PacBio Beefs Up with Purchase of Omniome for $800 Million

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXVIII, No. 10 – July 26, 2021 Issue

FORWARD-LOOKING PATHOLOGISTS AND LAB ADMINISTRATORS understand that the next big game in medical laboratory testing will be assays built upon genome sequencing. They also know that several companies are racing to produce gene sequencing instruments that are faster, simpler, and less costly in order t…

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Pap Test Errors in Ireland Attributed to Quest, CPL

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXV No. 10 – July 9, 2018 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: In Ireland, the big story in healthcare at the moment is the discovery that the nation’s cervical cancer screening program has failed hundreds of women who had pre-cancerous conditions or cervical cancer, but, as alleged in numerous court cases, their tests were inaccurate …

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In Florida, More Tests Added to UHC’s Decision-Support Program

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXV No. 1 – January 2, 2018 Issue

IN THE FIRST BROAD EXPANSION OF ITS pilot decision-support program for clinical lab testing in Florida, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) will add genetic and molecular tests, drug tests, and pathology procedures, among other assays starting in two months. On March 1, UHC will expand its labor…

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Six Years after Launch, Med Fusion Sold to Quest

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXIV No. 9 – June 26, 2017 Issue

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 Qu…

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Is New Cycle of Fraud Plaguing Lab Industry?

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXII No. 12 – August 24, 2015 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Taken collectively, the growing number of federal investigations of clinical lab companies and health insurer lawsuits against lab companies alleging fraudulent business practices signals a disturbing new trend for the lab industry. Although these allegations are lev…

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Newer, Smaller Analyzers Will Bring Big Data to Labs

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXII No. 10 – July 13, 2015 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Clinical laboratories of all sizes are poised to become the source of much of a hospital or health system’s “big data.” At many academic center labs, greater use of genetic and molecular testing requires that more space and more staff be devoted to data management. A…

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Dealing with Realities of Changing Market

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXI No. 10 – July 21, 2014 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Swift transformation of the American healthcare system is causing financial challenges for those clinical labs and pathology groups that have been slow to react to these developments. At NorDx Laboratories in Scarborough, Maine, the team is following the classic five rules fo…

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Eastern Canada’s Latest Lab Errors Get Attention

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXI No. 4 – March 17, 2014 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Authorities for Eastern Health in Newfoundland and Labrador province in Canada are conducting a root cause analysis after finding discrepancies in breast cancer testing that affected nine patients. Health officials said these cases were discovered as a result of an improved q…

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Alberta Lab RFP, FTC, LabMD Biodiagnostic Lab Services Guilty Pleas

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XX No. 13 – September 30, 2013 Issue

ALBERTA PROVINCE MAY SOON BID $3 BILLION CLINICAL LAB CONTRACT NEWS LEAKED ON SEPTEMBER 19 that Alberta Health Services (AHS) is preparing to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to select a company to build a state-of-the clinical laboratory facility to serve…

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Urologists Weigh in on Prostate Biopsy Testing

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XX No. 3 – March 4, 2013 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Based on an impressive number of 4,230,129 vials collected from 437,937 biopsies, the new study is expected to add fuel to the fire of the ongoing debate about the appropriate number of prostate biopsies physicians should collect and refer to pathology labs for cancer testing…

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