Vitals Study Shows Consumers Using Cost Transparency Tools Select Clinical Laboratories with Low Test Prices

Researchers find shopping for medical laboratory tests increased by nearly 50%, and people are saving more than a million dollars annually by shopping for blood tests Each year, more consumers use online healthcare price-shopping tools to find hospitals, physicians, and clinical laboratories that have the lowest prices. And medical laboratory tests is among the top services on their lists! Researchers at Vitals of Lyndhurst, NJ, a company that publishes online physician ratings, analyzed how...

American Medical Association’s Study of Nation’s 25 Largest Health Insurers Indicates that Biggest Companies Hold Dominant Market Share in Most Regional Markets

Survey results show pathologists and clinical lab managers why largest health insurers have market clout and can exclude local labs from their provider networks Over the past two decades, ongoing mergers and acquisitions of health insurance organizations have led to ever-greater concentration of market share, even as the number of large health insurance companies has shrunk. One consequence of this trend is that many clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups have lost access to...

HEDIS Data Provides Evidence that Physicians Are More Effective in Using Clinical Pathology Laboratory Tests Improve Patient Care

NCQA published annual report showing increased rates of screening for most of its HEDIS quality measures and medical laboratory testing often plays a role in these screening activities For almost a decade now, clinical laboratories and pathology groups have been asked by many private payers to provide laboratory test data for a number of clinical services. In turn, these private health insurers annually submit this data to the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) program...

Behavioral Economics Likely to Push Up Utilization of Clinical Pathology Laboratory Tests

Wellness Programs Require Appropriate and Timely Use of Medical Laboratory Tests Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers know that smoking, obesity and unnecessary utilization are major factors in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare. These are primary reasons behind the desired transition from reactive and acute care to a health system organized to deliver proactive care. Consumer cooperation will be essential for this transition to succeed. Each year, the number of employer-funded or...
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