Demographic Shift Means Lower Birthrates and Aging Populations around the World, Suggesting Big Changes for Global Healthcare, Pathology Groups, and Clinical Laboratories

Nov 8, 2021 | International Laboratory News, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Resources, Laboratory Testing

Demographic shifts are most acute in Europe and East Asia but could be a harbinger of things to come for US healthcare as well Across the globe, major shifts in many countries’ demographics are starting to drive notable changes in how healthcare is delivered in these nations. Having fewer pediatric patients and more senior citizens is fundamentally altering what types of tests are in greatest demand from the medical laboratories in these countries. It is the population trend writ large on a...

Connecticut and Maine to Utilize ‘Episode of Care’ Payment Models for State Employees and Retirees

Jan 13, 2021 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Also called a ‘bundled payment’ model, under this plan, hospitals and clinical laboratories will receive ‘lump sums’ for certain healthcare procedures Employers and insurers continue to move healthcare providers away from fee-for-service (FFS) payment models and toward value-based reimbursement arrangements, also called Pay for Performance or bundled-payment models. While intended to save money, such payment models can have adverse financial consequences for clinical laboratories that are...

New Value-Based Payment Model for Oncology Care Could Affect How Pathologists and Medical Laboratories Get Paid for Their Services

Mar 9, 2020 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is considering adding clinical laboratory services to bundled payments in its proposed Oncology Care First model Anatomic pathologists, surgical pathologists, and medical laboratories could find some of their services shifted to a bundled payment scheme as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) considers a new value-based alternative payment model (APM) for providers of cancer care. CMMI, an organization within the Centers for...

University of Michigan Study Links Value-Based Care Programs to Lower Readmission Rates and $32 Million in Medicare Savings in 2015; Clinical Laboratories Play Critical Role

Aug 11, 2017 | Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Meaningful use, accountable care organizations, and bundled payment initiatives work best together to reduce readmissions, UM research suggests Ever since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) in 2012, healthcare organizations all over America have sought to prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge. For some clinical laboratories, this meant performing precise microbiology testing to...

Bundled Payments for Joint Replacements Cuts Costs for Medicare; Hospitals Held Accountable for Quality of Care

May 19, 2017 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement

Clinical laboratories must stay informed about the success of bundled-payment initiatives because they will need to negotiate a share of these payments where medical laboratory testing is involved Research published this year concluded that bundled payments for joint replacement services performed on Medicare patients reduce Medicare’s costs without negatively affecting patient outcomes. Because these types of surgeries do not generally utilize many lab tests, the question is still out as to...