A clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient as pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Laboratory medicine is generally divided into two sections, each of which being subdivided into multiple units. These two sections are:
Credibility of medical laboratories is paramount to the health and safety of the patients relying on the testing services provided by these labs. The international standard in use today for the accreditation of medical laboratories is ISO 15189.
Accreditation is done by the Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists, AAB (American Association of Bioanalysts), and other state and federal agencies. CLIA 88, the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, also dictate testing and personnel.
In addition, many clinical laboratories have adopted quality management programs such as Six Sigma and Lean quality to improve clinical quality, reduce turnaround time, cut costs, and boost productivity. Lean and Six Sigma are both process improvement methodologies. At a very basic level, Lean is about speed and efficiency, while Six Sigma is about precision and accuracy, leading to data-driven decisions. Lean and Six Sigma methods are finding numerous applications in anatomic pathology laboratories and pathology group practices.
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXVI No. 8 – June 10, 2019 issue
CEO SUMMARY: It may be without precedent in the clinical lab industry that a laid-off lab manager launches a nonprofit mobile phlebotomy service in order to continue services to homebound patients, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities. The events in the Quad Cities of Moline, Ill. and Davenport, Iowa, are also the most recent example
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXVI No. 8 – June 10, 2019 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Today, insurers get risk-adjusted payments for treating patients who have high-cost health conditions and they make risk-adjusted payments to physicians, hospitals, and other providers. At Northwell Health, the clinical lab saw the opportunity to leverage lab test data with other clinical and demographic data to identify patients who were undiagnosed or whose conditions were
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXVI No. 8 – June 10, 2019 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists seeking jobs will find that a more competitive job market is pushing salaries up over $300,000 per year on average. In addition, most new jobs come with a hiring bonus and funds for relocation of as much as $12,000 and for continuing medical education of $3,500. But these higher salaries also come
By Mary Van Doren, from the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
This is an excerpt from a 3,380-word article in the May 20, 2019 issue of THE DARK REPORT. The full article is available to members of The Dark Intelligence Group.
CEO SUMMARY: To develop new sources of revenue to offset declining fee-for-service payments, TriCore Reference Labs is collaborating with health insurers in novel ways to improve patient
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
Canada faces a similar shortage of medical technologists (MTs) as exists in the United States. “We have reached the point now where some laboratories have been closed for weeks due to insufficient staffing, which is a cascading problem for patients and the healthcare system,” stated Maria Klement, President of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
CEO SUMMARY: To develop new sources of revenue to offset declining fee-for-service payments, TriCore Reference Labs is collaborating with health insurers in novel ways to improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. To achieve this, TriCore brings together data from lab tests, EHRs, patient demographics, and geography. Analytical tools allow it to assess population health
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW GUIDELINES for the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) that were implemented on Jan. 1 have caused nine clinical laboratory associations and groups to come together and voice their concerns to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
CMS implemented those changes on Jan. 1, resulting in confusion among labs
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Attendees at the Executive War College learned that CMS has taken steps to expand the number of hospital labs required to report their private payer lab test price data under the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, but the unbundling of certain test panels could be problematic. Problems can occur when labs either did
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XXVI No. 7 – May 20, 2019 issue
CEO SUMMARY: There was an interesting consensus that emerged from the 80 sessions and 118 speakers at this year’s Executive War College in New Orleans earlier this month. The consensus centered around two themes. One theme is disruption, which is bad news for those labs that hope to maintain the status quo. The other theme
This is an excerpt from a 1,900-word article in the April 29, 2019 issue of THE DARK REPORT. The full article is available to members of The Dark Intelligence Group.
CEO SUMMARY: A new UnitedHealthCare (UHC) preferred lab network will launch July 1 with seven lab companies. In an April 22 announcement, UHC said physicians and
