TAG:
Clinical Pathologist
Clinical pathologists work in hospital labs and pathology groups to practice as consultant physicians, developing and applying knowledge of tissue and laboratory analyses to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of individual patients. As scientists, they use the tools of laboratory science in clinical studies, disease models, and other experimental systems, to advance the understanding and treatment of disease.
Clinical pathologists in a pathology group administer a number of visual and microscopic tests and an especially large variety of tests of the biophysical properties of tissue samples involving automated analyzers and cultures. Sometimes the general term “laboratory medicine specialist” is used to refer to those working in clinical pathology, including medical doctors, PhDs and doctors of pharmacology.
According to the world’s largest professional membership organization for clinical pathologists and laboratory professionals, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), “Pathologists are problem-solvers, fascinated by the process of disease and eager to unlock medical mysteries, like AIDS and diabetes, using the tools of laboratory medicine and its sophisticated instruments and methods. Pathologists make it possible to apply scientific advances to improve the accuracy and efficiency of medical diagnosis and treatment.”
Becoming a pathologist entails one of the lengthiest education and training tracks of all physicians. Requirements include four years of undergraduate study, plus four years of medical school, plus a minimum of four to five years of post-graduate training in pathology residency.
The American Board of Pathology certifies clinical pathologists, and recognizes the following secondary specialties of clinical pathology:
- Chemical pathology, also called clinical chemistry
- Hematopathology
- Blood banking / transfusion medicine
- Clinical microbiology
- Cytogenetics
- Molecular genetics pathology
Clinical pathologists work in close collaboration with clinical scientists (clinical biochemists, clinical microbiologists, etc.), medical technologists (MTs), clinical laboratory scientists (CLS), hospital administrators, and referring physicians to ensure the accuracy and optimal utilization of laboratory testing.
Clinical pathology is one of the two major divisions of pathology, the other being anatomic pathology. Often, pathologists practice both anatomical and clinical pathology, a combination sometimes known as general pathology.
According to the ASCP, “there are approximately 12,000 board certified pathologists in the U.S. who practice their specialty in community, university, and government hospitals and clinics, in independent laboratories, or in private offices, clinics, and other health care facilities.”
Increasing Costs for Genetic Tests Are Busting Lab Budgets
CEO SUMMARY: Across the nation, hospital administrators are recognizing that effective lab test utilization is a critical factor in a lab’s success. At Seattle Children’s Hospital, clinical pathologists, clinical chemists, and laboratory genetic counselors are …
Are Labs Facing a Collapse in Test Prices?
IS IT REASONABLE, AT THIS TIME, TO ASK IF THE LAB INDUSTRY IS FACING a potential collapse in lab testing pricing? Were I to have asked that question several years ago, most of you would probably have responded with skepticism. But how the times have changed! Take the Protecting Access to Medicare Ac…
Incyte to Develop New Ways For Pathologists to Add Value
CONSOLIDATION OF PRIVATE PRACTICE PATHOLOGY GROUPS in Washington State has been ongoing. Because of their acquisitions, CellNetix and Incyte Diagnostics are now the state’s two largest pathology groups. The next challenge for these two pathology super-groups will …
CDC Surveys Docs’ Use of Laboratory Test Results
CEO SUMMARY: There’s a treasure trove of information and insights about how physicians use clinical laboratory tests contained in survey data recently collected by a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Designed to identify challenges in how physicians utilize labor…
Clarient, Generation Health, GenMark, Osmetech, Laboratoire Cerba, UCLA Med Center
CLARIENT INKS PACT WITH GENERATION HEALTH FOR GENETIC TESTING PAYER PRE-AUTHORIZATION OF GENETIC TESTS is the reason for the newly-announced contract between Clarient, Inc., and Generation Health, Inc., of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. An…
Kaiser in Colorado Uses Lab Test Data to Improve Cardiac Care
CEO SUMMARY: Proud of a 73% reduction in mortality among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, clinical care teams there demonstrate how integrated care and more effective use of laboratory test data can lead to remarkable improvements in pati…
Powerful Trends Reshaping Anatomic Path Profession
CEO SUMMARY: THE DARK REPORT presents its newest biannual review of macro trends reshaping the anatomic pathology profession. These macro trends reveal a profession undergoing change and transformation on multiple fronts. New competitors are crowding into the market, payers and accreditin…
Linking UroCor Indictments With Specialist Doc Pathology
IS THE TIMING of the criminal indictments of three ex-UroCor executives going to be a fortuitous event for the anatomic pathology profession? I ask this question because the exploding trend of specialist physician groups internalizing anatomic pathology services was slated to be the…
Sysmex Anticipates Major Shifts In Laboratory Testing Market
“Innovating from our core technologies will lead Sysmex into very different areas of laboratory testing.” —John Kershaw CEO SUMMARY: Sysmex America, Inc. surprised many this year when it hired its own sales and service team and begin distribu…
Pathologist Activities Evolve In VA’s “Paperless” Hospitals
“When a hospital or laboratory goes ‘paperless’, it’s no longer ‘business as usual’ for pathologists.” —Bruce Dunn, M.D. CEO SUMMARY: One outcome of the Veteran Administration’s (VA) ongoing effort to create a totally-integrated i…
CURRENT ISSUE
Volume XXXI, No. 5 – April 8, 2024
The fragmentation of consumer markets is reflected in clinical lab services, and The Dark Report examines this trend and how it will impact labs in the coming years. Also, The Dark Report notes that the FDA has issued a controversial memo to reclassify many high-risk IVD assays.
See the full table of contentsHow Much Laboratory Business Intelligence Have You Missed?
Lab leaders rely on THE DARK REPORT for actionable intelligence on important developments in the business of laboratory testing. Maximize the money you make-and the money you keep! Best of all, it is released every three weeks!
Sign up for TDR Insider
Join the Dark Intelligence Group FREE and get TDR Insider FREE!
Never miss a single update on the issues that matter to you and your business.