Jan 27, 2016 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Syracuse, New York, aims to position itself as the healthcare destination of choice for Ontarians right across the border who are weary of waiting for free healthcare from their provincial health service
There is a new twist in medical tourism! United States hospitals are advertising to Canadians who are frustrated by increasingly long waiting times for elective medical procedures from their national health service. U.S. providers are hoping to lure them across the border for quicker access to care.
Until recently, U.S. hospitals were not motivated to attract Canadian patients as a way to generate new admissions. However, years of sustained cuts to prices paid to U.S. hospitals by health insurers have made it economically attractive for U.S. hospitals to advertise to Canadian patients just across the border. The medical laboratories of American hospitals serving medical tourists benefit from this source of patients.
Number of Canadians Coming to U.S. for Medical Care Each Year Growing
While Canadians get most of their medical care for free through a nationwide, single-payer system administered by each province, thousands of Canadians come to the U.S. each year seeking medical care. In 2014, an estimated 52,513 Canadians received non-emergency medical treatment outside Canada. The largest number of patients leaving the country for healthcare are from the Province of Ontario and total 26,252, according to the Fraser Institute, a Canadian research organization. The number of Canadians seeking medical care outside the country’s borders was up 26% from a year earlier, the study showed. (more…)
Sep 2, 2011 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Web-based medical laboratory testing companies give consumers the option to purchase lab tests at cheap prices
It’s nearly impossible to do a web search for any term that includes “medical laboratory tests” and not have the search engine return paid listings for numerous clinical laboratory testing companies organized specifically to allow consumers to order their own lab tests over the Internet. This is a sign that the direct-to-consumer medical laboratory testing marketplace is booming.
These companies seem to be multiplying like rabbits. It is common to see such names as AccessaLabs.com, AnyLabTestNow.com, HealthOneLabs.com, PrePaidLabTests.com, and PrivateMDLabs.com pop up in the search engine. For a consumer looking to order their own clinical laboratory tests, these are enticing names. (more…)
Jun 22, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Milestone demonstration validates effectiveness of DNA vaccine technology in large mammals
Why is registration of a new equine vaccine for West Nile virus generating excitement among biomedical researchers? It represents a breakthrough in DNA vaccine technology, demonstrating this new class of vaccines is viable for human use.
Many pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals will find this news noteworthy for several reasons. First, it is an important milestone in the use of molecular technology to advance genetic medicine. Second, wider use of DNA vaccines will serve the goal of preventive healthcare. Third, should DNA vaccines eventually find a role in protecting humans from a wide spectrum of diseases, this, in turn, will significantly change the role and frequency of laboratory testing for these diseases. Along with other uses, it is because DNA vaccines can target cancers as well as infectious diseases.
(more…)
May 5, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Noted Author lauds the quiet professionals working in the world’s laboratories
Seldom do laboratory professionals get the recognition they deserve each day for their role in protecting the public health from spread of disease. Now, with the specter of an influenza pandemic hanging over the world, CNN Contributor Bob Greene suggests it is time to pay homage to what he describes as our unsung “heroes in lab coats.”
Writing yesterday in a commentary on the CNN Web site, Greene observed “Right now, as the eventual path of the swine flu emergency remains uncertain, the world is beginning to turn its pleading eyes in the direction of men and women whose names and faces we don’t even know. The wider world seldom gives them a thought until suddenly we realize that we need them.”
(more…)
Jan 21, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Several key laboratory tests have a prominent place on Oprah Winfrey’s “Ultimate Checklist” for a healthy life. Oprah, long a champion of personal accountability for one’s own health, kicked off the New Year with a focus on health improvement through self-help activities. It is another example of how consumers are being educated about the importance of using laboratory tests as guideposts to improve their health.
With a theme of “Best Life Week”, Oprah featured her medical expert Dr. Oz and his advice on how people can get healthy and peel years off their bodies. Laboratory tests play a prominent role in Dr. Oz’s “Ten Step Ultimate Health Checklist. Under step five, “Know Your Numbers”, Oprah urged her listeners to pay attention to five laboratory tests:
- Cholesterol, with LDL less than 100 and HDL greater than 40
- Blood sugar
- Vitamin D
- C-Reactive Protein
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
Also included in the “Know Your Numbers” step were recommendations to check waist size and monitor both blood pressure and heart rate.
Other recommendations in the “Ultimate Health Checklist” were to get a medical check-up; recruiting a health advocate; securing a copy of personal medical records; and getting diagnostic and preventive medical tests and screenings on time.
Oprah’s promotion of Dr. Oz and his recommendations for better improving personal health makes for good ratings. Lab administrators and pathologists should take that as a sign that consumers are interested in healthcare. Another sign of how important television has become as a source of health information is the selection of CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, M.D. to be Surgeon General in the new administration. Expanding media coverage of health and wellness topics plays to the strength of medical laboratories. Media coverage of health issues creates an opportunity for laboratories piggyback on this interest and market directly to consumers. – P. Kirk
Related Information:
