New Federal Rule: Non-Physician Providers Can Supervise Testing

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXVII, No. 18 – December 28, 2020 Issue

SUMMARY: It’s the latest example of how interim rules issued earlier this year in response to the pandemic are being made permanent by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Issued on Dec. 2, this new final rule allows certain non-physician practitioners—includi…

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How Labs Can Add Value for Providers, Insurers, Pharma

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 15 – November 4, 2019 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: For pathologists and clinical, molecular, and genetic testing labs, appropriate reuses of lab data can provide a new source of revenue. Labs that serve as preferred providers of diagnostic testing data can help health systems, ordering physicians, pharmaceutical companies, an…

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After Two-Year Battle with CMS, True Health on Verge of Collapse

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXVI No. 11 – August 12, 2019 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: In 2017, an auditor for CMS alleged that True Health filed fraudulent claims and the federal Medicare program cut all payments to the lab company and one month later reduced the cut to 35% of the billed amount. Two months ago, CMS ended all payments again. These facts became …

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March 18, 2019 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXVI No. 4 – March 18, 2019 Issue

Because of a $25 million grant from philanthropist Denny Sanford, the Veterans Administration and Sanford Health will provide free genetic testing to 250,000 veterans by 2022. These will be pharmacogenomic (PGx) tests designed to help VA physicians prescribe medicat…

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PAMA Price Cuts Reduce Revenue at LabCorp, Quest

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 3 – February 25, 2019 Issue

This story was updated from the original on March 27, 2019, and includes corrected information in three places. CEO SUMMARY: In their respective earnings reports for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2018, executives at both Laboratory Corporation of America and Quest Diagno…

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In Tough Times, All Labs Need Success Strategies

By R. Lewis Dark | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue

By any measure, it is tougher today for clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups to generate the revenue needed to deliver state-of-the-art diagnostic testing services while remaining financially viable. Four recent trends prove the point. First, every year, the Medicare program and priva…

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Myriad to Buy Counsyl, to Gain Presence in NIPS Test Sector

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXV No. 9 – June 18, 2018 Issue

LATE LAST MONTH, Myriad Genetics Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Counsyl, Inc., an innovative genetic testing company in South San Francisco, Calif., for $375 million. In a deal that is expected to close by early next year, Myriad will use a combinat…

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Key Lab Trends Described At Executive War College

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXV No. 7 – May 7, 2018 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Innovative clinical labs and pathology groups are absorbing this year’s Medicare Part B price cuts while continuing to pursue opportunities to add value. A common theme from many speakers at last week’s Executive War College in New Orleans is that the lab must get mastery…

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Why Pharma, Private Equity Want to Reshape Lab Industry

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXV No. 5 – March 26, 2018 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: A disruptive force that involves precision medicine, pharmaceutical companies, and venture capital investors is poised to reshape the clinical laboratory industry. Genetic knowledge makes it possible to match cancer drugs to specific mutations. Pharma companies and professio…

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GE Healthcare Sells Omnyx to Inspirata

By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXV No. 3 – February 12, 2018 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Now that the FDA has cleared a digital pathology for use in primary diagnosis, interest in DP is building. Inspirata purchased Omnyx and its assets because the Omnyx Dynamyx digital pathology software has strong features that could be integrated into Inspirata’s digital pat…

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