TAG:
Pathology group
A pathology group is an organization of clinical pathologists working on the diagnosis of disease based on laboratory analysis of bodily fluids such as blood and urine, as well as tissues, using the tools of chemistry, clinical microbiology, hematology and molecular pathology. Clinical pathologists work in close collaboration with medical technologists, hospital administrations, and referring physicians.
The business model of a pathology group has traditionally been as a private group practice, including solo practitioner, medical group partnership, professional corporation (PC), limited liability company (LLC), and similar professional business organizations. It is common for pathology groups to have contracts with one or more hospitals to provide anatomic pathology professional services and clinical pathology professional services.
Pathology itself is a significant component of the causal study of disease and a major field in modern medicine and diagnosis. The term pathology may be used broadly to refer to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of bioscience research fields and medical practices, or more narrowly to describe work within the contemporary medical field of “general pathology,” which includes a number of distinct but inter-related medical specialties which diagnose disease mostly through the analysis of tissue, cell, and body fluid samples.
Pathologists in hospital labs and pathology groups 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.
Immunopathology, the study of an organism’s immune response to infection, is sometimes considered to fall within the domain of clinical pathology.
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.
Pumping Up Performance of Lab Billing & Collections
CEO SUMMARY: Coding, billing, collections, and compliance continue to grow in complexity, making management of the lab’s revenue cycle ever more difficult. One by one, a number of the nation’s largest laboratories are taking steps to automate management of their revenue cycle by utili…
Quest Acknowledges Loss of United Business
CEO SUMMARY: In the boxing world, prize fights between heavyweight contenders always grab the world’s attention. The same is true in the lab industry, where the current fight between the industry’s two heavyweights has the potential to reshape several important aspects of the national…
Paperless at Bayou Path Generates Big Dividends
CEO SUMMARY: Over the past year, Bayou Pathology began eliminating its paper document records. Not only did efficiency improve dramatically, but the staff was able to deliver more professional service. Bayou’s document management system started paying for itself immediately and both pat…
CMS Gets Positive Results from Hospital P4P Demo
HOSPITALS IN THE FEDERAL PAY FOR performance demonstration project showed significant improvement in delivering quality in five clinical areas, according to a new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS said the second-year results from its Premier Ho…
Key Trends Drive Change for Clinical Laboratories
CEO SUMMARY: Technology plays an ever-growing role in reshaping the organization and operation of clinical laboratories. New technologies figure prominently in THE DARK REPORT’S 2007 list of key trends in the clinical laboratory industry. Technological advances in instr…
Healthcare Accelerates Its Pace of Change
DURING THE NEXT FEW YEARS, clinical laboratories and pathology group practices can expect to see the pace of change in healthcare and laboratory medicine accelerate. As that occurs, lab directors and pathologists will need to be faster at responding to evolving threats and opportunities. Our selecti…
Product Cuts Claim Denials, Boosts Payment from Insurers
ONE CONSEQUENCE OF THE GROWTH of high-deductible health plans and health savings accounts (HSAs) is that clinical labs and pathology groups need to collect larger amounts directly from patients. As predicted by THE DARK REPORT last year, bad debt levels are rising in communities where enrollment in …
2006’s Top Lab Stories Identify New Threats
CEO SUMMARY: Presented here are THE DARK REPORT’S “Ten Biggest Lab Stories of 2006.” Compared to earlier years, 2006 was not transformative for the laboratory industry. But it was an eventful year, particularly influenced by Siemens’ decision to acquire DPC and Bayer Diagnostics, …
Proving that Pathology’s Popular Wisdom Is Wrong
IN THE ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY PROFESSION, THE POPULAR WISDOM is that any pathology group practice needs one or more hospital contracts as the primary source of specimens necessary to financially sustain the practice. Outreach specimens sourced from physicians’ offices then represent a profitable supple…
New & Stefanelli Launch Anatomic Path Venture
CEO SUMMARY: With little fanfare, Aurora Diagnostics, Inc. opened for business last summer. It states that it has already signed acquisition agreements with five different pathology groups. Former AmeriPath executives James C. New and Martin J. Stefanelli are leading Aurora Diagnostics. H…
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.