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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.
Medicare Carrier Plans to Reject Molecular Claims
CEO SUMMARY: In September, Palmetto, a Medicare carrier serving California and seven other states, made public two draft local coverage determinations (LCDs) that revamp its coverage guidelines for molecular diagnostic tests (MDT) and laboratory-developed tests (LDT). All labs su…
Economics of Lab Testing to Be Challenged
BY ANY MEASURE, 2012 IS SHAPING UP TO BE A YEAR OF MAJOR CHANGE for healthcare and the clinical laboratory testing industry. Unfortunately, an early reading of the tea leaves indicates that the outcomes are not likely to be favorable for most clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups. Letâ…
November 7, 2011 “Intelligence: Late Breaking Lab News”
Many experts were impressed when General Electric Co. ponied up $587 million to acquire pathology testing company Clarient, Inc., in October 2010. Now comes further insight behind this transaction. At an investment conference in Boston on November 3, John Dineen, CEO…
Congress Likely to Pass Deep Cuts in Lab Test Fees
CEO SUMMARY: All signs point to a potentially dismal financial outcome for the clinical lab testing industry as Congress tries to trim spending by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. At least three proposals to significantly cut lab test reimbursement are in active debate by fe…
Forecast: Tough Fee Cuts Are in Labs’ Future
EVERY CLINICAL LABORATORY AND ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY GROUP PRACTICE in the United States should prepare for some big-time financial belt-tightening during the next 36 months. That certainly is the message coming from intense budget battles unfolding in Washington, DC, this fall. Most of you reading this…
Why Pathologists Benefit from Growth of In-Office Path Labs
Dear Editor: Your article on the trend of office-based physicians building in-clinic anatomic pathology laboratories was fascinating, but in my opinion, it was off the mark. In the article, “AP Labs in Doc’s Clinics Now an Established Fact†(See TDR, September 6, 20…
ELINCS Specifications Released in California
CEO SUMMARY: Clinical laboratories and pathology groups have a new tool to use for interfacing their LIS (laboratory information systems) with the electronic health record (EHR) systems of their office-based physician clients. It is ELINCS, an IT standard designed to support elec…
TriCore Earns Multi-Site CAP 15189 Accreditation
CEO SUMMARY: To achieve the goals of continuous improvement and standardization across all facilities within its organization, TriCore Reference Laboratories opted to implement the CAP 15189 quality management system (QMS). Last month, the lab announced its accreditation to CAP 1…
Rhode Island Lab Educates Consumers about Lab Prices
TWIN TRENDS NOW CREATE an opportunity for clinical labs and pathology groups to build market share. But tapping these new buyers of laboratory tests will require labs to communicate more effectively with consumers. One trend is the growth in enrollment in health plans that require higher deductibles…
Healthcare Reform and Laboratory Testing
WE ARE ONLY 120 DAYS FROM IMPLEMENTING another round of programs mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 and associated legislation. Certain programs become effective on January 1, 2012. On that date, the transition to HIPAA form 5010 takes effect. All clinical lab…
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