Issues Archive

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

Volume XVIII No. 17 – December 19, 2011

In this issue:

DIGITAL PATHOLOGY IS CONSIDERED to be one of the more disruptive technologies now finding acceptance in anatomic pathology. Since founding Aperio Technologies, Inc. in 1999, President Dirk G. Soenksen, M.S., M.B.A., has been in the forefront of this important trend. In part one of this exclusive two-part interview, Soenksen discussed the most significant forces now reshaping the profession of surgical pathology. Now, in this concluding part two, Soenksen addresses some of the barriers to the adoption of digital pathology technology. He also explains why partial adoption is the preferred course for most anatomic pathology laboratories.

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Volume XVIII No. 16 – November 28, 2011

In this issue:

TO CREATE MORE TRANSPARENCY in the process clinical labs use to submit claims for genetic tests, molecular diagnostic tests and laboratory-developed tests (LDTs), the nation’s largest Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) has proposed two new local coverage determinations (LCDs). CMS has changed Palmetto GBA’s statement of work to include implementing a lab test registry and science review process for genetic, molecular, and laboratory-developed tests. Palmetto executives tell THE DARK REPORT they want to standardize how each MDT and LDT is reviewed and approved — not stifle innovation or impede good patient care.

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Volume XVIII No. 15 – November 7, 2011

In this issue:

SINCE 2005, KAISER PERMANENTE has given its members real-time access to most laboratory test results in their personal health record (PHR) on www.kp.org. In fact, viewing laboratory test results is the single most popular feature on the site and is used by Kaiser Permanente members more often than any other electronic service the plan plan offers. Patient access to lab test results has also improved patient safety in important ways. Also, the nation’s largest Medicare carrier has announced a draft proposal that would significantly restrict how clinical labs and pathology groups can file claims for many molecular diagnostic tests (MDTs) and certain laboratory-developed tests (LDTs).

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Volume XVIII No. 14 – October 17, 2011

In this issue:

MOVING INTO 2012, the clinical lab industry faces unprecedented funding cutbacks as Congress wrestles with intractable budget problems. At least three different proposals to impose significant reductions in reimbursement for clinical lab testing are in play in Congress. Also, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a criminal arrest in one ongoing investigation after a grand jury indicted a physician in a kickback scheme involving lab testing. In four years, Coakley has reached settlements with four independent clinical lab companies and each of these labs has agreed to make repayments and establish compliance programs.

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Volume XVIII No. 13 – September 26, 2011

In this issue:

POINT-OF-CARE TESTING has played a role in the death of a patient in Pennsylvania. In a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on the death at Lehigh Valley Hospital, it was noted that the clinical staff failed to notice discrepancies between results from point-of-care (POC) tests at the bedside and lab test results from blood serum run in the hospital’s central laboratory. Also, the lab outreach program at a New Jersey hospital has achieved impressive rates of growth in specimen volume and net revenue by monitoring key data in real time and responding nimbly to the service requests of office-based physicians.

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Volume XVIII No. 12 – September 6, 2011

In this issue:

DURING THE 1990s, the pathology profession was exploring ways to use telepathology services. But it was only in the last decade when digital pathology technology became robust enough to support a variety of clinical uses in anatomic pathology. One of the first companies to offer such digital pathology systems was Aperio Technologies, Inc., of Vista, California. Dirk G. Soenksen, M.S., M.B.A., is the founder and CEO of Aperio. In this exclusive interview with THE DARK REPORT, he discusses major trends in healthcare that are actively reshaping the anatomic pathology profession. In part one of this two-part interview, Soenksen provides insights that will help pathologists and pathology group practice administrators develop effective clinical and financial strategies for their laboratories.

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Volume XXVIII No. 11 – August 15, 2011

In this issue:

LAST SUMMER, INCYTE PATHOLOGY in Spokane, Washington, found itself facing demand letters from the recovery audit contractor (RAC) responsible for that region. The RAC auditor was questioning claims for technical component (TC) services and seeking repayment from InCyte Pathology. It took three months and plenty of dogged determination for the InCyte team to challenge the audit demands and prevail with its position. InCyte’s CFO shares several important lessons learned.

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Volume XVIII No. 10 – July 25, 2011

In this issue:

ONE WEEK AFTER one of the worst storms ever to strike a hospital in the U.S., St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri was back treating patients. Surprisingly, the hospital’s lab was one of the first departments to get up and running again. The lab director shares lessons learned and explains how the lab bounced back so quickly.

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Volume XVIII No. 9 – July 5, 2011

In this issue:

IT IS PREDICTED THAT USE OF DIGITAL PATHOLOGY will create new care models in the profession of anatomic pathology. An early example of this trend can be found in Bellingham, Washington. Here, the 10 pathologists of Northwest Pathology are using a digital pathology system to provide frozen section and surgical pathology services to a rural hospital located more than 600 miles away in Alaska.

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Volume XVIII No. 8 – June 13, 2011

In this issue:

THE DARK REPORT DELIVERS EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the agreement between the California Attorney General and Quest Diagnostics settling allegations that Quest overcharged Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. It is expected that the California Attorney General will now move to resolve the whistleblower case against the remaining lab company defendants. Meanwhile, we examine what the fallout could be for all labs as similar whistleblower suits are ongoing in at least six other states across the nation.

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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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