Nov 13, 2013 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Scribe-assisted physicians say their productivity is back to normal after plummeting with connection to an EHR and have time to spare One unintended consequence of the federal program to encourage hospitals and physicians to adopt and use electronic health record (EHRS) systems is the creation of a new category of healthcare worker. Today, a growing number of hospitals and medical groups are hiring medical scribes. Medical scribes are trained individuals who document physician-patient...
Nov 30, 2011 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Because they provide medical lab test results to EHRs, clinical labs and pathologists are often named in medical malpractice lawsuits Some experts predict that the great expansion in the number of physicians using electronic health record (EHR) systems may trigger an increase in medical malpractice lawsuits. Were this were to happen, clinical laboratories and pathology group practices might find themselves also named in such lawsuits because they provided the medical laboratory test results...
Jun 6, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Clinical pathology laboratory testing played a role in reducing rate of ICU infections Here’s a big win for improved patient outcomes, and clinical labs and pathologists played a significant role in this achievement. Central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in ICUs decreased in number by a whopping 58% from 2001 to 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some healthcare experts attribute this significant reduction in ICU infections to greater...
Mar 25, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Clinical pathology laboratories will keep busy interfacing their LISs to these EMRs Tis the season of electronic health records (EHR), now that both hospitals and physicians can qualify to earn incentives from the federal government when they implement these solutions and meet “meaningful use” criteria. It is possible for individual hospitals to receive incentives totaling as much as $2 million for implementing a certified EHR. This is powerful motivation for cash-strapped hospitals. For that...
Mar 2, 2011 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Pathology
Although designed for use by consumers, pathologists and clinical laboratory managers can use it too Tally up the State of Washington as the latest to implement a program to bring greater transparency to patient outcomes produced by different hospitals. In recent months, the rates of healthcare associated infections (HAI) in Washington State hospitals became available on the Internet for public viewing. Just like patients shopping for a hospital that meets their needs, pathologists and...
