostic technologies may make it possible for men to provide a urine sample that can allow a clinical laboratory to not only accurately...
Four International Pandemics That Occurred Prior to COVID-19
Four International Pandemics That Occurred Prior to COVID-19 and Contributed to Increased Clinical Laboratory Testing to Aid in Managing the Outbreaks Since 1900, millions have died worldwide from previous viruses that were as deadly as SARS-CoV-2. But how much do...
Nationally Acclaimed Forensic Pathologist Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, Pens Memoir Highlighting Personal Triumphs and Controversies
Outspoken Wecht wants readers to understand ‘the multifaceted challenges of the interface of law and medicine’ Pathologists will recognize the name of nationally-acclaimed forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, MD, JD, who for more than a half-century has been at the...
Popular Science Review Finds Seven At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Tests ‘Easy to Use’ and ‘An Important Tool to Slow Spread of the Coronavirus’
Though clinical laboratory RT-PCR tests remain the ‘gold standard’ when diagnosing COVID-19, at-home antigen tests offer convenience and quick test results. But are they accurate? Less than six months after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first...
US Preventative Services Task Force Study Finds Evidence of Benefits to Vitamin D Screening in Asymptomatic Adults is ‘Inconclusive’
New USPSTF guidelines suggest reducing the volume of Vitamin D deficiency testing in the general population, which could reduce revenue for clinical laboratories From 2005 to 2011, the volume of clinical laboratory tests for Vitamin D soared nationally as more doctors...
Repurposing Your Lab’s Leftover COVID-19 Samples: Building New Revenue and Better Patient Outcomes Through Collaboration with Life Sciences
This free Dark Daily white paper for laboratory professionals explores how the rapid decline in SARS-CoV-2 testing affects molecular laboratories and the life sciences industry as a whole and offers opportunities for drug developers and labs to work together in new and beneficial ways.
Boston Globe Investigation Finds Many Boston Hospital CEOs Also Sit on Healthcare Company Boards
Cozy relationships between hospital chief executives and healthcare companies they do business with may raise ethical questions If hospital employees, including pathologists, wonder why their hospital uses a certain company’s products and services it may be because...
American Society for Clinical Pathology Website Was Hacked Last Year, Possibly Exposing Credit Card Information of Members and Online Shoppers
Thousands of pathologists and medical technologists may have had their private data stolen, though ASCP investigators did not confirm this as having happened For a “limited time period” in 2020, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) was the target of a...
Irish Cancer Society Report Shows Patients May Wait Two Years or More for Genetic Cancer Test Results
Wait times blamed on the Irish National Health System’s ‘overstretched’ services and ‘under-resourced’ commitment to cancer genetic testing done by medical laboratories Histopathologists in the UK and anatomic pathologists in the US understand the important role...
Federal Prosecutors Signal That Accuracy of Theranos’ Blood Tests Will Be Centerstage in August Fraud Trial
Pregnant former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes makes her first court appearance in 15 months as pre-trial maneuvering continues in court case involving clinical laboratory tests During pre-trial hearings for the August fraud trial of former Theranos CEO, Elizabeth...
Community Anatomic Pathology Groups Show Increased Interest in Adopting Digital Pathology and Whole-Slide Imaging, But Can They Do It on a Budget?
Acceptance of digital pathology and whole-slide imaging is now almost universal among academic health center pathology departments and the nation’s largest pathology companies Across the United States, many private practice anatomic pathology groups now recognize that...
New Proposed Federal Rule Could Remove Requirement for Hospitals to Share Negotiated Medicare Advantage Rates with CMS
CMS says it is responding to hospitals’ plea for relief from burdensome reporting requirements, but not altering federal price transparency laws Despite federal price transparency law that went into effect January 1 after a year-long court battle, some hospitals...
Gene Sequencing of COVID-19 Outbreak in Minnesota School System Guides Public Health Officials in Slowing Spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus
Data was used to create a transmission map that tracked the spread of infections among school athletes and helped public health officials determine where best to disrupt exposure Genomic sequencing played a major role in tracking a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in a Minnesota...
South Korean Telecommunications Partner with Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Companies to Send Test Results to Consumers’ Mobile Devices
As consumer demand increases for medical laboratory testing services that bypass the supervision of primary care doctors, clinical laboratories may be affected Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing organizations and telecommunications companies in South Korea are...
Medscape Report on Physician Salaries in 2020 Shows Pathologists at Middle in Pay, but Near Top in Job Satisfaction
Though pathology salaries rank 16th among 29 medical specialties, it is in the top 10 among specialties that attract women and respondents say that comes with a lot of paperwork Despite “hardships” brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, 18,000 physicians in more than 29...
Hospital-based Clinical Laboratory Scientist is Suing Her Former Employer After Being Fired Due to Long-Haul COVID-19 Illness
Medical laboratory employee alleges healthcare system discriminated based on her medical condition, failed to accommodate her disability, then retaliated and created hostile working conditions What is a clinical laboratory’s obligation when an employee is infected...
Walmart to Open 4,000 Healthcare ‘Supercenters’ by 2029 That Include ‘Comprehensive’ Clinical Laboratory Services
With the majority of Americans living just a few miles from a Walmart, how might independent clinical laboratories compete? Retail giant Walmart (NYSE:WMT) plans to install 4,000 primary care “supercenters” in stores by 2029 that will include clinical laboratory...
COVID-19 Pandemic Tied to Historically Low Influenza Cases, Leading to Uncertainty about Next Winter’s Flu Vaccine
Clinical laboratories may see increase in flu and COVID-19 specimen processing as people return to pre-pandemic social behaviors, experts predict While SARS-CoV-2 infections continue to ravage many parts of the world, influenza (flu) cases in North America have hit a...
FDA Grants CLIA Waiver Allowing First Test for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea to Be Performed at the Point of Care
Federal regulators continue to recognize value of clinical laboratory testing in near-patient settings To help in the diagnosis and management of two sexually-transmitted diseases, another point-of-care diagnostic test will soon be available for use in physician’s...
Wall Street Journal Investigation Finds Computer Code on Hospitals’ Websites That Prevents Prices from Being Shown by Internet Search Engines, Circumventing Federal Price Transparency Laws
In a letter, Congress urged the HHS Secretary to conduct “vigorous oversight and enforces full compliance with the final rule” Analysis of more than 3,100 hospital websites by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has found “hundreds” containing embedded code that prevents...
COVID-19 Surveillance Screening Program Used in Chicago School Systems Comes Under Scrutiny by Illinois Department of Public Health Following New York Times Article
Dozens of Chicago-area schools were reopened with the help of an $11 COVID-19 saliva test, but the qualifications of the clinical laboratory, and whether it complied with federal regulations, were called into question It was only a matter of time when newly-formed...
Pew Charitable Trusts and CDC Find Hospitals Are Overusing Antibiotics, Set New Targets for Antibiotic Prescribing and Avoiding Antimicrobial Resistance
Clinical laboratories and microbiology tests provide key tools for physicians engaged in antibiotic stewardship programs One important and continuing trend in healthcare is the need for hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical providers to introduce effective...
Academic Institutions Still Rely Heavily on COVID-19 Symptom-Checking Technology Despite Questions About Its Usefulness
A New York Times report suggests that frequent testing is still the best approach to controlling spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus Many colleges and universities go to great lengths to screen their students for signs of COVID-19 using technologies that include...
Federal Government Study Shows EHR Interoperability at All Time High as 55% of Hospitals Report Robust Data Exchange
But information blocking remains a barrier to complete information exchange, creating ongoing issues for clinical laboratories and pathology groups Interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs) remains one the biggest challenges for clinical laboratories and...
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Webinar: Adopting Digital Pathology on a Budget—Getting Started, Knowing What’s Feasible, and Funding Your DP from Overlooked Sources
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Webinar: Getting Paid for COVID-19 Test Claims—Prepare for Audits, Maximize Reimbursement, and Navigate New Payer Trends
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State of the Genetic Testing Marketplace–Getting Paid for All Your Lab’s Genetic Test Claims: What’s Changing, What’s Not, and What’s Working Best
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Getting Paid for COVID-19 Test Claims: What Every Clinical Lab Needs to Know to Maximize Collected Dollars
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Dark Daily Resource Center Listing
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Prepare Your Clinical Lab for Double the Regulatory, Compliance, and Managed Care Risk in 2021: The Simultaneous Need to Deal with COVID-19 and Routine Testing Activities
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COVID-19 Employee Testing and Screening Programs: Essential Guidance on Legal, Risk Management, Regulatory, and Compliance Issues
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2019 Lab Quality Confab Audio Recordings
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Lean Operational Efficiency
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