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

Volume XXIV No. 9 - June 26, 2017

ANTHEM LAUNCHES PROGRAM TO MANAGE GENETIC TESTS

The Dark Report / By R. Lewis Dark

CEO SUMMARY: Pre-authorization of genetic tests is coming to physicians serving patients insured by Anthem, Inc. Its specialty benefits management company, AIM Specialty Health, will manage the program. AIM will work with InformedDNA, a company that specializes in genetic testing clinical decision support and genetic counseling for health insurers. Anthem has about 40 million members in …

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Genetic Test Pre-Authorization Goes Mainstream

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

IT IS ALWAYS A BIG DEAL WHEN ONE OF THE NATION’S LARGEST HEALTH INSURERS TAKES A MAJOR STEP. That is certainly true of Anthem’s decision to launch a new program that requires physicians to obtain pre-authorization when ordering genetic tests for its members. THE DARK REPORT is first to report this news to the clinical …

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Quest Diagnostics Exits 31-Year-Old Lab Venture

Clinical Laboratory Trends / By Robert Michel

CEO SUMMARY: News that Quest Diagnostics had exited the long-running CompuNet Clinical Laboratory joint venture in Dayton, Ohio, caught many observers by surprise. The only clues as to possible problems and the motivation of Premier Health, the 51% owner, to buy out Quest’s ownership share are contained in an announcement the health system issued. The …

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Six Years after Launch, Med Fusion Sold to Quest

Laboratory Management / By Joseph Burns

CEO SUMMARY: In Dallas, the relatively short-lived lab company known as Med Fusion has a new owner. After seven years, the lab partnership of Baylor Scott and White, US Oncology Network, Texas Oncology, and Pathologists Bio-Medical Laboratories decided to sell their ownership stakes to Quest Diagnostics. The sale comes despite $100 million of capital and …

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Digital Pathology Can Be Transformative for Labs

Pathology Trends / By Joseph Burns

CEO SUMMARY: Across the nation, pathologists are at a crossroads. Now that the FDA has cleared a digital pathology and whole slide imaging (WSI) system for use in primary diagnosis, should they adopt this technology sooner or wait until later? One pathologist who has worked with WSI for many years shared the lessons learned in …

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Anthem Launches Program to Manage Genetic Tests

Genetic Testing / By R. Lewis Dark

CEO SUMMARY: Pre-authorization of genetic tests is coming to physicians serving patients insured by Anthem, Inc. Its specialty benefits management company, AIM Specialty Health, will manage the program. AIM will work with InformedDNA, a company that specializes in genetic testing clinical decision support and genetic counseling for health insurers. Anthem has about 40 million members …

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Labs: Watch for Whistleblowers! You Can’t Predict Who’s Filing

Laboratory Compliance / By Robert Michel

NEWS STORIES ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT FEDERAL WHISTLEBLOWER CASES against lab companies provide a reminder that managers of every clinical laboratory and pathology group must be vigilant about compliance, because potential whistleblowers can emerge from the unlikeliest of places. The first example involves Piedmont Pathology in Hickory, N.C. In May, it agreed to pay the federal …

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Mass Spec Tests Struggle To Gain Insurers’ Attention

In Vitro Diagnostics / By Joseph Burns

CEO SUMMARY: Since 2014, a toxicology lab at the University of Colorado has used mass spectrometry to offer low-cost, accurate multi-analyte test panels that can detect hundreds of therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse. However, CU Toxicology’s chief medical officer says health insurers are slow to accept this diagnostic technology, despite its demonstrated clinical benefit …

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June 26, 2017 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News

Late Breaking Lab News / By R. Lewis Dark

Theranos is back in the news again. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that the troubled lab company is close to negotiating a settlement with Walgreens after being sued for $140 million in a breach of contract lawsuit filed by the national pharmacy chain. According to the journal, the settlement amount may be as …

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Quest Diagnostics Exits 31-Year-Old CompuNet Lab Venture

TDR Insider / By Mary Van Doren

This is an excerpt from a 1,362-word article in the June 26, 2017 issue of THE DARK REPORT. The complete article is available for a limited time to all readers, and available at all times to paid members of the Dark Intelligence Group. CEO SUMMARY: For lab managers worried about being parceled out to a …

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