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

January 2007

Of Radiology, Pathology, GE, Siemens, and Philips

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

WHY THE SUDDEN INTEREST IN IN VITRO DIAGNOSTICS (IVD) by companies serving radiology? Over the past 12 months, what motivated General Electric to spend $8.13 billion and Siemens AG to spend $7.1 billion to acquire their own large IVD manufacturers? I suspect the answer is: information. In healthcare, radiology and laboratory medicine have two things …

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IVD Stunner: GE to Acquire Abbott’s Diagnostics Unit

Clinical Laboratory Trends / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: General Electric Corporation made a dramatic entrance into in vitro diagnostics (IVD) by acquiring almost all of Abbott Laboratories’ IVD business division. Once the sale is closed later this spring, GE will be the second major imaging vendor to buy its way into the IVD business. With its deep pockets, celebrated management skills, …

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JVHL Signs a Contract with UnitedHealth Group

Managed Care Contracts / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: When UnitedHealth Group announced its exclusive national contract with Laboratory Corporation of America, Joint Venture Hospital Laboratories (JVHL) saw opportunity. That’s because LabCorp does not have a significant presence in Michigan. JVHL parlayed its statewide network of 120 hospital laboratories into a five-year contract with UnitedHealth, positioning it to capture more market share. …

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Mayo Rolls Out RFID after only 5-Month Test

Laboratory Equipment / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: After running a test project for less than six months, The Mayo Clinic is preparing to expand its use of RFID tags and scanners, focusing on endoscopy specimens. By expanding the use of RFID, Mayo will implement the technology in 41 operating rooms, providing care to more than 20,000 surgical patients this year. …

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Pathologist Says Labs Need Read-Write RFID

Laboratory Information Systems / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: The current state of the art for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags employs read-only chips. Labs can use these RFID chips today to track specimens at intake. But pathologist William Neeley, M.D., is most enthusiastic about the potential of read-write RFID chips, which could help cut errors, improve patient safety, and boost staff …

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Paperless at Bayou Path Generates Big Dividends

Laboratory Equipment / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: Over the past year, Bayou Pathology began eliminating its paper document records. Not only did efficiency improve dramatically, but the staff was able to deliver more professional service. Bayou’s document management system started paying for itself immediately and both pathologists and staff love how the paperless system contributes to greater accuracy and increased …

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CMS Gets Positive Results from Hospital P4P Demo

Laboratory Billing / By Robert Michel

HOSPITALS IN THE FEDERAL PAY FOR performance demonstration project showed significant improvement in delivering quality in five clinical areas, according to a new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS said the second-year results from its Premier Hospital Quality Improvement Demonstration project means that 115 top-performing hospitals will earn $8.7 million …

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CDC Seeks to Identify Best Laboratory Practices

Clinical Laboratory / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: To advance the goal of enhancing the practice of laboratory medicine, the CDC has organized two teams of laboratory experts. They will study best practices and proficiency testing in medical labs nationwide. Such approaches as lab standards, voluntary reporting of adverse events, and adaptations of Six Sigma and Lean could help improve the …

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January 29, 2007 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”

Late Breaking Lab News / By Robert Michel

To make its laboratory test results available to physicians via cellular telephones and wireless PDAs, Spectrum Laboratory Network of Greensboro, North Carolina, will use the MercuryMD service of Thompson Healthcare . Spectrum sales reps will install MercuryMD on the smartphones and/or PDAs of client physicians. This service allows physicians in Spectrum’s affiliated network of hospitals in …

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A New Look and New Services for THE DARK REPORT

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

YOU’VE PROBABLY ALREADY NOTICED that this issue of THE DARK REPORT sports a new look! We took advantage of the New Year to deliver a fresh, new appearance to THE DARK REPORT while preserving all that’s unique and most valued by our long-time clients and regular readers. Refinements to our established format are designed to …

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