Oregon Health and Science University Announces Program to Provide Patients with Hospital-Level Care in the Comfort of Their Home

As the number of Hospital at Home programs increase, clinical laboratories will want to develop programs for collecting samples from patients where they live Shortages of nurses and hospital staff, combined with pressure to lower the cost of care, are encouraging more institutions to implement hospital-in-the-home programs. One such project involves Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), which last November began a Hospital at Home (HaH) program that enables certain patients to receive...

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

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...

Opioid Epidemic is Latest Healthcare Fraud ‘Hot Spot’ as Some Unethical Clinical Laboratories, Physicians, and Service Providers Attempt to Cash-in

It’s critical that medical laboratory leaders prepare for increased scrutiny and pressure from DOJ fraud investigations Recent efforts by federal investigators to ferret out and prosecute healthcare fraud have shown that certain clinical laboratory companies are guilty of fraud and abuse. And as Dark Daily covered in “Preparing Clinical Laboratories for Invasive Federal Enforcement of Fraud and Abuse Laws, Increased Scrutiny by Private Payers, New Education Audits, and More,” November 13,...

Administrative Costs Highest in US, According to NEJM and Health Affairs Studies; Reduction Efforts Will Impact Clinical Laboratories

Clinical laboratory test claims make up a substantial proportion of all claims filed each year. Thus, any effort to streamline or reform claims adjudication and administration in the US will alter how labs and pathologists conduct business Clinical laboratory managers and anatomic pathologists know how costly and complex the US healthcare system can be. However, expenses associated with care and treatment are only part of the total picture. Resources devoted to paperwork and administrative...

Telemedicine Gaining Momentum in US as Large Employers Look for Ways to Decrease Costs; Trend Has Implications for Pathology Groups and Medical Laboratories

Increased use of telemedicine may create opportunities for clinical laboratories to deliver increased value to both physicians and nurses Recent data shows widespread employer adoption of telehealth services may soon become a reality. However, studies also show virtual provider visits and other telemedicine technologies are unlikely to diminish the role of clinical laboratories in providing the data required for diagnosis and treatment decisions. Instead, laboratories and anatomic pathology...
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