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

November 2017

FDA CLEARS WAIVED CBC FOR NEAR-PATIENT TESTING

The Dark Report / By R. Lewis Dark

CEO SUMMARY: Market clearance of the first-ever CLIA waived analyzer for complete blood count and three-part differential tests could cut time-to-answer from days to mere minutes for one of the top 20 tests by volume performed at core laboratories. Developer Sysmex America, Inc., foresees its analyzer as a complement to central labs. Basic diagnostics would …

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Is the Worm Turning in Favor of Hospital Labs?

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

SINCE THE MID-1990S, HOSPITAL OUTREACH LABORATORY PROGRAMS have lost market share steadily to the nation’s biggest public lab companies. In these two decades, public lab companies traded deeply-discounted lab test prices to health insurers in exchange for exclusive network provider status. Then, about eight years ago, having captured many managed-care contracts across the nation, big …

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Paths of Hospital Labs, Independent Labs Diverge

Clinical Laboratory Trends / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: With each passing year, the primary role of hospital and health system labs evolves in a different direction than that of independent lab companies. This trend is a response to the creation of integrated delivery networks paid on value and how they are scored on their ability to keep patients out of hospitals …

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Surprisingly Low Price Paid for Miraca’s AP Lab Is a Warning

Laboratory Management / By Joseph Burns

EVEN INTO THE MID 1980s, coal miners used canaries as an early-detection system for the presence of carbon monoxide and other toxic gases. In this way, canaries served as a sentinel species to save miners’ lives. Clinical laboratories and pathology groups don’t have a sentinel species to warn them about trouble ahead, but they do …

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Fla. Lab Sells to Labcorp, But Keeps Nursing Homes

Laboratory Management / By Joseph Burns

CEO SUMMARY: Vista Clinical Diagnostics of Clermont, Fla., is betting big on the nursing home sector just when many labs serving nursing homes are worried about steep Medicare cuts coming Jan. 1. After selling its physician office referral testing, 35 patient service centers, and a mobile testing service to LabCorp, Vista will retain its nursing …

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Tougher Times Ahead as Labs React to Fee Cuts

Laboratory Management / By Joseph Burns

CEO SUMMARY: Just as Nero is reputed to have fiddled while Rome burned, officials at CMS seem to be doing their own fiddling as their planned deep price cuts to Medicare Part B lab tests could begin driving lab companies out of business. In recent weeks, the owners of two lab companies decided to sell …

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CMS Publishes Final CLFS Rates, Labs Prepare to Cut Staff or Close

Laboratory Billing / By Joseph Burns

MEDICARE OFFICIALS PUBLISHED the final Part B Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule for 2018 last Friday. Some changes clinical labs will welcome. The rates remain deeply flawed, however, and will cause many labs to lay off staff and others to close, experts said Saturday. How CMS set the rates remains problematic, stated Julie Khani, President of …

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FDA Clears Waived CBC For Near-Patient Testing

Clinical Laboratory / By R. Lewis Dark

CEO SUMMARY: Market clearance of the first-ever CLIA-waived analyzer for complete blood count and three-part differential tests could cut time-to-answer from days to mere minutes for one of the top 20 tests by volume performed at core laboratories. Developer Sysmex America, Inc., foresees its analyzer as a complement to central labs. Basic diagnostics would be …

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November 20, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News

Late Breaking Lab News / By R. Lewis Dark

Last Friday, Roche announced an agreement to acquire Viewics, Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., in a transaction that, subject to regulatory clearance, is expected to close on Nov. 21. Viewics sells a middleware analytics solution to clinical labs. Terms of the sale were not announced. Viewics was founded in 2010. SUNQUEST IN DEAL WITH N-OF-ONE Earlier …

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Value-based healthcare launches new conflicting interests for hospital labs, independents

TDR Insider / By Mary Van Doren

This is an excerpt from a 2,400-word article in the Nov. 20, 2017 issue of THE DARK REPORT. The complete article is available for a limited time to all readers, and available at all times to paid members of the Dark Intelligence Group. CEO SUMMARY: Here at the dawn of the new era of value-based …

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