By Mike O'Brien bio Here is my periodic update prepared for interested HR professionals trying to deal with the complex American employment laws. In this update: Federal agencies take … [Read more...]
LAB OPERATIONS
Don’t Crash & Burn: Why Cutting Your Quality Department’s Budget is not a Good Idea
October 18, 2017
By Jennifer Dawson, MHA, LSSBB, CPHQ, DLM(ASCP)QIHC, QLC, SLS bio Do you think that you can improve your organization's bottom line by reducing the budget to your quality program and … [Read more...]
LAB SAFETY
Fanning the Flames
October 16, 2017
By Dan Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) bio Story #1: The fire started in the university chemistry laboratory when a research student used a flammable chemical too close to the open … [Read more...]
CAPITAL
Industry Trends: New Report Sheds Light on DX Tech Capital Flows
October 10, 2017
The health care industry has raised $5 billion in venture fund investment in the first half of 2017 and is well on pace to smash the single year record of $7.5 billion set in 2015, according to … [Read more...]
NEWS
FDA Watch: Diagnostics Industry Is Losing a Longstanding “Frenemy”
October 2, 2017
The diagnostics community is saying goodbye to a frenemy of 25 years. On Aug. 29, Alberto Gutierrez, director of the FDA Office of In Vitro Diagnostics (OIVD), announced that he will step down from … [Read more...]
PAMA
Draft 2018 CLFS Reveals Fundamental Flaws in PAMA Reporting Exercise; Time to Take Action
October 2, 2017
By Lâle White bio As XIFIN predicted, the PAMA reporting exercise has resulted in significant proposed laboratory fee cuts. In fact, the multi-year decrease for the top 20 laboratory tests … [Read more...]
INDUSTRY BUZZ
Company of the Month: Interpace Diagnostics
September 29, 2017
Question: What do Parsippany, NJ-based Interpace Diagnostics and butter have in common? Answer: They're both on a roll. July 27: The molecular lab announces that Cigna will cover its ThyGenX … [Read more...]
NEW PRODUCTS
The Dx Pipeline: A Roundup of the Month’s Key New Product Launches
September 29, 2017
Although it did not launch any new products, Quest announced that its existing low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol tests are using a new calculation that not only improves accuracy but also … [Read more...]
PRECISION MEDICINE
Medicare Reimbursement: 4 Molecular Assays Score Big Coverage Wins
September 29, 2017
Molecular labs continue to gain ground with Medicare securing four key approvals via finalization of Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) issued by principal contractor Palmetto GBA this spring. All … [Read more...]
ACQUISITIONS
Diagnostic Deals: A Roundup of the Key Mergers, Acquisitions, Alliances, Licenses and Other Strategic Transactions From the Past Month
September 26, 2017
Strategic alliance rather than M&A remains the preferred form of strategic interaction in the lab industry. M&A The preference of diagnostic companies to work with rather than digest each … [Read more...]
