The Dark Report Archives

Pathologist Frederick Kiechle, MD, Molecular Pioneer, Dies at 78

Clinical pathology lost one of its greatest practitioners when pathologist Frederick L. Kiechle, MD, PhD, FCAP, of Cooper City, Fla., died on July 30, 2024, at the age of 78. Kiechle—known as Fritz to his colleagues and friends—was continually at the forefront of laboratory medicine. In the late 1980s he was among the first pathologists […]

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Latest Kaufman Hall Report: 40% of Hospitals Losing Money

Clinical Laboratory Trends / Robert Michel

MANY HOSPITALS REPORT HEALTHIER FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE in the past 18 months. At the same time, a large proportion of U.S. hospitals have negative operating margins. This means the gap is widening between the group of hospitals with positive operating margins, compared to hospitals with negative operating margins. This has implications for clinical laboratory administrators in

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Proven Ways to Improve Pathologist Productivity and Compensation

Pathology Trends / Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: There is now extensive data from 1,400 pathologists serving in 230 pathology groups that show certain clinical and business strategies can lift a group’s collected revenue and increase the total annual compensation of the group’s pathologists. This is the first of a series of intelligence briefings that presents the findings from a study

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Getting Test Claims Paid & Class Action Lawsuits

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

When you crack open this issue of The Dark Report, you will find it organized around two primary stories. One story introduces you to a new type of legal attack on healthcare providers—including clinical laboratories—by class action lawyers. The second story delivers to you a comprehensive look at which lab test claims are getting paid

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Internet Tracking Lawsuits Target Quest and Labcorp

Clinical Laboratory Trends / Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: Here is the clinical lab industry’s first intelligence briefing on how class action attorneys are filing lawsuits against healthcare providers—including clinical laboratories. The allegations are that providers are using internet tracking tools, such as those offered by Meta/Facebook and Google, that cause private patient and consumer information to become public. QUEST DIAGNOSTICS AND

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Insights from Q3 2024 Earnings Calls Point to a More Robust Lab Market

Clinical Laboratory / Robert Michel

FOR THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2024 (Q3 2024), both of the nation’s largest publicly traded laboratories—Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics—reported growing revenue, more emphasis on specialty testing and advanced diagnostics, as well as progress with acquisitions and partnerships. LABCORP: Grows Q3 Revenue 7.4%, Advances Acquisitions Labcorp, Burlington, N.C., shared these Q3 2024 and nine-month financial results

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Managing Denials and Appeals of Clinical Lab, Path Claims

Laboratory Billing / Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: Based on a study of denials and appeals involving about 20 million lab test claims, the team at XiFin Inc. presents here their findings. They also provide recommendations on steps labs can take to reduce denials and win a greater proportion of appeals. IN RECENT YEARS, THE ERA OF SUBMITTING CLINICAL LABORATORY TEST

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Change Healthcare Cyberattack Involved 100 Million Americans

Laboratory Management / Robert Michel

AFTER EXPERIENCING WHAT MANY CYBERSECURITY EXPERTS consider to be one of the largest, most disruptive ransomware attacks ever earlier this year within its Change Healthcare business unit, UnitedHealth Group (UHG) in its third quarter earnings report said net income was $6.1 billion for third quarter, 2024, a 3.7% increase over the same time last year.

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November 4, 2024, Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News

Late Breaking Lab News / Robert Michel

Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Veterans Administration (VA). Last week, on Oct. 30, the two agencies issued an announcement that they would partner “to launch an interagency testing ground forchealthcare-related artificial intelligence tools.” This development will have consequences for the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry,

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Four Health Systems Launch ‘Longitude Health’

Clinical Laboratory Trends / Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: For the second time in the past 16 months, respected health systems have taken steps to collaborate specifically to advance value-based care. Longitude Health joins Risant Health as the newest attempt to bring together different health systems and foster collaboration and innovation in ways that directly lead to better patient care at lower

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