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

Commentary and Opinion by R. Lewis Dark

Will Esoteric Testing Soon Undergo Consolidation?

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

WITH EACH INSTANCE OF LAB CONSOLIDATION, the commercial lab sector of the laboratory industry comes closer to a true duopoly. Economists define duopoly as a market substantially controlled by two companies. Economists believe that a duopolistic market shares many characteristics of a monopolistic market. Of course, in the clinical lab industry, the likely candidates for a […]

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Healthcare Buyers Move to Change System

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

ON PAGES 9-14 OF THIS ISSUE, you will read our Editor’s cogent analysis of why healthcare buyers are taking active steps to measure the quality of services provided by hospitals and physicians, then make those measurements available to the public. The Leapfrog Group’s determination to survey hospitals and post the findings on its Web site

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Clinical Labs Discover Benchmarking

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

IN OUR MANY YEARS OF SERVICE to the clinical lab industry and the pathology profession, THE DARK REPORT has consistently been first to identify important trends and explain their relevance to those responsible for managing the nation’s laboratories. Back in 1995, we predicted that the (then) three blood brothers would strive to obtain exclusive managed

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American Healthcare At a New Crossroads

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

IN SELECTING OUR “TOP TEN” BIGGEST STORIES of the lab industry for 2001, we’ve had some interesting discussions here at THE DARK REPORT about what’s happening in the American healthcare system and how it’s affecting laboratories and pathology group practices. I believe that our healthcare system is at a crossroads. All the evidence says that, during

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Do GPOs Encourage Supplier Oligopolies?

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

WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, political insiders say two senators will hold public hearings about the business practices of hospital group purchasing organizations (GPO). This will be the first time for GPOs to face this type of congressional scrutiny. The senators want to investigate whether GPOs have negatively affected competition among medical device and hospital supply

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The Reality of Wide Scale Biological Attacks

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

MY TOPIC TODAY CONCERNS THE POTENTIAL FOR A BIOTERRORIST ATTACK to infect Americans on a vast scale. As most know, health authorities are struggling to explain new cases of pulmonary and cutaneous anthrax in victims with no obvious connections to contaminated mail or the post office. I consider this to be evidence that the infectious

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Biological Warfare Threat Takes Center Stage

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

NEWS THAT ANTHRAX SURFACED IN NEW YORK CITY AND WASHINGTON, DC comes just as we send this issue to the printer. It follows by days the discovery of anthrax in Florida. Not surprisingly, the fear of attacks by biological and chemical weapons is taking center stage in the United States. It now dominates media coverage

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Will Terror Bring Change to Our Labs?

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

IT’S BEEN ALMOST TWO WEEKS SINCE THE TRAGIC EVENTS of September 11, 2001. Like many of you, I have yet to fully comprehend the meaning of all that occurred. In going about routine tasks each day, the people I come in contact with are subdued and reflective, even somewhat distracted. They work purposefully, but at a

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Of Automation, the Internet, and Other Curiosities

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

IN READING THE FIRST DRAFTS of the stories in this issue of THE DARK REPORT, I was struck by the unsteady progress that’s been made in the lab industry by emerging technologies such as total laboratory automation (TLA) and Internet-based lab services during recent years. How many of us remember the widespread belief, back in

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Medical Errors Reporting Will Impact Labs

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

CERTAINLY HIPAA SEEMS TO BE GETTING LOTS OF ATTENTION by all categories of healthcare providers, including laboratories. But I think the movement to disclose medical errors may eventually prove to be the more serious issue for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups. Our members and clients know that just last month JCAHO began requiring hospitals

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