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Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark

There’s Good and Bad News about Allina-Sutter Deal

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

Allina Health, Sutter Health, diagnostic laboratories, integrated delivery network, IDN, artificial intelligence, AI, bot, RAND Journal of Economics, Diagnostic laboratories once again find themselves pondering a large deal among integrated delivery networks. This time it’s a proposal for Allina Health in Minnesota to join Sutter Health based in California. But there are pros and cons […]

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A Whistleblower Risk for Lab Leaders to Navigate

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

Our lead briefing details a federal appeals court case that could end up being a landmark decision in favor of clinical laboratory billing and coding practices. The gist of the decision is that if a diagnostic laboratory performs a test based on a physician’s order, then it creates a safe harbor for the lab that

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Revenue Concerns to Watch at Home and Abroad

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

This issue of The Dark Report explores long-term revenue interests from two angles, both of which are important for clinical laboratory leaders and pathology practice owners to contemplate. One of our briefings delves into how a lab fought back against payers that were denying claims for mysterious reasons. It is not the first organization to

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Permanent PAMA Reform Must Happen in 2026

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

Previously, it would have been hard to imagine even in the current political landscape that US immigration policy would somehow intersect with clinical laboratory test reimbursement. Yet, in recent weeks, that exact scenario happened as lawmakers reacted to a fatal shooting of a citizen protester by a federal agent in Minneapolis, during a crackdown on

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Crucial Themes Shape 2026 Executive War College

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

With 2026 now upon us, our attention here at The Dark Report starts to look towards April and the 31st Annual Executive War College on Diagnostics, Clinical Laboratory, and Pathology Management. The conference’s organizers and external advisors are hard at work shaping an agenda that brings together the most relevant macro trends, technological advancements, and

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In 2026, Challenges Can Be Business Opportunities

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

Looking over The Dark Report’s annual rundown of the most significant clinical laboratory and pathology stories of the past year, the world “tumult” comes to mind. At points during the past year the tumult leaned in the favor of labs, such as a federal judge vacating the Food and Drug Administration’s rule on laboratory developed

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Paper, the Cloud, and Lessons for Laboratories

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

Paper requisitions. Cloud-based data. These two concepts are on opposite ends of the spectrum in clinical labs and pathology practices. Paper is an old-school institution that some labs continue to use. How many draw stations still require patients to fill out a hardcopy form and then immediately place it in a basket for a phlebotomist

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Congress is Listening. Labs Must Step Up on PAMA

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark /

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 /

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 /

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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