Dec 8, 2009 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Top labs are leveraging Lean Six Sigma to Boost Performance and Profits
Clinical laboratories and pathology groups using Lean Six Sigma methods are blowing right past the dismal economy and posting strong improvements in operations and financial performance. In fact, at their most innovative, these laboratories are developing new global “best practices” in how they use Lean and Six Sigma.
Both Stegall and Sprick will share the hottest developments in how labs are benefiting from Lean Six Sigma.
“Laboratory professionals will be surprised at how fast Lean Six Sigma methods are transforming three areas of the lab,” stated Susan Stegall, Managing Partner at Sprick, Stegall and Associates, a laboratory management consulting firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We see signs that the most proficient of these laboratories are performing at a ‘best practices’ level.
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Dec 3, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Agreement to acquire East Side Clinical Laboratory is a reminder that Sonic remains an active buyer of clinical laboratories
It’s another clinical lab acquisition and a new regional market for Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX:SHL). Yesterday the Australian-based lab company established a beachhead in New England when it acquired East Side Clinical Laboratory, based in Providence, Rhode Island.
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Nov 20, 2009 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Second opinion dermpath business combines digital pathology, glass slides, and the Internet.
Telepathology, Federal Express, and internet technologies are the cornerstones of a flourishing second opinion business by dermatopathologists in Boston, Massachusetts. In just a few years, the practice has built a national and international clientele. This confirms that there is already overseas demand for access to expert pathologists with subspecialty skills.
Another unique twist to this pathology second opinion business is its use of a subscription arrangement. Referring pathology groups can pay sliding flat fee per case, based on a pre-agreed monthly volume. This arrangement has proved popular.
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Nov 16, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Provides doctors with fast access to care pathways and diagnostic rules
Most pathologists and laboratory professionals in the United States are unaware of a unique clinical resource called the “Map of Medicine”. This was started in the United Kingdom and utilizes evidence-based medicine (EBM) guidelines in the care pathways it makes available to clinicians who visit the web site.
Map of Medicine shows how the Internet is already changing the way some physicians access knowledge and use it to advance their clinical practice. The Map of Medicine also illustrates a way that evidence-based medicine guidelines can quickly become available to clinicians. Given the pre-eminent role that laboratory testing plays in diagnosis, pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will want to learn more about why physicians find it useful to access the Map of Medicine as they work with patients.
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Nov 6, 2009 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Essential to protect pathology reimbursement with skilled management
Despite a slow economy, new technology continues to flood into anatomic pathology. These two contradictory forces make it essential for pathologist business leaders and their practice administrators to respond appropriately to preserve reimbursement and maximize the compensation of pathologists in the group.
Dollars are not flowing to labs as easily as before, and money left on the table can be the difference between a lab’s success and failure. Dark Daily recently caught up with Lance Beard, administrator at HistoPath, the largest provider of anatomic pathology services in South Texas, to talk about the challenges laboratories are facing in the current landscape.
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