CONGRESS AND THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAVE THEIR HEALTH LAW. Whether this new law serves the citizens of this country for the better or for the worse will not be known for several years into the future.

I suspect that many of our elected officials in the House and Senate do not fully understand the major elements of the health bill that has just become law. I believe I amalso on safe ground to state the opinion that few of these "servants of the people" actually took the 2,700+ pages of the bill and perused themcarefully before deciding how to cast their vote.

Therein lies the rub. First, these legislators have exempted themselves and their Congressional staffs from the health mandates that they are imposing on the remainder of the country. They know this insulates themselves and their families from whatever negative consequences develop fromthe parts of the new law which prove detrimental to the healthcare system. As an American citizen of good standing, I find it sad that our political leaders deliberately take themselves out of the legislative solution they consider best for the nation.

Second, in coming years, none of us should be surprised when various unintended consequences of this health law become obvious and troublesome. Expect these same senators and representatives to tell news reporters that "I didn't know that was in the bill," or "I didn't understand how this specific mandate would cause health providers to change the way they practiced medicine."

Forgive me for being skeptical about these developments. Like many of you, early last year I was hopeful that the goal of improving our nation's health system would include a robust exploration of innovative ways to organize healthcare.

Healthcare's "best practices" examples, such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and Geisinger Health, would be studied by policymakers and legislators. As part of the health bill, seed funding to encourage similar "health innovation incubators" would be authorized with the goal of covering more people at lower cost while achieving improved health outcomes.

On this point, I am not aware of any provision in the new law that financially encourages a health system, hospital, or physician group to experiment with innovative ways to organize and deliver healthcare. I amwilling to be proven wrong on this point. If you know of such a provision, contact me at our editorial offices. In the meantime, like most of you, I am reserving judgement about whether this health law is good for our country. Like the residents of Missouri, I say "Show me."

2.3% Medical Device Tax Hits Clinical Labs in 2013

Newly-enacted health reform bill requires medical device companies to pay excise tax

CEO SUMMARY: One aspect of the massive new health bill is that medical device companies will pay a 2.3% tax, effective January 1, 2013. Students of economics know that it is customers who invariably end up paying such direct taxes. Thus, clinical laboratories in the United States should prepare to see this 2.3% tax show up as a line item on sales contracts and in the form of higher prices for in vitro diagnostics analyzers, lab equipment, reagents, consumables, and even medical software.

Business Advantages From Whole Slide Imaging

WSI creates ways to significantly improve collaboration between pathologists and physicians

CEO SUMMARY: Whole slide imaging (WSI) is a niche product today, but it offers the potential to redefine the practice of pathology. That's the opinion of pathologists presenting at a digital pathology workshop last month. One pathologist explained how WSI significantly improves collaboration between pathologists and referring physicians. Another pathologist explained how regulators soon may require standards for WSI and why such standards are likely to result in a call for standards for light microscopes as well.

Use of Point-of-Care Testing Reduces Mortality by 50%

In a thinly-populated region the size of Texas and New Mexico combined, an integrated clinical care program based on point-of-care testing (POCT) has delivered impressive gains in health outcomes. For rural residents, mortality rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen by 50%. There were comparable declines in hospital length of stay and the rate of readmissions. A reliable test result and speed to answer fromPOC testing is a major factor in these improved outcomes.

Serious Problems Plague Newfoundland Laboratory

Inaccurate cyclosporine test results trigger lab director resignations and more media scrutiny

Newfoundland's St. John laboratory was rocked by revelations in February that its cyclosporine testing was flawed, exposing patients to the harmful affects from inappropriately high doses of the immunosuppressant drug. Within weeks of this news, the Chief of Laboratory Medicine resigned. Now a team from Toronto's University Health Network (UHN) is at the laboratory to conduct a review of operations and make recommendations to the health authority.

INTELLIGENCE: Late & Latent

JUAN ROSAI, MD'S CASES TO BE PUT IN DIGITAL ARCHIVE

PHLEBOTOMIST GETS LUCKY, WINS $111,250

Call us today if you have Charter Membership questions at 800-560-6363 or 512-264-7103
The Dark Report intelligence briefing is delivered to your mailbox every 3 weeks!