By William A. Schiemann, Ph.D bio Most leaders of companies today recognize the importance of having engaged people at work. Yet research from the Metrus Institute, Gallup, and others say … [Read more...]
HEALTH CARE REFORM
AACC Calls for Lab Professionals to Support Value-Based Care
June 12, 2017
Laboratory professionals have a central role to play in supporting the transition to value-based care, according to a position statement released by the American Academy of Clinical Chemistry on May … [Read more...]
DOJ
Medical Necessity Requirement Bites Anatomic Pathologists
June 6, 2017
By Robert Mazer bio The DOJ has announced two separate settlements involving claims for allegedly unnecessary special stains. Medicare permits a pathologist to order special stains when … [Read more...]
FDA WATCH
FDA Watch: Congress Kills Trump Plan to ‘Recalibrate’ User Fees
June 5, 2017
Instead of the budget cuts the President asked for, the newly approved federal government spending plan increases FDA funding by $103 million, $4.665 billion in total. That includes $2.759 billion for … [Read more...]
LAB SAFETY
Getting a new lab space? Design it for safety now and save thousands later
May 24, 2017
By Dan Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) bio Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a laboratory manager who worked in a hospital that was designing a new stand-alone … [Read more...]
NEWS
Diagnostic Deals: A Roundup of the Key Mergers, Acquisitions, Alliances, Licenses and Other Strategic Transactions From the Past Month
May 22, 2017
The big story of April wasn't any particular new deal but the apparent resolution of an old one—the Abbott-Alere merger. Deal volume remained brisk, particularly in the alliance arena. But for those … [Read more...]
MANAGING THE LAB
5 ways to end generational stereotyping in your lab
May 22, 2017
By Dr. William A. Schiemann bio These days, the Millennial Generation is hyped, perhaps even more than Baby Boomers were hyped in the 1950s and 1960s. As I meet with executives around the … [Read more...]
FEE SCHEDULES
CORRECTION: Molecular Assays Stave Off Big Cuts in 2017 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule
May 17, 2017
Editor's Note: The lead story in the November 25, 2016 issue of LIR is about changes to the 2017 Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule affecting reimbursement for clinical laboratory tests. The … [Read more...]
EARNINGS REPORTS
Diagnostics Earnings Show Gains in 1st Q
May 15, 2017
The laboratory industry is off to a strong start in 2017. Although growth rates varied, most firms were up for the quarter. Here's an overview of 1Q 2017 based on the earnings reports we've seen so … [Read more...]
NEW PRODUCTS
The Dx Pipeline
A roundup of the month’s key new product launches
May 9, 2017
As usual, genome and sequencing products dominated the diagnostics pipeline last month. Exceptions included rapid diagnostic testing products from Alere, oncology lung testing kits from IncellDx, … [Read more...]
