TAG:
Medicare
Senator Asks: Are Lab Test Payments Too High?
By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: It is ironic that, after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted the deepest price cuts to the Part B Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule in more than 50 years, a U.S. Senator now asks CMS why it will pay billions more for lab testing. The question f…
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…
Useful Lessons for Labs That Report PAMA Data
By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: Will clinical labs heed the lessons learned from the first PAMA private payer market price reporting cycle that CMS conducted in 2017? One major difference is that the definition of applicable laboratories now includes most hospital labs. This creates the opportunity for a la…
February 4, 2019 Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News
By Robert Michel | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
More than 63 healthcare and medical service organizations signed a letter asking officials at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider their latest interpretation of a National Coverage Determination (NCD) on the subject of next-generation sequencin…
California Lab Company Closes After Negative Medicare Decision
By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
WITH EACH NEW RULING about coverage for a proprietary diagnostic assay, Medicare officials send a message to the entire clinical laboratory industry that any lab company with a proprietary test needs to submit adequate clinical evidence that demonstrates two positive aspects of the test. First, that…
Lower Prices, More Data in UHC’s New Lab Network?
By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: It’s been a common strategy among managed care payers to seek the lowest prices for clinical laboratory testing when negotiating contracts with labs. However, lower prices may become less important over time as the health system moves away from fee-for-service payment towar…
Critical Lessons for Labs That Report PAMA Medicare Data
By Mary Van Doren | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
This is an excerpt from a 1,565-word article in the Feb.4 issue of THE DARK REPORT. The full article is available to paid members of The Dark Intelligence Group. CEO SUMMARY: With most hospitals now included as “applicable laboratories” in the PA…
Three Labs Make Big Bets to Build Major New Facilities
By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 2 – February 4, 2019 Issue
EVEN AS SOME CLINICAL LABORATORY COMPANIES are closing or selling following the deep cuts in what Medicare pays for lab tests, three major lab organizations are building new, super-sized laboratory facilities. Those three companies are ARUP Laboratories, DaVita Labs…
Do Community Labs Have a Future in the U.S.?
By R. Lewis Dark | From the Volume XXVI No. 1 – January 14, 2019 Issue
It may be timely to ask a provocative question that touches everyone in the profession of laboratory medicine. Is there a future for community laboratories and hospital lab outreach programs in the United States, given the different forces acting upon the clinical laboratory industry today? In this …
CEO Offers Lab Strategies for a Post-PAMA World
By Joseph Burns | From the Volume XXVI No. 1 – January 14, 2019 Issue
CEO SUMMARY: With so many market forces working against the economic interests of clinical laboratories, it is essential that all labs develop appropriate strategies designed to sustain the quality of laboratory testing services and the financial integrity of the laboratory organization. …
CURRENT ISSUE

Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025
Now that a federal judge has vacated the FDA’s LDT rule, The Dark Report analyzes the judgement and notes the various steps the FDA could take in response. Also, lab testing at pharmacies is proving to be less successful than was once anticipated.
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.
Topics
- Anatomic Pathology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Clinical Laboratory
- Clinical Laboratory Trends
- Digital Pathology
- Genetic Testing
- In Vitro Diagnostics
- IVD/Lab Informatics
- Lab Intelligence
- Lab Marketplace
- Lab Risk & Compliance
- Laboratory Automation
- Laboratory Billing
- Laboratory Compliance
- Laboratory Equipment
- Laboratory Information Systems
- Laboratory Management
- Lean Six Sigma
- Managed Care Contracts
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Pathology Trends
- People
- Uncategorized