Pathology Trends
Pathology groups face a number of challenging pathology trends in the era of radical healthcare reform.
One of the primary trends is that like clinical laboratories, these businesses are carrying significant and potentially unsustainable levels of unreimbursed services. Although bad debt and uncompensated care in the healthcare industry are not new, they have been increasing at the same time that downward pressure is being applied to pathology reimbursement.
Medical laboratories and pathology groups are also facing enormous levels of change in their clinical, regulatory and financial environments. As the Affordable Care Act is implemented, laboratories see downward pressure on reimbursement at both the federal and payer level, coupled with increased emphasis on efficiency and quality.
Labs and health care providers need to seriously consider moving toward a retail business model. Changes in the health insurance market are now requiring patients to pay more out of pocket, and the perfect storm of bad debt and decreased requirement is pressuring laboratories.
Other pathology trends include:
- Growing emphasis on the continuum of care
- Increasing patient interaction directly with the lab organization
- Mounting demands of interoperability across a proliferation of disparate information technology systems to achieve meaningful use
- Evolving requirements for communication and data sharing with payers, accountable care organizations (ACOs), health information exchanges (HIEs) and other trading partners
Industry observers say that responding to each of these trends requires access to the most complete set of patient data possible. Accurate patient identification and record consolidation is central to achieving these goals.
In addition, labs and pathologists are increasingly urged to add value to the testing services they perform by leveraging information technology. For instance, advanced health information technology can be deployed within clinical labs and pathology groups specifically to meet changing patient expectations, while supporting the needs of client physicians for optimal workflow.
Exposed: Who Created Path Lab Condo Scheme
CEO SUMMARY: It wasn’t pathologists and it wasn’t laboratory executives who started this scheme. Anatomic pathology condominium laboratory complexes were conceived by urologists in Florida. Some Texas urologists jumped on the bandwagon early, becoming enthusiastic promoters of the sch…
Visit To A Path Condo Lab: “You Are Not Welcome”
NO “WELCOME MAT” greets visitors to an anatomic pathology (AP) condominium complex. That was certainly true last month when an agent of THE DARK REPORT attempted to visit a lab condo complex in San Antonio, Texas. Operated by UroPath, LLC, the lab condo complex is located at 790…
Linking UroCor Indictments With Specialist Doc Pathology
IS THE TIMING of the criminal indictments of three ex-UroCor executives going to be a fortuitous event for the anatomic pathology profession? I ask this question because the exploding trend of specialist physician groups internalizing anatomic pathology services was slated to be the…
Urology & GI Physicians Bring Pathology In-House
CEO SUMMARY: Increasing numbers of urology and gastroenterology specialist groups are deciding to bring anatomic pathology services in-house. This phenomenon has gathered speed during the past year and is becoming a threat to the long-term financial and clinical stability of the anatomic …
Pathology “Condo Labs” Are New Business Ploy
CEO SUMMARY: We call ‘em pathology condominium laboratories. Other names are “pod labs” and “salon labs.” Whatever name is used, this new scheme by specialist physicians to capture pathology revenues may be the most significant threat to the anatomic pathology profession since t…
In-House Versus Off-Site: Different Concerns
CEO SUMMARY: Three methods are available to specialist physician groups to capture anatomic pathology revenues generated by their patient population. Two methods have been around a long time. The pathology condo lab method is a new ploy. Of the three, one is generally accepted and more ea…
Changing Economics Motivate Urologists & GIs
CEO SUMMARY: Over the past 18 months, more specialist groups have created their own anatomic pathology laboratories than were created in the past five years. It’s a gold rush to tap and capture profits generated by the anatomic pathology services provided to their patient populations. T…
National AP Firms Target Gastroenterology Groups
CEO SUMMARY: It’s a trend as yet invisible to the radar screens of most pathology groups. A new crop of specialty AP companies is targeting gastroenterology. In the past 36 months, several have posted phenomenal growth in both specimen volume and revenue. The heightened competition for …
ASCP’s “Molecular Pathology” Certification Now Available
RECOGNIZING the growing importance of molecular pathology, the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) established a new certification program in this diagnostic specialty. Offered since June 2003, 18 people have passed the examination and can use the designation “MP (ASCP)….
AmeriPath Reports on 2003, Its First Year as a Private Firm
WILL BUSINESS BE BETTER for AmeriPath, Inc. as a private company than it was as a publicly-traded firm? Its 2003 financial report indicates some interesting challenges, many common to all laboratories. First, a look at basic numbers. AmeriPath’s net revenues grew from $478.8 milli…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025
Now that a federal judge has vacated the FDA’s LDT rule, The Dark Report analyzes the judgement and notes the various steps the FDA could take in response. Also, lab testing at pharmacies is proving to be less successful than was once anticipated.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
Lab leaders rely on THE DARK REPORT for actionable intelligence on important developments in the business of laboratory testing. Maximize the money you make-and the money you keep! Best of all, it is released every three weeks!
Sign up for TDR Insider
Join the Dark Intelligence Group FREE and get TDR Insider FREE!
Never miss a single update on the issues that matter to you and your business.