Issues Archive

The most complete archive of clinical and pathology lab industry news available, including issues from 1997 to the present.

Volume XXII, Number 18 – December 28, 2015

In this issue:

DURING 2015, TWO STORIES captured the full attention of most pathologists and clinical lab managers. One was how CMS intends to gather lab price market data as mandated by PAMA — a move that the industry is protesting via Congress, as reported in this issue. The other was the continued efforts by the FDA to move ahead on proposed guidance for regulation of LDTs. Meanwhile, the full list of THE DARK REPORT’s “Top 10 Lab Industry Stories for 2015” includes additional developments with the potential to radically change the lab industry as it operates today.

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Volume XXII, Number 17 – December 7, 2015

In this issue:

AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR, IT’S ALWAYS SMART BUSINESS FOR EVERY LAB to peer into the future specifically to identify the best clinical and financial opportunities, and this issue of THE DARK REPORT delivers our overview of the most important healthcare macro trends to help you with your lab’s strategic planning. Also, we look at potential problems such as CMS’ efforts to collect market price data and FDA’s plans to regulate LDTs. Both initiatives are expected to have negative financial consequences for the nation’s medical laboratories and pathology groups.

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Volume XXII, Number 16 – November 16, 2015

In this issue:

AS MORE UNPLEASANT NEWS SURFACES about Theranos alleged disruptive technology, THE DARK REPORT finds evidence that its partners/investors probably have grounds for legal action. Also, Arizona’s new DAT lab test law raises new questions for clinical labs, and some are being answered in innovative ways.

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Volume XXII No. 15 – October 26, 2015

In this issue:

THE DARK REPORT’S continued reporting on major questions about secretive clinical lab company Theranos has now been followed up by a major expose in The Wall Street Journal, which revealed serious questions about the company’s proprietary lab analyzer, proficiency testing and alleged dilution of samples. The lab community has been raising similar questions all along, but meanwhile, Theranos’ ultra-low test prices threaten to drive a longtime Arizona lab company out of business.

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Volume XXII No. 14 – October 5, 2015

In this issue:

CMS HAS RELEASED a draft of the PAMA Market Price Rule, which would result in substantial cuts in lab test prices starting in January 2017. The proposed rule will limit data reporting to less than half of independent labs, a minority of hospital labs, and only a small percentage of physician office labs. Community labs fear that CMS will issue potentially lower payment rates that could cause smaller labs to stop serving Medicare patients or go out of business. These labs have raised serious concerns about the proposed rule.

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Volume XXII NO. 13 – September 14, 2015

In this issue:

IT’S THE $1 BILLION LAB FRAUD that no one realized had grown that big! In this special issue of THE DARK REPORT, you’ll read about how the next chapter of the federal whistleblower lawsuit against three specialty cardiology labs and certain individuals has pulled the curtain open on what we think is the biggest case of laboratory fraud and abuse in the past 30 years.

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Volume XXII No. 12 – August 24, 2015

In this issue:

ONE OF THE NATION’S LONGEST-RUNNING LAB OUTREACH JOINT VENTURES involving a public lab company and a major hospital came to a quiet end on June 30. That’s the day when United/Dynacare Laboratories, LLC, ceased to exist. Also, a Detroit hospital demonstrates new ways to add value and drive higher revenues.

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Volume XXII No. 11 – August 3, 2015

In this issue:

THERE HAS BEEN EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS enrolled in high- deductible health plans. Currently, more than 20 million people have HDHPs. This is one reason why many labs are experiencing high levels of patient bad debt never before seen by the lab industry during the past three decades.

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Volume XXII No. 10 – July 13, 2015

In this issue:

BY COMBINING total lab automation with Lean techniques in a comprehensive makeover of its microbiology lab, one of the largest labs providing hospital acute care and community microbiology services in North America achieved major benefits. Benefits ranged from improvements in lab result turnaround time and reduced errors to significant gains in staff productivity and the quality of lab test results. Productivity improvements allowed the micro lab to absorb a 15% increase in specimen volume while staff levels were reduced by six full-time equivalent MLTs.

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Volume XXII NO. 9 – June 22, 2015

In this issue:

MEDICARE AND ITS STATE ANCILLARIES are poised to make deep cuts to lab test prices, starting with Medi-Cal in California. The state legislature there approved cuts of 25-30% which went into effect July 1, 2015. And Medicare officials, along with Congress, have embarked on a comparable effort to lower Medicare Part B clinical lab test fees to the similar levels that the two blood brothers give to their preferred customers. In addition, Medicare has now decided to end coverage for many pharmacogenomic tests, putting at risk as many as 19 million Americans who have genetic variations affecting their response to medications.

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Don’t Be at the Mercy of the Tumultuous Healthcare Revolution

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CURRENT ISSUE

Volume XXXII, No. 13 – September 15, 2025

The Dark Report examines a new bill that would reform PAMA and avoid reimbursement rate cuts scheduled for January 2026. Clinical laboratory leaders are urged to make their voices heard in Congress. Also, an expert describes how labs can fix pre-analytical errors and avoid disaster.

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