As 23andMe Faces Bankruptcy, Home Testing Shows Warts

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXXII, No. 7 – May 12, 2025 Issue

HIGH-STAKES DRAMA SURROUNDING 23ANDME’S BANKRUPTCY—including CEO Anne Wojcicki resigning to try to bid for the company she cofounded and state prosecutors urging caution about the data privacy of the company’s customers—brings up a fundamental question regarding d…

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April 21, 2025, Intelligence: Late-Breaking Lab News

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025 Issue

The administration of President Donald Trump is calling for a $40 billion cut in funding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a report in The Washington Post on April 16. This amount would come from HHS discretionary spending,…

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December 16, 2024, Intelligence Late-Breaking Lab News

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXXI, No. 17 – December 16, 2024 Issue

Sonic Healthcare Ltd of Sydney, Australia, announced the acquisition of clinical laboratory company LADR (Laboratory Group Dr. Kramer & Colleagues) based in Geesthacht, Germany, on Dec. 9, 2024. The enterprise value of the deal is €423 million (US$446.9 million…

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Global IVD Companies Issue Third Quarter 2024 Earnings

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXXI, No. 16 – November 25, 2024 Issue

HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE of t…

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UK’s Genomics PLC and MassMutual Offer Free Genetic Testing to Members

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXXI, No. 9 – July 1, 2024 Issue

CONSUMER-DRIVEN HEALTHCARE PAIRED WITH A FOCUS ON PRE­VENTATIVE MEDICINE has given birth…

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Lab’s Innovation Center Encourages Staff Ideas

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXXI, No. 7 – May 20, 2024 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: At a time when health plans consider lab testing a commodity, the team at Sonora Quest Laboratories deliberately set out to encourage ideas and innovation from its staff by creating the “Innovation Center of Excellence.” One innovation involves helping health plans and ph…

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Whole Genome Sequencing for Newborns Gains Favor

By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXX, Number 16 – November 13, 2023 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Evidence is swiftly accumulating that use of rapid Whole Genome Sequencing (rWGS) for certain children in NICUs can enable diagnostic insights that guide effective interventions. Further, these pilot rWGS programs in childrens’ hospitals are showing a solid return on invest…

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Private Health Insurers Are Aware of Problems with CPT Code 81408

By Virchow | From the Volume XXX, No. 13 – September 11, 2023 Issue

EDITOR’S NO…

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Technical Assessment Challenges for Z-Code Applications

By Scott Wallask | From the Volume XXX, No. 10 – July 10, 2023 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: Effective on Aug. 1, UnitedHealthcare will require Z-code submissions for many genetic tests. During a recent webinar, experts tackled a topic that may prove troublesome for labs seeking Z-codes: technical assessments. Key advice is to provide specific data about clin…

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OIG’s Issues New Opinion on Use of Gift Cards for Lab Specimens

By Scott Wallask | From the Volume XXX, No. 6 – April 17, 2023 Issue

CEO SUMMARY: This new Advisory Opinion from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) outlines a narrow situation in which it may be allowable for clinical laboratories to use gift cards to encourage pa…

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