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R. Lewis Dark: Making a Difference in Tangible Ways
HOW OFTEN DOES SOMETHING you learn from THE DARK REPORT make a positive
difference in your laboratory? We hear lots of examples from our
clients and regular readers and I'd like to share two of them with you today.
The first example comes from our special, exclusive, and expanded
coverage about anatomic pathology (AP) condominium laboratory complexes.
This exploding trend involves specialist-physicians taking active
steps to bring AP revenues into their medical practice. (See TDRs, July
19 and August 9, 2004.) Among the topics covered by THE DARK REPORT
were potential legal and compliance concerns triggered by an AP condo
lab operation, the nation's first look at widespread utilization rates for a
12-core prostate biopsy procedure, and public concerns already
expressed by a Senator and the Office of the Investigator General
(OIG) about the legitimacy of the AP lab condo business scheme.
My second example is equally fascinating. Remember the Maryland
General Hospital (MGH) laboratory case last spring? That is the hospital
lab which, for 18 months, released unreliable HIV and HVC test results, and
then, only after whistleblowers finally caught the attention of Maryland laboratory
regulators, was determined to be operationally deficient in a variety
of ways. (See TDRs April 5, April 26, and May 17, 2004.) The laboratory
director during this time, James Stewart left MGH under a cloud. However,
he then found employment with one of the two blood brothers in New
Hampshire, apparently working in a hospital lab. Pathologists involved with
that hospital recognized his name from reading THE DARK REPORT. They
contacted his employer and expressed concerns about his competency for
that position. To its credit, that lab company swiftly terminated Stewart.
Both examples show how THE DARK REPORT makes an important difference
in tangible ways. I'd love to hear such stories from all of you.
Is Nation's Best Quality Laboratory in Arizona?
Sonora Quest Laboratories wins one award,
sets sights on Arizona's highest quality prize
CEO SUMMARY: Without much fanfare or public attention,
one lab is achieving recognition for quality and service excellence
possibly unmatched in the clinical laboratory industry.
In 2003, Sonora Quest Laboratories received Arizona's
Pioneer Award for Quality—the first healthcare provider in
Arizona to win that award. Its next goal is to achieve the state's
highest honor, the"Governor's Award for Quality."
Managed Care Update: Double-Digit Increase Predicted
For HMO Premiums in 2005
Sixth consecutive year of HMO double-digit price rise
will push employers and payers to squeeze labs
IVD Firms Developing
New Marketing Channels
Lab industry vendors want to find
more effective ways to reach customers
CEO SUMMARY: Manufacturers across the IVD industry are
aggressively seeking new marketing channels to reach their
laboratory customers in more productive ways. That means
moving outside the traditional emphasis on the exhibit halls of
laboratory professional association meetings. In the case of
Abbott Laboratories' Architour, it is a huge semi-tractor trailer
rig that brings its newest product right to the lab's doorstep.
How Local Path Groups
Can Keep Patient Access
Efforts to restrict non-contract lab providers
are increasing in Northeastern states
CEO SUMMARY: For pathology groups operating their own
histology and cytology labs, a growing problem is access to
patients covered by exclusive managed care contracts. In
the Northeast, several persistent pathology group practices
are using some effective business strategies to fight this
trend. Not every strategy works every time, but there are
enough victories to make the effort worthwhile.
Dark Index: TriPath Imaging and Ventana
Sign Major Development Pact
Goal is to marry Ventana's specimen processing
products with TriPath's imaging systems
INTELLIGENCE:
15 Diseases Cause Half the Annual Rise in Healthcare Costs
Transitions at LabOne, Inc.
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