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
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Disruptive Forces Reshaping Australia’s Healthcare System, with Consequences for Hospitals, Physicians, and Clinical Pathology Laboratories, Outlined at First Annual ‘Disruption in Healthcare Conference’

Nov 21, 2016 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Topics discussed ranged from ongoing cutbacks in funding for healthcare services, and integration of clinical care to growing use of genetic testing in support of precision medicine

DATELINE: Sydney, NSW, Australia—There were 200 leaders in healthcare, medicine, and pathology gathered here last Wednesday to explore a hot topic: the unfolding disruption to healthcare in Australia. The themes of the conference will be familiar to Dark Daily readers across the globe.

These themes included:

• Inadequate funding to pay hospitals, physicians, and medical laboratories, given the steady increase in demand for healthcare services throughout Australia.

• Expanded use of genetic testing and next-generation gene sequencing as medical laboratories acquire the instruments and expertise necessary to make such tests available to physicians.

• How primary care physicians are responding to the demands of an aging population, the increased incidence of chronic disease, and the potential to use information technologies to improve patient care. (more…)

Pathology Testing Prices as a Commodity: Australia’s Health System Stands at a Crossroads

Nov 18, 2009 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Increased Test Volumes in Recent Years Trigger an Important Review of Coverage and Funding for Pathology Testing Services

DATELINE: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Pathology testing is under the gun in Australia. Fast-rising utilization of pathology testing over the past decade has caught the attention of health system policy makers. They are concerned about the funding and clinical service implications in downstream years should these growth rates in the volume of tests performed continue to increase at comparable rates into the future.

At the same time, a five-year master contract between the Australian national government and a representative group of national pathology and clinical laboratory associations that has brought some predictability in year-to-year spending on pathology testing expired on June 30, 2009. This contract is known as the Pathology Quality and Outlays Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU process was launched in 1989 and continued for 20 years. Since expiring in June, this MOU has not been renewed and the pathology profession in Australia is waiting to learn what new approach may be proposed by government health officials.
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