Jan 25, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
A new blood test for concussion demonstrates how multiple metabolomic biomarkers have the potential to be used by medical laboratories for diagnostic testing purposes
Medical laboratories and pathology groups will soon see new blood tests that measure hundreds of biomarkers. One such test is being developed by Children’s Health Research Institute, a Lawson Health Research Institute program, and Western University in Ontario, Canada. This test, based on metabolomics, has been shown to be 90% accurate for diagnosing concussion in preliminary studies.
In an article published on Brainline.org, an organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), Melissa Duff, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa, wrote, “The risk of concussion is highest in the 15- to 19-year-old age group. In addition, males are at higher risk than females.” Thus, the Lawson team focused on developing a test for the group that is most at-risk for concussion—adolescent males. (more…)
Jan 23, 2017 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing
Many medical laboratories are working with vendors to optimize supply chain management and align it with patient outcomes
Even in today’s difficult financial environment, many local clinical laboratories and hospital lab outreach programs across the United States are prospering. Their financial stability is largely due to the fact that they have laboratory sales professionals who regularly add new clients and take market share away from their national lab company competitors. It is to honor these industrious lab sales pros that The Dark Report organized the 2016 National Lab Sales Excellence Award.
The new national sales awards were unveiled at the Executive War College in New Orleans on April 26-27. As noted in earlier Dark Daily e-briefings, our reporting on the lab industry’s top sales producers serves two worthy goals: (more…)
Jan 20, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations
The self-monitoring/self-test market is expected to swell to $19 billion by 2019, offering opportunities for pathologists and clinical laboratories to advise patients and ensure the proper use of home tests
Might the future of clinical laboratory tests be sitting on the shelf at your corner pharmacy right now? Patient self-testing and screening kits continue to garner the approvals of Consumer Reports’ medical advisors.
That’s happening because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to clear many do-it-yourself tests that traditionally were performed in medical laboratories by qualified personnel, much to the chagrin of some doctors.
Empowered healthcare consumers are checking their cholesterol, monitoring their diabetes, and more, using health screening kits that range from $8 to $175, according to a Consumer Reports on Health article, which advised consumers to use self-tests judiciously and share the results with their physicians. (more…)
Jan 18, 2017 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Many pathology groups report shrinking revenue, yet some innovative pathology groups continue to grow through savvy pricing and by adding value to payers and physicians
Times are tough for anatomic pathologists in private practice. Medicare programs and private payers regularly slash prices for both technical component and professional component services. In addition, the growing number of narrow networks means that pathology groups find themselves excluded from access to an ever-larger proportion of patients.
This is not news for the typical anatomic pathologist working in a private practice setting, who today may be making substantially less personal income than just a few years ago. Over the past decade, pathologists have seen multiple assaults to their revenue by client physicians, health insurers, and consumers. (more…)
Jan 16, 2017 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
15th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) takes place in Birmingham, England, on January 31–February 1, 2017, and features pathology experts from UK, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Serbia, Canada, and the USA
Recent innovations in medical laboratory management and operations in Europe and the United Kingdom (UK) will be the subject of a major conference that takes place on January 31 through February 1, 2017, in Birmingham, England. It is the 15th annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM).
“Medical laboratories throughout Europe are confronted with multiple challenges,” stated Robert Michel, Editor-in-Chief of The Dark Report and one of the conference organizers. “Funding for lab tests is shrinking, demand for lab tests is soaring, and many national health systems are taking forceful actions to consolidate labs into regional networks. All of these topics will be discussed at FiLM.” (more…)
