Mar 12, 2014 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Management & Operations
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 work for a health system that has lots of market clout in their community. That’s because concentration of market share by just a few powerful hospitals or health systems is associated with higher prices for healthcare. However, there are exceptions. (more…)
Jan 15, 2014 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Innovative web-based educational formats might add value to training initiatives for pathology residents and fellows and medical laboratory workers
In the final months of 2013, the regulatory fight between gene testing company 23andMe.com and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) generated national headlines. In that encounter, 23andMe.com blinked and ceased offering health-related genetic tests to consumers.
However, the company continues to work to position itself as a major player in genetic testing and genetic medicine. In the second half of 2013, for example, 23andMe.com initiated a business campaign to position itself as a source of on-line information about genetics for educational purposes. (more…)
Jan 3, 2014 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Management & Operations
There’s more consolidation in the hospital marketplace as institutions look to build scale and offer a fuller menu of healthcare services
Across the United States, multi-hospital health systems and stand-alone academic medical centers are looking for the right collaborations, alliances, and consolidation opportunities. This is happening because hospitals of all sizes and types recognize the need to be part of a comprehensive, integrated provider network in their region.
This is a trend that has ramifications for clinical laboratories and pathology groups that operate in the regions where these alliances and collaborations happen. That is because such collaborations can often change the competitive market for medical laboratory testing in the communities served by the partners in the alliance.
(more…)
Dec 30, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
New insights about personal genomes will give pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists different ways to use genetic tests in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of disease
Here is a human genome curve ball for pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists engaged in genetic testing in their medical laboratories. New research indicates that a larger number of humans than was once believed may have more than one genome. This has implications for many medical and health issues.
Until recently, scientists assumed that, as a rule, each individual had a unique genome. Conditions such as mosaicism and chimerism were considered a rarity.
Greater Incidence of Multiple Genomes in a Single Individual (more…)
Jul 19, 2013 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Smaller, more affordable sequencers and genome sequence interpretation computers are catching the interest of pathologists and medical laboratory scientists
In the field of whole human genome sequencing, the technology continues to improve at a remarkable pace. Products now entering the research and clinical marketplace offer speedier, more accurate gene sequencing capabilities at prices that are within the budget reach of many clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology group practices.
Miniaturization and lower cost is driving genomic medicine ever closer to the routine clinical setting. The combination of next generation gene sequencers with a smaller footprint and advances in genomic data analysis technology mean that genomic testing will increasingly migrate to smaller lab settings. Dark Daily offers its readers a look at some of the latest gene sequencing products and what their manufacturers say about the capabilities of these gene-sequencing systems. (more…)
