Health systems under pressure to cut costs and improve care quality are looking for ways to rein in what they perceive to be overutilization of lab testing. Against this backdrop, a pair of new … [Read more...]
UTILIZATION TRENDS
Utilization Trends: Study Links EMR Prioritization to Over Ordering of Costly Lab Tests
October 29, 2018
FUTURELAB
Mindset Shift Moves Labs from Transactions to Insights
October 25, 2018
How do you plan for the future in a rapidly changing environment? That is the big task that laboratories are being asked to do. There is no roadmap, yet their financial livelihood is dependent upon … [Read more...]
INNOVATION
AI Using Laboratory Data to Inform Clinical Decisions
October 15, 2018
Artificial intelligence- (AI-) based technology is beginning to penetrate health care. Like most other clinical decision-making, several early AI applications rely upon laboratory data. While … [Read more...]
RESEARCH
Genomics Giants Accused of Misappropriating Sequencing Technology
October 5, 2018
Case: A trio of medical researchers are accusing Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Affymetrix of stealing the zip code sequencing technology they developed. The trade secret theft and fraud … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE PLANS
OIG Monthly Work Plan Review: August 2018
September 10, 2018
Of the 12 new Work Plan items, four have direct implications for labs and billing of lab tests. 1. Medicare Payments for Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests in 2017: Year 4 of Baseline Data Issue: … [Read more...]
DATA
Cybersecurity: LabCorp Reports What Could Be a Major Data Breach
August 22, 2018
Cyberattacks and data breaches against health providers are a daily occurrence. But when the breach takes place at a firm as big and powerful as LabCorp and potentially affects the health records of … [Read more...]
ENFORCEMENT
CMS Takes 3 New Measures to Bolster Medicaid Program Integrity
August 20, 2018
With Medicaid spending on the rapid ascent, CMS unveiled a trio of new initiatives to bolster program integrity and make states more accountable for compliance with federal rules. 1. MLR Audits CMS … [Read more...]
CO-ORDINATING DATA
Laboratory Information Systems (LIS): What You Need To Know To Get Paid
July 23, 2018
By Sean McSweeney bio Today, laboratory billing claims require more and more data to successfully get paid. One of the biggest reasons your claims may be getting denied is because you're … [Read more...]
DATA
Case of the Month: Patients Can’t Sue Labs for Privacy Breaches, Federal Court Confirms
July 13, 2018
The HIPAA law sets out civil and criminal penalties that can be imposed on labs (and other providers) that commit privacy violations. But one thing the HIPAA law does not specify is whether an … [Read more...]
PRECISION MEDICINE
New Study Provides Most Comprehensive Overview of Genetic Test Development, Usage and Spending
June 11, 2018
As might be expected, there has been rapid growth in genetic test availability and spending on these tests since 2014. But, comprehensive new collaborative analysis conducted by Concert Genetics … [Read more...]
