From the Volume XXVI No. 9 – July 1, 2019 issue
TWO OF THE NATION’S LARGER HEALTH INSURERS—AETNA AND ANTHEM— ARE CUTTING WHAT THEY PAY for the professional component of certain clinical and anatomic pathology codes.
In its communications with pathology groups about this policy change, Aetna says it will no longer pay for most clinical laboratory claims submitted with the modifier 26 for professional component services.
From the Volume XXVI No. 8 – June 10, 2019 issue
Did the number of active pathologists practicing in the United States actually shrink by 17.53% between 2007 and 2017? That is the conclusion of a study published on May 31 by the online Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). This startling finding is our lead story in this issue.
A research team of five pathologists
From the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
INTERESTING THINGS ARE UNFOLDING within the profession of anatomic pathology. If the adage of “follow the money” applies to understanding why things happen, then recent events support some surprising conclusions.
Take the news reported in this issue of The Dark Report that PathGroup of Nashville is acquiring Pathologists Bio-Medical Laboratories (PBML) of Dallas. That brings together two regional
From the Volume XXVI No. 6 – April 29, 2019 issue
Across the nation, clinical laboratories struggle to correctly interpret and follow the new National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) guidelines that took effect on Jan. 1. A financial disaster lies ahead for many labs.
“The denials are very high right now and those denials are nationwide,” stated Kyle Fetter, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Diagnostic
From the Volume XXVI No. 5 – April 8, 2019 issue
Our Editor-In-Chief just finished the daunting task of confirming 125 speakers for more than 80 sessions for our 24th annual Executive War College on Lab and Pathology Management. It is our biggest conference ever! These facts are significant to you for an important reason.
The planning phase for an Executive War College requires requires hundreds of
From the Volume XXVI No. 4 – March 18, 2019 issue
THERE IS A NEW FAVORITE WORD WALL STREET ANALYST USE when they want to describe an industry that is going to experience tough times that will make it difficult for companies to grow and remain profitable. That word is “headwinds” and it can aptly be applied to the multiple tough challenges that are about to
From the Volume XXVI No. 3 – February 25, 2019 issue
BIGGER PATHOLOGY GROUPS AND METROWIDE OR STATEWIDE COVERAGE will be major characteristics in the anatomic pathology profession as healthcare continues to transform in new ways. That is why the reasons for the substantial growth in case volume and revenue at North Shore Pathologists (NSP) in Milwaukee should be studied by pathology groups everywhere.
It was a practice
From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 issue
By any measure, it is tougher today for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups to generate the revenue needed to deliver state-of-the-art diagnostic testing services while remaining financially viable. Four recent trends prove the point.
First, every year, the Medicare program and private health insurers are cutting the prices they pay for medical laboratory tests.
Second, most
From the Volume XXVI No. 1 – January 14, 2019 issue
It may be timely to ask a provocative question that touches everyone in the profession of laboratory medicine. Is there a future for community laboratories and hospital lab outreach programs in the United States, given the different forces acting upon the clinical laboratory industry today?
In this issue, our editorial team describes the multiple disruptive consequences
From the Volume XXV No. 18 – December 24, 2018 issue
Each time a new year approaches, it is natural to look ahead and think about what the next 12 months will bring. My bet is that certain sectors of the clinical laboratory industry are soon to experience substantial disruption.
This disruption will come in two forms. First, federal regulators will be tougher on labs that violate
