News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel

News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel
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Innovative Medical and Pathology Laboratories in Canada Shared Successes in Improving Patient Outcomes at Last Week’s Executive Edge Conference

Pathologists and clinical lab leaders heard about innovations in microbiology automation, genetic testing, use of mass spectrometry, and lab informatics advances

DATELINE: TORONTO, ONTARIO: From across Canada, clinical laboratory executives, pathologists, and health service administrators assembled last week to attend Executive Edge, this nation’s largest conference on innovations in the management and operation of medical laboratories.

Healthcare in Canada faces challenges that are common to healthcare systems in most developed countries. Demand for healthcare is growing at a fast pace due to an aging population and increased incidence of chronic disease. Government budgets cannot grow fast enough to meet the rising demand for healthcare services. (more…)

In the United Kingdom, Medical Laboratory Professionals Gather to Explore Disruptive Diagnostic Technology, ISO 15189, and How Labs Can Add Value

Two-day conference attracted an international audience of clinical laboratory scientists and addressed major trends in healthcare and laboratory medicine

DATELINE: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND—This week in the industrial heartland of the United Kingdom, pathologists and medical laboratory professionals gathered for the 13th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) conference. The hot topics were new quality management standards for labs in the UK, innovative ways to improve utilization of clinical laboratory tests, and how first mover laboratories in the United Kingdom are using such disruptive technologies as digital pathology and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

FiLM is co-produced annual by the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and The Dark Report. Over the past decade, it has grown into the largest conference in Europe that addresses the management and operation of medical laboratories and histopathology laboratories.

New Medical Laboratory Standards include ISO 15189

Currently, medical laboratories in the United Kingdom are adapting to changes in accreditation and external quality assurance (EQA—known as proficiency testing in the United States). By 2018, all labs in the UK will need to be accredited to the standards of ISO 15189: Medical Laboratories. As this happens, the United Kingdom will join a growing list of nations that now use ISO 15189 as a basis for licensure and accreditation of histopathology and medical laboratories. (more…)

Financial Experts Predict Sales of Digital Pathology Systems Will Nearly Triple in the United States by 2019

Pathology groups and clinical laboratories gain the benefits of increased connectivity, greater productivity, and a tool to reduce costs

Acceptance of digital pathology systems is growing steadily in both North America and Europe. One sign of this acceptance is the rapid increase in the purchase of digital pathology systems by anatomic pathology laboratories in these regions.

In fact, one consulting company says that the digital pathology market is poised to explode over the next seven to eight years. This will happen as medical laboratories acquire and deploy digital pathology systems to improve their connectivity with other providers, to improve productivity of pathologists, and as a tool to reduce costs. (more…)

Agilent’s $2.2 Billion-Dollar Acquisition of Dako Likely to Shake Up the Anatomic Pathology and Histology Marketplace

Pathology laboratories that are customers of Dako should take notice of the coming change of ownership

Once again, a major player in histology and anatomic pathology tissue processing has been acquired. Yesterday it was announced that Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), of Santa Clara, California, will pay $2.2 billion to acquire Dako, the cancer diagnostics company in Glostrup, Denmark. It is the largest acquisition in Agilent’s 13-year history.

The high price paid for Dako is just the latest confirmation that Wall Street investors consider molecular diagnostics and anatomic pathology to be a high-growth, profitable sector of laboratory medicine. With 2010 revenues of $340 million, Agilent will pay $2.2 billion, which is a 5.8 times multiple of Dako’s annual revenue.

Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers following the histopathology market will recall that Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., was acquired by Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) in February, 2008. The purchase price was approximately $3.4 billion, representing a multiple of 10.2 times Ventana’s 2007 revenue of about $290 million.
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More Clinical Pathology Laboratories are Purchasing Digital Pathology Systems

Trend to Acquire and Use Digital Pathology Technology is Still in Earliest Stages

Anatomic pathology laboratories continue to purchase and deploy digital pathology systems at a brisk rate. It is confirmation that ever more pathologists are ready to adopt and use digital pathology systems.

Evidence in support of the digital pathology trend comes from a recent press release by one of the leading firms in this field. On December 15, 2010, Aperio Technologies, Inc. announced that it now has more than 700 digital pathology systems operating in 30 countries.

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