Jul 8, 2013 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, News From Dark Daily
Clinically integrated networks is one market trend in response to shift away from fee-for-service payment and toward value-based provider reimbursement
One fast-developing trend is that of academic centers forming integrated networks with various providers within a community and a surrounding region. This is related to a movement to establish accountable care organizations (ACOs). But it is also a response to actions by payers to narrow their networks and exclude high-cost providers, such as academic centers.
This business model has a mutual goal. Each integrated network is anchored by an academic medical center and is designed to foster closer interaction between the academic subspecialists and the wider clinical community. For pathologists and clinical lab managers, such integrated provider networks may often encourage participating physicians to send their reference and esoteric medical laboratory test referrals to the academic center and not to the physicians’ primary laboratory provider. (more…)
Sep 5, 2012 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Pathologists are helping care team interpret genetic laboratory test results for patients in the cardiac catheterization laboratory
Genetic tests will be part of the regular care protocols for some cardiology patients at both the University of Florida (UF) Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and Stanford University Medical Center. Among other factors, it is faster time-to-answer and the lower cost of certain genetic technologies that make it feasible to use genetic tests in this care setting.
In particular, the genetic tests will be used to guide cardiologists as they make therapeutic decisions. Assisting in the interpretation of these tests will be pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals. (more…)
Aug 19, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Improved patient health status for controlling high blood pressure augurs well for clinical laboratory testing industry
There’s a big win in the decade-long national effort to reduce high blood pressure in a large number of Americans. Researchers and health policy experts are hailing this accomplishment as proof that patients, physicians, and payers can work together and measurably improve the state of the nation’s health.
For pathologists and clinical laboratory managers, this is a significant development, because medical laboratory testing plays an essential role in diagnosing disease and monitoring the patient’s progress. Therefore, evidence that a national effort on different chronic diseases—such as high blood pressure—can measurably improve the state of health of large numbers of patients helps affirm the value of clinical lab tests in reaching these goals. (more…)
Jun 20, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Such cognitive robots may also find a role in clinical pathology laboratories
Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers might soon have new cognitive robotic tools to help them diagnose disease. Engineers and emergency medicine specialists at Vanderbilt University have joined together to develop a system of cognitive robots that would reduce the wait times physicians and staff experience in America’s emergency departments (ED).
These cognitive robots would be programmed to perform basic tests and deliver results on patients. By handling these functions, the Vanderbilt development team believes that their cognitive robots would reduce the workload on triage nurses and speed the process of treating patients in the emergency room. (more…)
Jun 15, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Watson is capable of assessing health data, including medical laboratory test results
When IBM’s Watson “supercomputer” squared off against human contestants on the Jeopardy game show last February, there certainly were some pathologists and clinical laboratory managers watching this “man versus machine” battle of knowledge. But those pathologists and medical lab managers did not realize that IBM intends for Watson to play a major role in helping physicians diagnose and treat disease.
IBM is designing Watson to use analytical algorithms to support how physicians assess information as they evaluate patients. In this role, it is likely that Watson will be fed laboratory test data and evidence-based medicine algorithms as part of the data it draws upon to help physicians more accurately diagnose disease and come up with appropriate treatment plans. (more…)
