Laboratory Management
Laboratory management in today’s clinical lab industry is changing rapidly and facing entirely new challenges. One problem is the lack of upcoming younger lab managers, as the retirements of baby boomer pathologists, medical technologists and lab scientists are in the near future. These individuals make up the largest proportion of supervisors, managers, and lab administrators working in labs today.
As they retire, every clinical lab and pathology group needs to have the next generation of leaders ready to step up and assume responsibilities. But, across the lab industry, there are limited opportunities for every lab’s brightest up-and-comers to get the regular management development opportunities that are common among Fortune 500 companies. The Dark Intelligence Group has called for the establishment of a mentoring program to help overcome this problem.
At the same time, downward pressure on reimbursements and mounting competition have created an environment that requires much more effort for a medical lab to grow and thrive.
Legislation, including the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010, have placed significant demands on medical laboratories and healthcare providers to improve internal efficiency even while offering more services for less money. This pressure to “do more with less” is further compounded by the need to deliver increasingly personalized client service to retain and win clients.
With the era of fee-for-service medicine coming to a close, every clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology organization needs a strategy for getting paid, as new reimbursement models that support patient-centric care will make up a larger portion of lab revenues.
The challenge for every clinical laboratory manager is to understand how to evolve from a business model that is accession-centric or volume-centric to one that is patient-centric.
Many clinical laboratories today are developing data repositories to logically link all transactional and other information about a patient. These repositories allow physicians to see all relevant information, identify trends, and provide better care as a result, enabling labs to provide greater value to their customers, patients and payers, thus creating more value and becoming more patient-centric.
Largest Hospital Lab JV Making Steady Progress
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a daunting task to rationalize and integrate lab testing services among 21 hospitals spread out between Eastern Wisconsin and the south side of Chicago. Since the joint venture was announced April 2000, management initiatives have generated lower costs. But the number …
Dynacare Expands Into Chicago With Purchase of 2 Small Labs
IT’S A BUSINESS STRATEGY BUILT AROUND “go where they ain’t!” In recent years, Dynacare, Inc. has found its best growth comes from acquiring laboratories in areas somewhat underserved by larger national competitors. It then uses that regional base to expand outward into nearb…
Point-of-Care Kiosk Improves Outcomes In Emergency Department
CEO SUMMARY: Steadily increasing numbers of patients at Massachusetts General Hospital exceeded the capacity of its emergency department. Challenged to help with the situation, lab administrators created a point-of-care testing kiosk within the emergency department (ED). This unique lab p…
Memorial Hermann Lab Launches Crash Rebuild
CEO SUMMARY: This 600-bed hospital and core laboratory are in a crash rebuilding program as a result of flooding from tropical storm Allison. One important management lesson learned is the value of consolidating and integrating laboratory services within a health system. Previous lab inte…
Hospital Association Studies Nurse & Lab Staffing Issues
WIDESPREAD PUBLICITY about the nursing shortage is not coincidence. The American Hospital Association (AHA) is making “staffing relief” a primary reason why the current Congress should increase reimbursement and provide funding for training and recruiting healthcare workers. A v…
THE DARK REPORT Honors Lab “Movers & Shakers”
CEO SUMMARY: It’s time again to recognize and honor the lab industry’s strong leaders in innovative management. These laboratory executives are implementing business strategies designed to position their lab organizations to serve the changing needs of the healthcare system. Their vis…
Specialty Labs and Dynacare Have Balance Sheet Differences
SINCE LAST FALL’S SUCCESSFUL IPOs (initial public offering) raised $92 million for Specialty Laboratories, Inc. and $50 million for Dynacare, Inc., the financial fortunes of the two lab companies have begun moving in different directions. Lab administrators and pa…
LabNet of Ohio Profits From Network Projects
CEO SUMMARY: Since its inception seven years ago, this regional lab network has worked diligently to create the service infrastructure necessary to pursue managed care contracts. Along the way, LabNet of Ohio has found gold in such business initiatives as shared testing and group purchasi…
Market Changes Lead LabCorp To Follow New Strategic Direction
CEO SUMMARY: When formed in 1995, Laboratory Corporation of America faced a financially-hostile marketplace for lab testing services. However, strategic planning retreats in 1997 and 1999 were pivotal in redirecting this billion-dollar lab behemoth toward financial stability. During 2000,…
Controversial Montana Ruling Pits Nurses Against Labs
MONTANA IS IN THE MIDST of an interesting feud over the scope of practice between nurses and certified laboratory professionals. On December 11, 2000, the Montana Board of Nursing issued a declaratory ruling stating that the scope of practice for nurses included performing unwaived …
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 15 – October 27, 2025
The Dark Report examines the momentous decision by the VA to switch accreditors from The Joint Commission to CAP. Also, we analyze retractions in pathology journals to gain insight into scientific fraud.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
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