‘Femtech’ Diagnostic Start-up Firms Want to Provide Women with At-Home Tests for Health Conditions That Currently Require Tests Done by Clinical Laboratories

Several young companies hope to expand the direct-to-consumer test market by introducing new diagnostic tests to serve the women’s health market Providing women with at-home lab test kits is the goal of a growing class of start-up companies that are bringing to market consumer test kits for a range of health conditions common to women. These companies believe they can shift a substantial volume of such testing away from the nation’s medical laboratories. Moreover, diagnostic startups that...

Growing Wave of Hospital and Health System Mega-Mergers Means Changing Dynamics for Pathology and Clinical Laboratory Medicine

Accelerating pace of hospital consolidation brings new pressure to pathologists and clinical laboratory directors to maximize the value of pathology services Large and financially-stable multi-hospital health systems are racing to form regional mega-systems. It’s a strategy to get ahead of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) mandate to improve quality and increase efficiency through coordinated care across the entire care continuum. This growing national trend means further consolidation of...

Narrow Networks Mean Shrinking Opportunity for Pathology and Clinical Medical Laboratories

Pathology groups and medical laboratories may benefit if federal and state legislators legislate broadening of provider networks Insurers are increasingly using narrow networks as a business strategy to control costs. As a consequence, more consumers are complaining even as some excluded providers are suing health insurers. For pathologists and clinical laboratory managers, this accelerating trend of excluding providers means increasingly restricted access to patients. Health Insurers Walk a...

Some Hospital-based Physician Pay Trends Identified by Becker’s Hospital Review Could Play to Pathology’s ‘Sweet Spot’

Savvy pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals will look for ways to generate increased value to clinicians by becoming partners and consultants in clinical decisions Becker’s Hospital Review has identified seven trends in hospital-based physician pay that have emerged over the past several years. These trends reflect fundamental changes in the private practice of medicine and will be of interest to those pathologists and clinical laboratory managers who provide medical laboratory...

Kaiser Identifies and Ranks 10 Highest-Price Markets for Health Insurance and Determines that Lack of Competition Is One Contributing Factor

Pathologists may be surprised to learn that the nation’s highest-cost markets for health insurance include Colorado ski resorts and rural regions What do the 10 most expensive U.S. health insurance markets have in common? According to a story published by Kaiser Health News, the 10 highest-priced markets are characterized by lack of competition among doctors, hospitals and insurers. That will probably not be a surprise to most clinical laboratory managers and pathologists, particularly if they...
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