Since 1995, Reliable Business Intelligence for Clinical Laboratories, Pathology Groups and Laboratory Diagnostics

July 2006

July 24, 2006 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”

Late Breaking Lab News / By Robert Michel

There’s a new crop of Web- based, direct-to-consumer laboratory companies. In recent months, Joplin-Missouri-based MyMedLab, Inc., (www. mymedlab.com) and Med-LabUSA, LLC of Tampa Florida ( www.medlabusa.com) have begun to seek publicity. Both companies offer patients a way to order laboratory tests directly via the Internet and both companies contract with other laboratories to perform the …

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“In-Office Pathology Mini-Labs” Offered by Physician GPOs

Pathology Trends / By Robert Michel

EARLIER THIS MONTH, two large physician GPOs (group purchasing organizations) announced that they had signed national agreements with a company that would “provide in-office pathology laboratories to their gastroenterology, urology, and dermatology member physicians.” The pathology company is the Twincrest Group of Cleveland, Ohio. The GPOs are International Gastroenterology Network (IGN) and International Urology Network …

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Lab Whistleblowers Are an Ever-Present Threat

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark / By R. Lewis Dark

EVERY PATHOLOGIST, LAB MANAGER, AND INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE has a justified fear of whistleblowers in their laboratory or company. Whistleblowers can surface at the most unexpected moment and with the most devastating consequences. As you will read in this issue of THE DARK REPORT, criminal actions against ex-employees of both UroCor, Inc. and Impath, Inc. were …

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Three Ex-UroCor Execs Acquitted in Jury Trial

Laboratory Compliance / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: On June 30, 2006,three former executives of UroCor,Inc.,accused by the U.S. Attorney of anti-kickback and securities violations, stood and heard the jury verdict in their case. “Not guilty on all counts,” stated the jury foreman. Thus ended the effort to convict former executives of a public lab company of violating Medicare anti-kickback laws …

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Six Ex-IMPATH Officials Receive Their Sentences

Laboratory Compliance / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: Justice has been meted out to six individuals accused of criminal fraud in the Impath,Inc. case. During June, sentences were pronounced for former President and COO Richard P. Adelson and several other defendants. Adelson will serve 42 months in prison, pay a $1.2 million fine, and was directed to pay restitution totaling $50 …

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Defense Attorneys Discuss Details Of UroCor Jury Trial

Laboratory Compliance / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: This was the first criminal case involving anti-kickback violations brought against executives of a public laboratory company. Federal prosecutors charged the defendants with offering inducements to referring physicians in several ways. Defense counsel rebutted the prosecution’s case, using several arguments that many laboratory compliance experts would consider both novel and unlikely. This story …

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Pathology Clients Now Competing Against Pathologists

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark / By R. Lewis Dark

THIS ENTIRE ISSUE IS DEVOTED TO A SINGLE TOPIC: the exploding interest by specialist physicians in establishing their own in-practice ancillary service in anatomic pathology (AP). Once again, THE DARK REPORT is first to provide the pathology profession with a concise and insightful assessment of a disruptive trend. I use the word “disruptive” for good …

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Office-Based Docs Want Anatomic Path Revenues

The Dark Report / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: Specialist physicians think they’ve found gold in anatomic pathology services. Indifferent regions of the United States, urologists and gastroenterologists are taking active steps to cut themselves a piece from the anatomic pathology revenue pie. Some physician groups are building their own histology labs and hiring pathologists. Others are entering into TC/PC arrangements as …

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Labs Taught Physicians How to Do TC/PC Deals

The Dark Report / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: As many pathology groups discover that their best urology and gastroenterology clients are taking serious steps to do their own anatomic pathology, they ask a basic question: How did their best-referring clients suddenly become motivated to get into the pathology business? The answer is simple: in recent years, other labs have taught specialist docs that …

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TC/PC: Pathology’s Barn Door Is Now Wide Open

The Dark Report / By Robert Michel

CEOSUMMARY: There’s a degree of irony in the current state of affairs. When a handful of lab companies decided to hit office-based urologists and gastroenterologists with the sales tactic of a TC/PC arrangement several years ago, no one realized the consequences of teaching these high-referring docs that there could be substantial profit in anatomic pathology …

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