By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXV No. 6 – April 16, 2018 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Two projects to boost the performance of the microbiology laboratory at University Health Services in Augusta, Ga., significantly reduced test turnaround times in ways that contributed to improved patient outcomes. The first project was in 2016, when the lab introduced mass spectrometry and MALDI-TOF for bacterial infections, cutting turnaround times from 104 to
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXV No. 3 – February 12, 2018 issue
“Today, patients want to get diagnosis and treatment faster with fewer visits to the doctor’s office. They want speedier and more comprehensive delivery of clinical services, be it laboratory tests, imaging, or other procedures.”
—Ralph Taylor, President, Sysmex America, Inc.
CEO Summary: To bring testing closer to patients, clinical laboratories will need to offer sophisticated point-of-care systems
By Jon Stone, from the Volume XXV, No. 1 – January 2, 2018 issue
THERE IS AN INTERESTING COURT FIGHT UNFOLDING between Beckman Coulter Corporation and Quidel over the rights to sell a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) assay. The lawsuit is a consequence of Abbott Laboratories’ acquisition of Alere, Inc., last fall.
With that acquisition, Abbott Laboratories became the world’s largest manufacturer of point-of-care (POCT) lab tests. But federal anti-trust
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XXIV, No. 17 – December 11, 2017 issue
1. CMS Sticks by Decision to Deeply Cut Medicare Part B Lab Test Fees
SHORT OF A MIRACLE, the clinical laboratory industry is less than three weeks from the single most financially-disruptive event of the past 30 years. On Jan. 1, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will impose deep cuts to Part B
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XXIV, No. 17 – December 11, 2017 issue
CEO SUMMARY: In hindsight, 2017 is likely to be remembered as a milestone year that launched several disruptive developments that will reshape the lab industry moving forward. For the clinical laboratory sector this year, CMS confirmed its intent to slash Part B clinical laboratory test prices aggressively, effective Jan. 1. For the anatomic pathology sector
By judeb
CEO SUMMARY: Market clearance of the first-ever CLIA waived analyzer for complete blood count and three-part differential tests could cut time-to-answer from days to mere minutes for one of the top 20 tests by volume performed at core laboratories. Developer Sysmex America, Inc., foresees its analyzer as a complement to central labs. Basic diagnostics would
By Jon Stone, from the Volume XXIV, No. 16 – November 20, 2017 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Market clearance of the first-ever CLIA-waived analyzer for complete blood count and three-part differential tests could cut time-to-answer from days to mere minutes for one of the top 20 tests by volume performed at core laboratories. Developer Sysmex America, Inc., foresees its analyzer as a complement to central labs. Basic diagnostics would be
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XXIV, No. 13 – September 18, 2017 issue
Last week, 23andMe raised $250 million in a financing round led by Sequoia Capital. The company has an estimated value of $1.75 billion and has attracted $491 million in capital since its founding. In 2015, 23andMe formed a therapeutics division. This business unit is partnering with several major players in the pharmaceutical industry to use
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XXIV, No. 10 – July 17, 2017 issue
CEO SUMMARY: The FDA’s clearance of the first digital pathology system for use in primary diagnosis will be a disruptive force for pathologists in the coming years. At the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, pathologist Clive Taylor, MD, predicts that the benefits of whole slide imaging and digital pathology will enable pathologists
By Mary Van Doren, from the Volume XXIV, No. 6 – April 24, 2017 issue
This is an excerpt from a 1,400-word article in the April 24, 2017, issue of THE DARK REPORT. The complete article is available for a limited time to all readers, and available at all times to paid members of the Dark Intelligence Group.
CEO SUMMARY: Proponents of digital pathology systems and whole slide imaging achieved a milestone
