Nov 11, 2011 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Palmetto wants to implement two proposed local coverage determinations (LCDs) on February 27, 2012
Medicare’s biggest local carrier is ready to tackle the problems created when clinical pathology laboratories use code stacks to submit claims for genetic tests and molecular diagnostics assays. Medical laboratories in eight states served by this Medicare carrier are worried about its two draft proposals that could cut off reimbursement for large numbers of molecular diagnostic tests (MDTs) and laboratory-developed tests (LDTs), starting February 27, 2012.
The Medicare carrier is Palmetto GBA, of Columbia, South Carolina. On September 23, it shook up the clinical laboratory industry and pathology profession nationwide when it announced, in a “draft proposal” for a local coverage determination (LCD), that it would not allow labs to submit claims for most MDTs. As noted above, the proposed effective date is February 27, 2012.
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Sep 23, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Historically significant collection of pathology and anatomic specimens may fall victim to budget cuts and space constraints
Pathologists across the globe will be interested to learn that the pathological-anatomical collection of the famous Doctor Rudolph Virchow, housed for almost 100 years in Berlin, may soon be closed to public viewing. Administrators at Berlin’s Charité Hospital are threatening to shut down what is often recognized as the world’s first pathology museum.
Virchow’s collection is currently on view at the Berlin Medical Historical Museum (BMHM), which is managed by Charité Hospital. It was reported by Der Spiegel, one of Germany’s widely-read news magazines, that Charité’s administrators are looking at “options for such ‘future development’ [that] include ‘shutting down the museum’ and ‘moving the collections to other museums.’”
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Sep 14, 2011 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
In Silicon Valley, biotech and molecular companies “raid” hospital laboratories to hire away MTs and CLSs
Competition for already hard-to-find medical technologists (MT) and clinical laboratory scientists (CLS) is heating up as biomedical and molecular development companies vie with hospitals and medical laboratories for these highly-prized workers. Growth in demand for MTs and CLSs by biotech companies means that clinical laboratories will face stiff competition when recruiting and hiring for these positions.
This competition for hiring MTs and CLSs was recently the topic of a story in the San Francisco Business Times (SFBT). Molecular development companies in the Bay Area want to hire qualified clinical laboratory professionals. The demand pressure from this emerging sector is driving up wages and further stressing the capacity of underfunded job-training programs, according to the article. (more…)
Jul 29, 2011 | Laboratory Pathology, News From Dark Daily
Lots of products involving molecular diagnostics and genetic testing were on display at the exhibition
DATELINE: Atlanta, Georgia—Yesterday was the close of the 2011 annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC). Organizers played host to what—pre-event—they announced was a record-breaking number of exhibit booths sold to vendors at the exhibition. Despite a rather quiet economy, there was plenty of traffic and much interest in products on display in the clinical laboratory.
Many lab industry vendors believe that there is pent-up demand by medical laboratories because of the long recession in 2008 and 2009, combined with the clamp-down on laboratory spending that resulted as hospitals and health systems slashed budgets during the recession to protect their cash flows. But now, having deferred equipment replacement for up to three full years, a number of clinical pathology laboratories have returned to the marketplace to acquire new medical laboratory testing equipment.
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Jul 6, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Medicare officials seeking public comment during the July 18 meeting
Changes in how the Medicare program will reimburse pathology groups and clinical laboratories for genetic tests and molecular diagnostic assays will be one of the important topics at an upcoming meeting in Baltimore on July 18, 2011. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct the meeting at its headquarters and is asking for public comment as it develops coverage guidelines and reimbursement levels for the 2012 laboratory test fee schedule.
As many pathologists and medical laboratory managers know, a major effort to revise and update CPT codes for genetic and molecular tests performed by clinical laboratories is moving forward. The goal is to recognize advances in this field of diagnostic testing by updating the CPT codes. Another goal, widely supported by private health insurance plans, is to reduce the use of “code stacking” as the primary coding and claims methodology that must be used for a large number of genetic and molecular medical laboratory tests.
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