News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel

News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel
Sign In

Physician Business Leader Predicts Healthcare’s Winners and Losers as More Organizations Take Steps to Become Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Growth in the number of medical homes could make winners of those pathology groups and medical laboratories that learn how to best meet the needs of these providers

Physician executives at TransforMED, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Academy of Family Physicians, are blogging with their opinions about which providers will be winners and losers in healthcare. Although most pathologists may not agree with these opinions, there are useful insights to be gleaned from the reasoning behind these opinions.

According to TransforMed’s physician-leaders, healthcare is not about to transform—it already has! The healthcare world is no longer changing, it has changed, and “there will be winners and losers,” stated Terry McGeeney, M.D., MBA, FAAFP, in a blog published on the TransforMed Website.
(more…)

Adoption of Quality Management Systems Could Mean Competitive Advantage for Clinical Pathology Laboratories

ISO 15189 is a quality management system  specifically designed for the needs of medical laboratories

Use of quality management systems (QMS) by innovative clinical laboratories and pathology groups enables them to drive impressive gains in quality, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. This is a key development at a time when medical laboratory budgets are shrinking and more cuts in lab test prices are expected.

Going the Extra Mile to Improve Quality Could Be Strategic Opportunity

On all fronts of laboratory medicine, requirements are becoming more stringent. Each year, labs find themselves held to higher standards for compliance with both Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) requirements and Medicare accreditation guidelines. This situation will become further complicated as clinical labs face the need to also meet the requirements of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and similar models of integrated clinical care. Early adopters are responding to these marketplace dynamics by making strategic use of a QMS to boost the performance of their clinical laboratory organizations. As they do, they often gain a competitive advantage. (more…)

Henry Ford Health and Beaumont Health Systems Issue Surprise Merger Announcement to Create a Single $6.4 Billion System

Once completed, this merger would bring two nationally- respected departments of pathology and clinical laboratory into the combined health system

Two of the nation’s most prominent academic departments of pathology and clinical laboratory medicine will become part of a single “super-health system” if a just-announced plan to merge takes place. In Detroit on Wednesday, it was announced that Henry Ford Health System and Beaumont Health System had each signed a letter of intent to merge.

CEO Nancy Schlichting of Henry Ford Health System and CEO Gene Michalski, of Beaumont Health System discussed the plan to merge their health systems at a press conference on Wednesday, October 31. The deal is subject to further discussions and due diligence. No target date for completion of the merger was provided. (more…)

Acquiring Pathology Laboratory Billing Expertise, McKesson Buys MED3000, Parent of PSAPath

Positioning itself to serve accountable care organizations, McKesson agrees to buy a company specializing in medical billing and physician practice management

McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) announced an agreement to acquire MED3000 of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earlier this week. One aspect of this transaction will be of particular interest to anatomic pathologists and pathology practice administrators.

When it closes the sale, McKesson’s ownership of MED3000 will increase its overall national market share of pathology billing and collection contracts. Dark Daily readers may recall that McKesson and MED3000 each have a sizeable number of anatomic pathology laboratories and groups as clients for their billing and collections business divisions. (more…)

Growth of Medicare and Private Payer ACOs Shows Acceptance of New Care Model

Pathologists and clinical laboratory administrators have an opportunity to add value to physicians who are transitioning to new ACO model

It is good news for advocates of accountable care organizations (ACOs). Since the beginning of 2012, an ever-growing number of provider organizations have signed up to participate in Medicare ACO contracts.

This steady increase in the number of hospitals and health systems participating in Medicare and private payer ACOs will have at one interesting consequence. It means that the clinical laboratories will be part of the clinical service mix for the ACOs operated by the hospitals and health systems. (more…)

;