Nov 14, 2011 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing
Two Senate committees seem interested in how certain medical laboratories offer discounted laboratory test prices to selected health insurers
Is it a coincidence that discounted medical laboratory test pricing offered by the nation’s two largest clinical laboratory companies appears to now be the subject of interest for the Senate Judiciary and Senate Finance Committees? Last Tuesday, Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) issued a press release titled “Grassley, Baucus Scrutinize Practice by Health Insurers and Testing Labs.”
Baucus is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and Grassley is the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Together, these two Senators sent letters last week to two clinical laboratory companies and three big health insurance firms: (more…)
Aug 15, 2011 | Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Inadequate number of anatomic pathologists is a factor in lengthy delays in pathology test reporting
Even as the Province of Manitoba deals with some highly-publicized issues in anatomic pathology, over in the neighboring Province of Saskatchewan, a sizeable backlog in anatomic pathology cases earlier in the year caused the Saskatoon Health Region to refer pathology cases to another region within the province.
As happened in Manitoba, journalists are reporting regularly on the problems with Saskatechwan’s anatomic pathology service. That has made the public aware that a shortage of pathologists in Saskatoon played a significant role in lengthening the time required to process tissue specimens and deliver a completed pathology report to physicians.
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Aug 9, 2010 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Testing ceases following July 19 inspection by officials from CMS and CAP
Last Friday, The Washington Post broke the news that Georgetown University Hospital (GUH) had closed the pathology laboratory that performed certain breast cancer tests. The action—described as an “unprecedented” suspension by GUH Chief Medical Officer Stephen Evans, M.D.—was taken in response to an investigation of the pathology laboratory by federal officials.
The closure of the laboratory followed an inspection on July 19, 2010 by officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and inspectors from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Hospital officials say the molecular testing laboratory in question will be closed as long as four to eight weeks. During this time, specimens are being referred to outside laboratory testing sources.
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