Payer-Provider Partnerships Accelerating as Insurers and Healthcare Networks Look to Improve Care Quality and Reduce Costs

Oct 17, 2018 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Laboratory Testing

Shift from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement is fueling increase in joint ventures and co-branded insurance products, creating opportunities for nimble clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups As healthcare moves from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement, health insurers and providers are joining forces at a steadily increasing rate, with nearly three-quarters of partnered products in early 2018 being joint ventures or fully co-branded insurance products. This...

Largest US Nonprofit Healthcare System Shrinks Its Hospital Footprint; Shifts Focus to Less Expensive Ambulatory Settings; Clinical Labs Could Be Impacted

Jun 1, 2018 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Ascension’s refocus exemplifies challenges facing healthcare systems as shrinking reimbursement rates, stagnant inpatient admissions, and changing care models put a financial squeeze on traditional hospitals Hospital-based medical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups are adapting rapidly to both external and internal forces in the healthcare continuum. Efforts to shift clinical care from hospitals to ambulatory settings is a trend that impacts how, where, and when ordering physicians...

CMS Seeks ‘New Direction’ for its Innovation Center as the Agency Evaluates Current Value-Based Payment Models for Medicare Services, including Medical Laboratory Testing

Feb 7, 2018 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Federal agency receives input on eight focus areas as it looks for ways to enable providers ‘to design and offer new approaches to delivering care’ Medical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups preparing for the transition from fee-for-service healthcare will want to keep a close eye on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The federal agency’s administrator plans to set a “new direction” for CMS as it shifts to value-based reimbursement models for Medicare services that...

Will Growth in Number of Tele-ICU Programs in the Nation’s Hospitals Create an Opportunity for Clinical Pathologists to Deliver Added Value?

Jun 7, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Management & Operations

Aging populations and increase in chronic disease fuel worldwide growth in tele-ICU care models that improve patient outcomes, reduce length of ICU stays, and save hospitals money, according to a study There’s an interesting trend in healthcare that may prove beneficial to clinical pathologists and medical laboratory scientists. It is increased use by hospitals of remotely-monitored intensive care units (ICUs), which creates the opportunity for clinical laboratory specialists to remotely...