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

September 2019

Opportunity for Labs to Help with Opioid Crisis

IT’S CALLED THE OPIOD CRISIS AND IT’S OFTEN A MAJOR STORY in the nightly news. In 2017, deaths from drug overdoses totaled 70,237, of which 68% (47,600) were opioid overdose deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Across the nation, government health officials and healthcare providers struggle to address the problems of …

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Expert Sees Pros, Cons In DP and WSI Systems

CEO SUMMARY: Now that the FDA has cleared two digital pathology systems for use in primary diagnosis, a growing number of pathology groups are taking up the question of whether and when they should adopt and use a digital pathology system and whole slide imaging. One pathologist with hands-on experience working with different digital pathology …

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ASCP, CAP Ask Anthem to Roll Back Price Cuts

CEO SUMMARY: One association representing pathologists says new payment rates that Anthem, Inc., is introducing in 14 states do not cover the costs of performing anatomic pathology and clinical lab testing for the tests in question. Another association says the steep payment cuts threaten the viability of small and rural pathology groups. State-by-state, Anthem is …

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Monitoring Patients on Opioids Is Opportunity for Clinical Labs

CEO SUMMARY: When developing a program to identify and treat patients who misused opioids or needed chronic opioid therapy, Community Health Network (CHN) of Indianapolis recognized that clinical lab toxicology tests were one of the few sources of objective data about patient compliance. When CHN developed its Chronic Opioid Therapy (COT) program, protocols were included that …

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Lab Monitors Compliance of Chronic Opioid Patients

CEO SUMMARY: Hospitals and health systems developing programs to manage patients on chronic opioid therapy (COT) are finding that an essential element of these programs is regular toxicology testing. In its role as the toxicology test provider for a health network in Indiana, AIT Laboratories of Denton, Texas, has found that COT patients improved their …

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September 23, 2019 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News

Spectra Laboratories, a division of the national dialysis company Fresenius Medical Care, will soon open a new 200,000 square foot laboratory facility in Memphis. The new lab will employ more than 300 people and will be located only 15 minutes from the Memphis International Airport and the Memphis world hub operated by FedEx Corporation. The …

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Monitoring Patients on Opioids with Toxicology Screens Is Opportunity for Clinical Labs

This is an excerpt of a 2,883-word article in the Sept. 23, 2019 issue of THE DARK REPORT (TDR). The full article is available to members of The Dark Intelligence Group. CEO SUMMARY: In this first industry briefing on such a program, THE DARK REPORT explains that Community Health Network (CHN) of Indianapolis recognized that …

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PGx Testing Labs Concerned by FDA’s Statements, Actions

This is a synopsis of two in-depth articles in the Sept. 3, 2019 issue of THE DARK REPORT (TDR). The full articles are available to members of The Dark Intelligence Group. CEO SUMMARY: Since April, 2019, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken steps that target clinical laboratories that perform pharmacogenetic (PGx) tests. …

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What Comes Next for the Pathology Profession?

IT MAY NOT BE A COINCIDENCE THAT MANY RECENT NEWS CYCLES have more negative pathology news than positive pathology news. After all, laboratory medicine is at the core of most clinical care delivered to patients, so it’s no coincidence that pathology—both clinical and anatomic—is a prime target for government and private payers, along with federal investigators. …

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PGx Labs Concerned by FDA’s Statements, Actions

CEO SUMMARY: Since April, the federal Food and Drug Administration has taken steps that target clinical laboratories that perform pharmacogenetic (PGx) tests. In response to letters from the FDA, some PGx lab companies have stopped reporting data that predicts a patient’s response to certain medications. Some pathologists and lab executives have criticized the FDA’s actions …

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