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

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark

Congress is Listening. Labs Must Step Up on PAMA

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark / Scott Wallask

Just as The Dark Report went to press for this issue, the US federal government reopened after the longest shutdown in the country’s history. And while political pundits on both sides of the spectrum argued about who won and lost during the shutdown, it was clear that the clinical laboratory industry quietly notched a significant […]

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More Signs of Shifting Sands in the Lab World

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

If you feel like the ground is shifting under your feet in the clinical laboratory world, I would agree with you. It’s clear that situations are changing in the diagnostics market. This issue of The Dark Report is stocked with evidence of our observation. Take, for example, the lead briefing, which digs into the College

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Observing a Champion … and Some Antagonists

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

Judging from the briefings we present in this issue, a “cheers and jeers” column seems an appropriate use of my soapbox. First, the well-earned cheers. An in-depth case study traces how Kootenai Health, which had seen its clinical laboratory outreach business outsourced to a national lab, took a series of strategic steps to win back

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RESULTS Act Offers Another Chance at PAMA Relief

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

OVER YOUR SHOULDER, YOU MAY HEAR THE CLOCK TICKING when it comes to laboratory test reimbursement rate cuts coming under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). Short of action by Congress, on Jan. 1, 2026, more than 800 tests will get hit with up to a 15% reduction in rates. It’s a

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An Insider’s Observances of Lab Outreach Deals

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

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO VIEW CLINICAL LABORATORY OUTREACH ACQUISITIONS and the enormous amount of money changing hands in these deals. From one point of view, those fearful of the continued expansion of national lab giants like Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics may shiver every time one of these companies grabs a new outreach site. Meanwhile,

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Don’t Let the Payers Enjoy All the Benefits of Data

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

PROBABLY SINCE THE ADVENT OF MANAGED CARE, CLAIMS REIMBURSEMENT at its core has been about data. And lots of it. True, it was reams of paper about claims at one point, and now it’s largely digital submissions. The format is irrelevant; those claims contain useful strategic information for both payers and clinical laboratories. Of course,

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National Enforcement Trends Will Test Labs

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

This issue is strong on different flavors of enforcement that clinical laboratories, whether they want to or not, will need to contend with. Perhaps you saw news coverage recently when the US military dropped a dozen or so “bunker buster” bombs into underground Iranian nuclear facilities. I hawkishly contend that diagnostic lab directors and anatomical

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For Lab Veterans, It’s Time to Step into AI’s Shadow

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

READING THROUGH THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF THE DARK REPORT’S analysis about the state of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical laboratories, this cantankerous observer found himself thinking about ChatGPT. Do I dare to use ChatGPT? Occasionally. Am I fluent in how to craft meaningful queries using Chat? No. Do I need to improve my game with

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Others Want Diagnostic Data, Labs Should Too

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark, Laboratory Compliance / R. Lewis Dark

ONE NEED NOT LOOK FURTHER THAN THE PAGES OF THIS ISSUE OF THE DARK REPORT to once again realize the importance of the diagnostic data residing within your clinical laboratory operations. Perhaps it’s rote to say “diagnostic data is a gold mine” for labs. But if all labs truly acted on that notion, wouldn’t everyone

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Don’t Pass Up Chance to Steer LDTs, PAMA Reform

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark / Robert Michel

CLINICAL LABORATORY PROFESSIONALS HAVE RECEIVED A RARE CHANCE for their unified efforts to make a long-term difference in the regulation of the industry. Of course, that endeavor won’t come easy. As detailed in the pages of this issue, two high-priority concerns are awaiting a firm hand of guidance from conscientious labs: The future of laboratory

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