Anatomic Pathology
Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs and tissues. It is one of two branches of pathology, the other being clinical pathology, the diagnosis of disease through the laboratory analysis of bodily fluids and/or tissues. Often, pathologists practice both anatomical and clinical pathology, a combination known as general pathology.
Anatomic pathology relates to the processing, examination, and diagnosis of surgical specimens by a physician trained in pathological diagnosis. Clinical pathology is the division that processes the test requests more familiar to the general public, such as blood cell counts, coagulation studies, urinalysis, blood glucose level determinations and throat cultures. Its subsections include chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, urinalysis and blood bank.
Anatomical pathology is itself divided in subspecialties, the main ones being surgical pathology (breast, gynecological, endocrine, gastrointestinal, GU, soft tissue, head and neck, dermatopathology), neuropathology, hematopathology, cytopathology, and forensic pathology.
Anatomic pathology is one of the two primary certifications offered by the American Board of Pathology (the other is clinical pathology) and one of three primary certifications offered by the American Osteopathic Board of Pathology. To be certified in anatomic pathology, the trainee must complete four years of medical school followed by three years of residency training. Many U.S. pathologists are certified in both anatomic pathology and clinical pathology, which requires a total of four years of residency. After completing residency, many pathologists enroll in further years of fellowship training to gain expertise in a subspecialty.
Anatomic pathologists usually work in hospitals, investigating the effects of disease on the human body via autopsies and microscopic examination of tissues, cells, and other specimens. Medical laboratory directors are responsible for the sophisticated laboratory tests on samples of tissues or fluids and the quality and accuracy of the tests. The practice of pathology is most often conducted in community hospitals or in academic medical centers, where patient care, diagnostic services, and research go hand in hand.
PathAI Buys Poplar Health, Creates Unique Company
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists were surprised this summer when a company developing image analysis software announced the acquisition of one of the nation’s largest independent anatomic pathology (AP) laboratories. The technology company PathAI is now the owner of Poplar Healthcare Man…
Is Artificial Intelligence Ready for First Use in Anatomic Pathology?
CEO SUMMARY: Use of artifical intelligence (AI) to analyze digital pathology images and aid in diagnosis—or even in making the primary diagnosis—is much discussed. Experts in pathology regularly predict that use of AI in image analysis will transform the pathology profession. Bu…
Pathologist’s Prison Term Is a Warning for AP Groups
CEO SUMMARY: In January, a former VA pathologist was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison following his conviction on charges of involuntary manslaughter and mail fraud. The facts in this case show why leaders of clinical labs and pathology groups need to be aware of individuals …
Why Labs Operate in a ‘Duality’ during Pandemic
HAS IT OCCURRED TO MANY OF YOU THAT YOUR CLINICAL LABORATORIES today must operate in what I will describe as an operational “duality”? On one side, your lab must deal with COVID-19 testing. This is true whether your lab performs molecular SARS-CoV-2…
Specimen Volume Returns at Dallas-based ProPath
CEO SUMMARY: Like other physician specialties, anatomic pathology saw a dramatic collapse in the number of daily procedures with a corresponding decline in cash flow as the COVID-19 pandemic hit with full force in March, April, and May. The good news is that the daily volume of tissue…
Quest Reports 46% Decline in New Cancer Diagnoses in March
ONCE SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDERS WERE ENACTED IN MARCH because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of new diagnoses of cancer declined sharply in the United States. Newly-published data confirms this fact. The data also support the warnings of anatomic pathologists that—because of the pandemi…
Proposed Medicare 2021 PFS Cuts Pathology Fees by 9%
IF THE PROPOSED MEDICARE 2012 PHYSICIAN FEE SCHEDULE (PFS) RULE—published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Aug. 4—takes effect as currently written, pathology professional fees will be cut by 9%, effective Jan. 1, 2021. This was not…
Globally-Respected Pathologist Juan Rosai, MD, Dies at 79
Internationally-respected pathologist Juan Rosai, MD, died on July 7, at the age of 79, in Milan, Italy. Although born …
AP Groups Can Protect Revenue, Pathologist Compensation
CEO SUMMARY: Many anatomic pathology groups are watching their revenue decline and margins shrink on the same or greater case volume. These trends make it imperative to have a deeper understanding of the operational and financial variables that contribute to stability in the group’s fi…
Respected Pathology Consultant Laurence J. Peterson Dies
Many pathologists currently leading academic pathology programs and private pathology groups got some of their best business advice from Laurence J. Peterson, CPA. For more than 30 years, Peterson was involved in the operation of both clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups throughout the…
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