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

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark

Government Health Contracting Has a Seamy Side

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

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOUR LABORATORY if either or both Medicare and your state’s Medicaid program initiated some type of competitive bidding for laboratory testing services? I’ll bet there would be a level of financial pain, not to mention the consequences to physicians and patients as long-standing laboratory relationships were changed in favor of the […]

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Government Health Contracting Has a Seamy Side Read More »

TennCare’s Collapse and Its Lessons for Labs

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

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE IMPENDING COLLAPSE of TennCare, the radical Medicaid experiment launched by Tennessee in 1994? It now consumes one-third of the Tennessee state budget and Governor Phil Bredesen announced that the program will probably be ended. It is likely that Tennessee will reinstate a standard Medicaid program. I believe

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

TennCare’s Collapse and Its Lessons for Labs Read More »

Medicare’s New Policy May Help Labs

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

ONCE AGAIN, THE DARK REPORT IS FIRST TO ALERT YOU to a significant development in the laboratory testing marketplace. I am referring to a new and evolving Medicare policy which calls for the agency to reimburse for expensive new medical treatments and diagnostic tests. As you will read on pages 14-15, this policy has two

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Medicare’s New Policy May Help Labs Read More »

Facing Down the Lab Assay Patent Monster

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

PATENT ROYALTIES FOR HOMOCYSTEINE TESTING are the subject of our lead story in this issue. (See pages 2-4.) It provides an early example of how patent-protected diagnostic tests can create budget-busting problems for hospital laboratories which perform those tests. The spectre of crushing royalty payments on a host of patent-protected diagnostic assays has loomed large

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Facing Down the Lab Assay Patent Monster Read More »

Hospital Labs Produce Moderate Cost Increases

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

ALL PATHOLOGISTS AND HOSPITAL LAB ADMINISTRATORS who feel beat up about endless budget cuts should take heart. During the period 2000-2002, the cost of laboratory services in hospitals increased by 18%. That is something to brag about—and here’s why! The lab services cost increase was less than diagnostic imaging (up 36%), operating rooms (up 32%),

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Hospital Labs Produce Moderate Cost Increases Read More »

Making a Difference in Tangible Ways

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

HOW OFTEN DOES SOMETHING you learn from THE DARK REPORT make a positive difference in your laboratory? We hear lots of examples from our clients and regular readers and I’d like to share two of them with you today. The first example comes from our special, exclusive, and expanded coverage about anatomic pathology (AP) condominium

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Making a Difference in Tangible Ways Read More »

Raising the Bar on Laboratory Management Skills

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

HURRICANE CHARLEY’S IMPACT ON LABS IN FLORIDA and Lean/Six Sigma’s contribution to big improvements at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale’s hospital laboratory provide powerful evidence that the science and art of laboratory management in the United States is reaching ever-higher levels. That’s good news for our industry’s management innovators. It’s bad news for lab directors and managers

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Raising the Bar on Laboratory Management Skills Read More »

“Actionable Intelligence” In Real Time

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

BEFORE YOU READ THIS ISSUE, I would like to make three observations. Each will help you get maximum value from the information contained herein about the trend of in-house anatomic pathology (AP) laboratories in specialist physician groups. First, THE DARK REPORT’S coverage of this trend is unmatched by any other source in the lab industry.

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

“Actionable Intelligence” In Real Time Read More »

Two Blockbuster Stories to Rock the Lab Industry!

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

WOW! YOU HAVE TWO BLOCKBUSTER STORIES covered in this issue, which expanded into extra pages to bring you all the news and detailed analysis. Our lead story, on the facing page, is first news in the laboratory industry of criminal indictments of three ex-UroCor executives for laboratory sales and marketing practices that violated Medicare anti-kickback

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Two Blockbuster Stories to Rock the Lab Industry! Read More »

Lawyers Attack Charity Hospitals: Labs Beware!

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

HOSPITAL-BASED LABORATORIES FACE A NEW THREAT—from an unexpected source! On June 17, 2004, a group of lawyers filed federal class action suits against 11 health systems or hospitals in eight states. These lawyers claim the hospitals named are in violation of their charitable or not-for-profit charters because they overcharge uninsured patients and use extreme collection

To access this post, you must purchase The Dark Report.

Lawyers Attack Charity Hospitals: Labs Beware! Read More »

;