Nov 25, 2009 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Highly-automated hospital labs are organized to serve inpatient testing and don’t compete for “outreach” lab business from office-based physicians in the community
DATELINE: AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND—In this nation’s single payer health system, clinical laboratory testing services are allotted to hospital laboratories and commercial laboratories in very specific ways. Consequently, hospital laboratories in New Zealand tend to provide testing primarily for inpatients and for outpatients seen by specialists who practice within the hospital’s facilities.
This is an interesting distinction which sets New Zealand hospital laboratories apart from hospital labs in such countries as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia. In each of these countries, it is common for hospital laboratories to provide some laboratory testing to the outpatient and outreach sector, particularly to primary care clinics and office-based specialist physicians.
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Sep 15, 2009 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Pathologists will soon be practicing in an information-rich environment
“Pathology 2.0” is the term coined by one pathologist at the Mayo Clinic to describe how a multitude of informatics innovations will transform the clinical and operational relationships pathology laboratories have with physicians, patients, and payers. Pathology 2.0 describes the interactive functions associated with “Web 2.0.”
Meet Keith Kaplan, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Kaplan has a unique view of how Web 2.0 capabilities will underpin added value services in anatomic pathology. “Over the last several years, Web 2.0 has completely revolutionized the way people communicate ideas and information,” observed Kaplan.
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Aug 24, 2009 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Upcoming Pathology Visions conference will tackle digital pathology advances
Digital pathology is entering a new phase of adoption marked by three significant trends. This is the assessment of Dirk Soenksen, Founder and CEO of Aperio Technologies, Inc., in Vista, California. He believes these three trends are working together to accelerate the adoption of digital imaging and digital pathology systems by pathology laboratories across the nation.
Soenksen has observed the following three trends in recent months:
- The desire by some pathologists who already use digital pathology in niche settings to expand the use of digital pathology within their laboratories to partial or full adoption.
- A heightened interest by laboratory information system (LIS) vendors to integrate their software with digital image management (pathology PACS) software, as a way to improve their competitive advantage.
- Widespread support for the newly formed Digital Pathology Association (DPA) a not-for-profit group comprising industry and non-industry members, and its mission to focus on education, best practices, and increasing awareness.
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Jul 9, 2009 | Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Coaching Proves Effective Way To Improve Performance Of Lab Managers and Lab Staff
In the midst of a sustained labor shortage—and facing the impending retirement of highly-experienced baby boomer managers—innovative clinical laboratories and pathology labs are taking special efforts to develop the management and leadership skills of their most promising younger managers. Coaching, rather than mentoring, is more often the preferred approach to achieve this goal.
“Coaching programs in the lab industry are growing in number and effectiveness. This is especially true among the more innovative clinical laboratories in the United States,” observed Jeff Smith, Vice-President of Leadership Development for Slone Partners and Titan Management University. (more…)
Jun 9, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
What is my lab worth? That’s the question every laboratory seller wants to know!
Despite an economy in recession, laboratory buyers remain bullish on the financial fortunes of clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology companies. The lack of publicly-announced acquisitions during 2009 masks the fact that lots of conversations are happening between lab buyers and lab owners.
Why such interest? On the buyer side, private equity companies and buyers are convinced that the demographics of the aging population translates into a robust demand for laboratory testing during the next decade. Further, they are enthusiastic about the potential for the steady introduction of powerful new diagnostic assays to further drive up lab test volume. They understand why patients and physicians will seek the benefits of higher sensitivity and improved accuracy from these new assays.
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