To advance the practice of precision medicine through better use of genetic testing, a new limited liability corporation (LLC) was formed. Participating in the LLC are North Shore-LIJ Health System, the nation’s largest urban health system, OPKO Health, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, and GeneDx, a division of Bio-Reference Laboratories (both lab businesses are owned by OPKO). “The purpose of this alliance is to advance the promise of precision medicine by providing our patients with greater access to these potentially life-saving tests, while at the same time evaluating their utility and clinical value,” stated James Crawford, MD, PhD, in a press release about the collaboration. He is Chair of Pathology and Executive Director of Laboratory Services at North Shore-LIJ.
ADD TO: North Shore/LIJ
This unique combination of a major health system, a pharmaceutical company, and a gene testing lab company, announced on December 17, is an early example of the types of collaborative ventures that can be expected as health systems evolve into fully-integrated healthcare delivery organizations. ACOs will access expertise in genetic testing and its interpretation from expert lab test companies like GeneDx. In turn, the ACOs will provide the gene testing companies access to patients and their relevant clinical data. (North Shore-LIJ will change its name to Northwell Health in January.)
LAB MANAGEMENT
On December 10, Barnabas Health of West Orange, New Jersey, and Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced an agreement that calls for Quest to manage laboratory operations for the seven hospitals operated by Barnabas Health. The press release stated that Barnabas’ “patients and consumers will have expanded information connectivity options, reduced laboratory testing costs, and access to Quest’s IntelliTest Analytics solution, which provides timely access to utilization insights.” Quest is actively pursuing lab management agreements with hospitals throughout the United States.
TRANSITIONS
- Abcodia Ltd. of Cambridge, United Kingdom, announced that Richard A. Sandberg joined its board of directors. He is currently Chairman of the board at Oxford Immunotec Global, Plc. Sandberg founded Dianon Systems in 1983 and was CEO of Dianon in the early 1990s when the lab company launched the strategy of soliciting biopsies and other lab tests from specialist physicians throughout the United States.
Dark Daily Update
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…the growing problem of nar- row networks is where the hos- pital is in-network but hospital-based physicians, including pathologists, are not. Consequently, patients are sur- prised to get bills from pathol- ogists after they are discharged.
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That’s all the insider intelligence for this report. Look for the next briefing on Tuesday, January 19, 2016.
