Jun 17, 2013 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
As ACO movement gathers momentum, hospitals and health systems see opportunities in providing health insurance
Hospitals and health systems are getting back into the health insurance business. Not only is this seen as an opportunity created by the development of accountable-care organizations (ACOs), but it may help the clinical laboratories of these same hospitals that serve office-based physicians in their communities.
This trend is another result of the Obamacare legislation. Some hospital systems are seizing an opportunity to expand their roles and grow revenue by once again getting into the health insurance business. Some experts believe this trend is likely to create more competition among insurers.
It may also accelerate the shift away from fee-for-service reimbursement to a global or bundled payment structure. As this occurs, medical laboratories will need to develop services that offer greater value to physicians and patients. (more…)
Apr 26, 2013 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers may want to learn more about the UCheck mobile app developed by Biosense Technologies
Developers of a new iPhone application claim their app can analyze a urine specimen for up to 25 different diseases. This mobile app is a deliberate attempt to give consumers the ability to perform diagnostic tests that would normally be run in a full-scale clinical laboratory.
Pathologists and clinical biochemists will want to visit the website of Biosense Technologies to check out this mobile application, which is called uCheck. Biosense is a medical device company located in Mumbai, India. (more…)
Nov 8, 2012 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations
Speakers at Sixth Annual Lab Quality Confab told attendees that ACOs and integration of clinical care now make it important for medical laboratories to use Lean and QMS to deliver more value while substantially reducing costs
DATELINE: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Here at the 6th annual Lab Quality Confab and Process Improvement Institute (LQC), an enthusiastic crowd of clinical laboratory industry “first movers” gathered to learn how leading medical laboratories, pathology groups, and hospitals are harnessing the power of process improvement to drive gains in quality, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.
Institute of Medicine Report RecommendsContinuous Learning
LQC’s founder and host, The Dark Report‘s (TDR) Editor-in-Chief, Robert Michel, opened the general session on day one with a look at a recent report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The report, titled “Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America”, has significant implications for healthcare providers. Including clinical laboratories. (more…)
Jun 30, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Role of Clinical Pathology Laboratories in Hospitals may be Boosted by New Public Report
Transparency in provider outcomes took another step forward recently as the State of Oregon published its first report of hospital-acquired infections covering the year 2009. Because pathologists and clinical laboratory administrators are likely to eventually see similar public reporting in their states, this development has nationwide implications.
The report was compiled and released by the Office of Oregon Health Policy Research (OHPR). It compares healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) rates at 58 hospitals and health facilities across the state.
(more…)
Jun 9, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Use of plasma technology will give healthcare workers another way to clean their hands
Even Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon would be amazed to learn that plasma technology is about to deliver a way for healthcare workers to sanitize their hands without using soap and water! Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will be interested to learn about a novel device that bathes hands with plasma as a way to reduce the spread of microorganisms by healthcare workers, including superbugs like MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus.
Prototypes already exist and are designed to be simple for healthcare workers to use. They would simply stick their hands into a small box that bathes the hands with plasma that is specifically engineered to zap bacteria, viruses and fungi. The plasma used in the hand sanitizer is a gas similar to that used in fluorescent lights, neon signs, and televisions, but works at room temperature and pressure.
(more…)
