University of Maryland Study Determines Nearly 50% of All Healthcare in America is Delivered in Emergency Departments, Validating What Hospital Medical Laboratories Have Long Known

Jan 22, 2018 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

Meanwhile, some insurance payers are dropping coverage for certain medical treatments they consider “unnecessary,” leaving hospitals and their medical laboratories to wonder if they will be reimbursed for the tests they perform Hospital-based medical laboratories and anatomic pathologists are well aware that the emergency department (ED) in their hospital is their single largest customer and that reporting test results within required turn-around times (TATs) is a non-stop battle. Thus, it...

Decline in Imaging Utilization Could Be Linked to Changes in Policies and Funding for Diagnostics; Could Something Similar Happen with Anatomic Pathology?

Oct 20, 2017 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement

New study analyzes the dramatic decline in the utilization of imaging diagnostics between 2008 and 2014 and suggests that reductions in imaging use could be the result of changes in federal policy, increased deductibles, and cost-cutting focuses Anatomic pathologists have experienced sustained cuts to reimbursements for both technical component and professional component services during the past eight to 10 years. But what has not happened to pathology is a 33% decline in the volume of...

Thomas Jefferson University Study Finds Critical Weakness in Commercially Manufactured Exome-Capture Test Kits Used by Some Medical Laboratories

Aug 22, 2014 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing

The four exome test kits examined as part of this study failed to deliver quality results, particularly because they often missed some disease-causing mutations altogether Human exome sequencing is gaining favor among medical laboratories wanting to use this information for clinical purposes. However, the accuracy of some exome-capture test kits available on the market today has come under question. A team from the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia surveyed the potential...
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