Jun 17, 2015 | Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations
Pathologists’ incomes, which declined in 2013, are back up in 2014 and pathologists’ overall job satisfaction remains strong
When it comes to physician income, pathologists rank just below the median out of 25 medical specialties, according to the “2015 Medscape Physician Compensation Report.” The Medscape study for 2015 put pathologist compensation at $267,000.
This represented a 12% increase over the average pathologist compensation of $239,000 that was reported in the “2014 Medscape Physician Compensation Report.”
According to Medscape’s 2015 report, orthopedists are the highest earners, averaging $421,000 a year. At the other end of the scale are pediatricians who earn less than all other specialties with an average annual compensation of $189,000.
All but two physician specialties saw an increase in their earnings this year. The exceptions were rheumatologists and urologists. (more…)
Mar 2, 2015 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Miami physician asks why UnitedHealthcare requires use of the BeaconLBS system for authorization for recommended medical laboratory tests that may help identify lymphoma early
In Florida, the confrontation between one of the nation’s largest health insurance corporations and physicians, clinical laboratory managers, and pathologists continues. The source of this confrontation are the restrictive and burdensome requirements for medical laboratory test ordering imposed last fall by UnitedHealthcare (NYSE:UNH) and administered by BeaconLBS, a business division of Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE:LH).
For Florida rheumatologist Olga Kromo, M.D., UnitedHealthcare’s new decision-support system that physicians are required to use when ordering clinical laboratory tests is highly flawed. (more…)
Aug 30, 2014 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Recent White Papers detail solutions for medical laboratories and pathology groups
Medical laboratories and pathology groups are facing enormous levels of change in their clinical, regulatory and financial environments. As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is implemented. labs see downward pressure on reimbursement at the federal and payer level, coupled with increased emphasis on efficiency and quality. Couple that with a shift from fee-for-service reimbursement to fee-for-quality reimbursement strategies, and clinical laboratories and pathology groups are pushed to find tools to increase their competitiveness.
DarkDaily.com is pleased to offer two recently published free White Papers which can show laboratory managers and pathologists how to more effectively make changes to improve workflow, increase efficiency and safety, and identify, evaluate and solve problems as they are occurring.
“Harnessing the Power of Real-Time Analytics to Achieve World Class Performance in Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups: How innovative medical laboratories can combine analytics with medical laboratory information systems to improve lab operations, cut costs, and boost productivity” outlines how laboratories can draw on business, logistical and medical data inherent in the laboratory information systems (LIS) to more effectively make changes to improve workflow, increase efficiency, and identify, valuate, and solve problems as they occur.
Another White Paper, “Advances in Pathology Tissue Management Reduce Formalin Use, Improve Quality and Cut Costs” offers a look at the risks of formalin use, trends in formalin use and disposal, and how laboratory and operating room workflow is affected by it. Alternate methods for storing and preserving pathology specimens is introduced as are descriptions of changes to workflow, benefits in terms of healthcare worker safety, and the safety and economic benefits of these changes.
DarkDaily readers can access free White Papers on a variety of topics. In a typical month, DarkDaily.com is visited by pathology laboratory managers and professional in as many as 180 different countries across the globe.
Jul 21, 2014 | Coding, Billing, and Collections, Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Conducted by Sunquest, the meeting introduced medical laboratory professionals to ideas and improved patient outcomes that result when pathologists actively help physicians select the right lab tests and understand how to act upon the results
PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Most pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists are quick to agree that overutilization of medical laboratory tests is a major problem in healthcare. But underutilization of medical lab tests is an equally significant problem. That’s the message delivered here last Monday by pathologist Michael Laposata, M.D., Ph.D., during a presentation he delivered at the Sunquest Executive Summit.
Laposata, who recently assumed new duties as the Chair of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, was speaking about the value of what he calls “diagnostic management teams,” or DMTs. In recent years, while at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Laposata and his colleagues introduced DMTs in support of several medical specialties. These DMTs proved quite successful at improving patient outcomes, while reducing the overall cost per healthcare encounter for these patients.
(more…)
May 23, 2014 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations
For first time since launch of the Medicare program, CMS released data on Medicare payments to individual physicians
Once again, Medicare officials have stuck a blow for price transparency. On April 9, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released data on total payments made to individual physicians for the year 2012. In several states, pathologists were identified as among the highest-paid physicians.
Release of this information generated stories by the national and local media. There was also plenty of criticism from a number of prominent national physician associations, including the American Medical Association. It was just last year when CMS released data on what 3,000 hospitals charged Medicare for the 100 most-frequently billed discharges. (more…)
