Archive for the ‘Medicine – General’ Category

The Future of Clinical Laboratory Courier Services: Technical and Economic Solutions for the Medical Courier Business

March 7, 2012

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cover-dark-daily-white-paper-courier-servicesIf you consider a million physicians sending patient samples to a quarter million laboratories, and larger hospitals and health systems having multiple laboratories, clinics, and hospitals, as well as from patient service centers (PSCs) to laboratories, it’s easy to understand just how vital the medical courier system is to the healthcare system in general and the clinical laboratory industry specifically.

If you envision the travel of patient specimens as a very complicated web of time and condition-dependent medical samples in constant motion, then the challenges, both technical and economic, become obvious.  Here are some common questions…

How do you track samples?  How are samples handled?  How do you keep costs down?  How do you operate an efficient courier system if, on any given day, you don’t know the number and types of samples that will be transported?

The Dark Report is happy to offer our readers a chance to download our recently published FREE White Paper “The Future of Clinical Laboratory Courier Services: Technical and Economic Solutions for the Medical Courier Business” at absolutely no charge. This report will address these issues above, provide solutions, and include case studies that show how it is currently being handled.

 

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Among other topics, this FREE White Paper specifically addresses:

  1. The economics and fees of a medical lab courier service
  2. Case study, Yale Pathology Labs
  3. Courier transparency and visibility… and much more

For more about closing the medical data gap in your lab, please CLICK HERE.

download your report now!

Table of Contents

Introduction — Page 3

  • How do you track samples?
  • How are samples handled?
  • How do you keep costs down?
  • How do you operate an efficient courier system?

Chapter 1: Medical Laboratory Courier Logistics — Page 4

  • Physician Ordering
  • Sample Collection & Labeling
  • Sample Delivery
  • Sample Processing
  • Reporting

Chapter 2: Laboratory Specimen Handling and Tracking — Page 7

  • Medical Security
    • HIPAA
    • CAP
    • OSHA
    • TSA
  • Chain of Custody
  • In Transit Tracking

Chapter 3: The Economics of Medical Laboratory Courier Services — Page 11

  • Flat Fee
  • Charge Per Mile
  • Charge per Pickup

Chapter 4: Courier Visibility/Transparency — Page 13

  • Training
  • Uniforms
  • Route Analysis
  • Volume Analysis
  • Logistic Experts

Chapter 5: Case Studies — Page 18

  • Yale Pathology Labs (Yale University)
  • LMC Pathology Services (Las Vegas, NV)

Conclusion — Page 24

Appendices

A-1 About Walter J. Humphrey and Susan M. Uihleiny — Page 26

A-2 About Medifleet — Page 27

A-3 About DARK Daily — Page 28

A-4 About The Dark Intelligence Group, Inc., and THE DARK REPORT — Page 29

A-5 About the Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management — Page 30

A-6 About Mark Terry — Page 32

 Terms of Use — Page 36

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iPad helps saves man’s life

March 4, 2012

Think the iPad is just for e-mail, eMagazines and Angry Birds? Even before the anticipated release of iPad3 very shortly with a higher resolution monitor, the iPad has been credited with helping to save a man's life. 

Still think it couldn't work for digital pathology?  Read an eSlide, make an eDifference? Get the right diagnosis for the right patient at the right time?

Still think Pathology 2.0 doesn't have a place along side Medicine 2.0?

Keep reading…

The world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has been issuing iPads to physicians for a while, and now one of the Apple tablets is credited with helping to save the life of a man who suffered an arterial blockage at the facility.

As reported in the Post-Bulletin newspaper, 48-year-old Andy McMonigle was working out with his cycling club at the clinic's Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center when he began to feel intense pressure in his arm. McMonigle has a history of heart trouble, so he immediately went to the locker room and asked a man for help. That man was Mayo Clinic internal medicine resident Dr. Daniel Leuders, who stayed by the side of McMonigle and yelled loudly for assistance.

03-01 andy mcmonigle sj

Two other Mayo residents (brothers Daniel and Christopher DeSimone) were literally just around the corner, so when they arrived Leuders reached into his backpack and pulled out his iPad. Within seconds, Leuders was connected to the Mayo's electronic medical record system, where he was able to pull up McMonigle's medical history.

 

The history showed that McMonigle had a heart stent installed after a previous heart attack four years ago, which made the physicians suspect that he was suffering from a blockage in the stent. When an ambulance crew arrived, Leuders and the other physicians held the iPad record of McMonigle's previous EKG alongside the strip chart that was being printed in real time. What they saw further confirmed their suspicions about the blockage.

The physicians made a choice based on the EKG records that probably saved McMonigle's life. Rather than wait upwards of three hours to run a blood test to verify the clotting, the doctors rushed McMonigle to the cardiac catheterization lab where a team (alerted by activating an emergency code) was waiting. They removed the clot from his artery, which was about 90 percent blocked.

Within three days, McMonigle was released from the hospital and after four more days, he was working out again at the Healthy Living Center.


 

Closing The Medical Data Gap: Using IT To Close The Gap Between Health Information Systems And External Documents

March 2, 2012

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Closing The Medical Data Gap: Using IT To Close The Gap Between Health Information Systems And External Documents

Healthcare creates a wealth of data. Every patient encounter, even a routine checkup, generates a significant volume of information ranging from personal identification data such as Social Security number, age, and address, to clinician notes and impressions, patient data like blood pressure, temperature, pulse, as well as complexlaboratory information.

The trend is toward digital medical information, automated data entry, and the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR), Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) and Health Information Exchanges (HIE), among many other health IT tools. Healthcare reform and various government-led stimulus packages have further pushed the digital revolution onto healthcare. Nonetheless, there is a significant gap between reality and full adoption of digital medical information. A great deal of information is still produced on paper. Integrating it into an EHR for digital archiving, search, retrieval and analysis is a difficult, expensive and time-consuming task.

The Dark Report is happy to offer our readers a chance to download our recently published FREE White Paper “Closing The Medical Data Gap: Using IT To Close The Gap Between Health Information Systems And External Documents” at absolutely no charge. This free download will provide readers with a detailed explanation of how to improve Health Information Systems and IT in the laboratory environment.

 

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Among other topics, this FREE White Paper specifically addresses:

  1. Structured Data Versus Unstructured Data
  2. Different Data Approaches
  3. Specific Data Gap Solutions in Detail…and More

For more about closing the medical data gap in your lab, please CLICK HERE.

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Table of Contents

Introduction — Page 3

Chapter 1. Structured Data Versus Unstructured Data — Page 5

Chapter 2. The Push For Digital Medical Data — Page 7

Chapter 3. The Laboratory Environment — Page 8

Chapter 4. Data Approaches — Page 10

Chapter 5. Data Gap Solutions – Extract Systems — Page 14

 Chapter 6. Data Gap Filled — Page 16

 References — Page 18

Appendices

A-1 About Mark Terry — Page 20

A-2 About Extract Systems — Page 21

A-3 About DARK Daily — Page 22

A-4 About The Dark Intelligence Group, Inc., and THE DARK REPORT — Page 23

A-5 About the Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management — Page 24

A-6 About David Rasmussen — Page 26

 Terms of Use — Page 28


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AMA and AT&T Combine Care Management Platforms to Improve Collaboration Among Caregivers Nationwide

February 22, 2012

Perhaps in the end this "strategic alliance" aka acquisition of AMA's physician portal by AT&T could be a good thing but commercial ventures by the AMA in the past of this sort have not ended well.  Not sure this impacts pathology to a great degree, perhaps laboratory medicine in the general sense but AMA, in my opinion has not done terribly much on behalf of pathologists or the greater public health and why a majority of physicians are not members of the AMA. Time will tell if this "alliance" between two widely recognized brands will benefit patients and providers and offer a more robust and flexible health information exchange platform.  Meaningful use incentives while important for primary care providers, again, do not impact pathology or laboratories, both in terms of incentives or penalties.  This thanks to recent efforts by CAP to amend meaningful use penalties. This of course would not have come about if the original legislation excluded laboratories and pathologists from the reporting requirements recognizing that while we manage a huge amount of data often times the outcome assessment cannot be complete without missing corresponding clinical information collected by the clinical provider at the point of service of clinical services.  In any event, pathologists are now neither eligible for incentives and won't be penalized for not being able to do it.  Meanwhile, physician organizations can focus on working with communication companies to faciliate transfer of lab order and results so non-laboratory providers can be compensated for "meaningful use".

How about some "incentives" for reporting accurate timely data that is used to meet meaningful use?


AMA Press Release:

Strategic Alliance Helps Thousands of Physicians Modernize Practices

Chicago and Dallas – In a union of two iconic American brands, the American Medical Association (AMA) and AT&T* have formed a strategic alliance that will enable hundreds of thousands of physicians, physician organizations and medical societies nationwide to connect and collaborate with hospitals, payers and patients to help enhance patient care and reduce costs.

The organizations will integrate AMA's AMAGINE™ physician community portal for physicians with AT&T Healthcare Community Online, creating an advanced collaborative care and Healthcare Information Exchange (HIE) platform. By combining the platforms, both powered by Covisint, physicians will have more tools at their fingertips to modernize the management of their practices. 

AMA and AT&T will advance the adoption of health information technology (health IT) across the healthcare ecosystem by enabling customers that use the platforms – physicians, hospitals, payers and patients – to access health IT applications and exchange highly-secure clinical and administrative data. The alliance will create one seamless solution that will enable highly-secure, virtually anywhere, anytime access to advanced applications, aggregated clinical information and data analytics that enable the coordination and management of patient care and population health. 

Meaningful-use-101

The relationship will expand the functions and capabilities of the AMAGINE physician community portal that was created to help physicians easily integrate health IT into the management of their practices through a single source with affordable choices. AT&T Healthcare Community Online provides the foundation for a fully clinically integrated system across the entire care team and helps improve collaboration, reduce paperwork and potential errors, and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

 

Together, the combined platform will:

  • Increase caregiver collaboration by connecting AMAGINE customers with AT&T Healthcare Community Online customers
  • Provide access to AT&T's patient care and clinical integration solutions that help bring evidence-based information to the point of care
  • Enable access to important applications such as clinical decision support, e-prescribing, care management and electronic medical records
  • Improve workflow efficiency and streamline processes associated with physician orders and referrals, lab orders and results, medications and discharge planning
  • Help physicians to take further advantage of "meaningful use” incentives

"This alliance with AT&T makes the combined product offering that much stronger and more beneficial to physicians,” said Robert Musacchio, Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the American Medical Association. "With the AMA's extensive knowledge of physician and patient needs, and AT&T's proven track record delivering technology solutions to clients, we expect that physicians and their patients will be able to enjoy the benefits of advanced health IT sooner and with more dramatic results.” 

AT&T will own and operate the combined platform as AT&T Healthcare Community Online and lead efforts to evolve technology solutions and bridge clinical and information needs across patients, physicians, hospitals and ancillary organizations. AMA will remain actively engaged and will collaborate with AT&T on business strategies to expand availability and accessibility of health IT for physicians and practices.

"If caregivers across the country aren't connected, they can't collaborate effectively as a team. By joining forces with the nation's largest physician organization, we're providing a seamless solution to meet the "last mile' of connectivity across the entire healthcare ecosystem,” said Randall Porter, Assistant Vice President, AT&T ForHealth, AT&T Business Solutions.

Both organizations will be discussing the alliance at booth #3829 at HIMSS12 in Las Vegas from Feb. 20 – Feb. 24, 2012.

###

For more information contact:

Robert J. Mills
American Medical Association
312-543-7268
robert.mills@ama-assn.org

Wendi Fuller
AT&T Corporate Communications 
214-373-0118
wendi.fuller@att.com

 

Political debacle with “doc fix” continues…

February 16, 2012

Now the "doc fix" to address permanently the SGR formula is getting bundled with payroll and unemployment monies, or "programs" as they are sometimes referred to.  Conveniently, Congress can stall the issue further, "kick the can down the road", respond to physician advocates by not repealing the SGR once and for all and continue to add to uncertaintly in the healthcare morass.  But do not fret providers and patients, Congress will take a holiday of their own after the vote Friday paid for by our taxes.

Really good thing the government is not involved with healthcare and a payor system until the Healthcare Law goes into full effect…

The deal on the Medicare "doc fix" received widespread coverage, both in print and online, but mostly in the context of it being part of a larger deal involving extensions of both the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits. The AP (2/16, Taylor) reports congressional negotiators worked "into Wednesday night ironing out final details of an agreement to extend a cut in the payroll taxes paid by most Americans. The legislation also would renew jobless benefits for millions more."

The Washington Post (2/16, Kane) says the plan "includes a temporary fix for Medicare's payment plan, which, left unchecked, would lead to a 27 percent drop in fees paid to doctors who treat elderly patients."

In a front-page story, the New York Times (2/15, A1, Steinhauer, Subscription Publication) reports, "A vote on the measure would most likely happen by Friday, when Congress is set to recess for a week."

Deal Would Include $11.6 Billion In Cuts To Healthcare Law. CQ (2/16, Reichard, Subscription Publication) reports, "The tentative agreement House and Senate negotiators reached on Medicare physician payments would block cuts through 2012 and offset part of the cost with $11.6 billion in cuts to the health care law, a GOP aide said Wednesday." The federal health "law cuts would take $5 billion from the $15 billion fund created under the measure to boost programs to prevent chronic diseases, the aide said." Meanwhile, "Medicaid spending for hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of low-income patients would be cut by $4 billion."

The Kaiser Health News (2/16, Carey) "Capsules" blog reports that additionally, "Louisiana would not receive $2.5 billion in additional Medicaid funds included in the health law, according to" the "GOP aide." Lawmakers also "plan to take $9.6 billion from areas that include payment cuts for clinical laboratory services and Medicare 'bad debt,' payments Medicare makes to hospitals and nursing homes when patients cannot pay for their medical care."

Medscape (2/16, Lowes) reports, "Assuming that both the House and the Senate approve the measure, physicians could face another doc-fix drama in the lame-duck Congress that follows the November 6 general election." As of "January 1, 2013, the scheduled Medicare pay cut would top 27.4%, as calculated by the program's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula." MedPage Today (2/16, Walker) also covers the story.

 CQ (2/16, Reichard, Subscription Publication) reports that "despite concerted efforts by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., to apply war savings, it appears that the latest temporary 'doc fix' to block Medicare physician payment cuts under the 'Sustainable Growth Rate' (SGR) physician payment formula without getting rid of the formula itself have come to naught." Some physician groups were critical of the move. In a statement, the American Osteopathic Association said, "It is troubling that Congress continues to operate the nation's largest and most influential health care programs on an ad hoc basis." Meanwhile, American Medical Association President Peter W. Carmel said, "We are deeply disappointed that Congress chose to just do another patch – kicking the can, growing the problem and missing a clear opportunity to protect access to care for patients."

Modern Healthcare (2/16, Zigmond, Subscription Publication) reports that in a statement, Dr. Susan Turney, president and CEO of MGMA-ACMPE, formerly the Medical Group Management Association, said, "We are deeply disappointed that Congress has missed a unique opportunity to repeal the SGR once and for all and instead has chosen political expediency over patients." Dr. Turney also said in the statement, "Group practices are telling us that this congressional decision exacerbates an already unhealthy environment that limits their ability to plan for the future and balance their practice's fiscal health with their desire to continue to serve Medicare beneficiaries."

 

A NEW Dark Report Audio Conference: Important New Trends on Med-Tech Recruiting, Salaries, and Compensation: National Changes, Regional Developments

February 8, 2012

Avoid critical shortages, reduce overtime pay, and create an environment
that fosters long-term employment 

Listen LIVE !

YOUR PRESENTERS:

Chris Harol, Laboratory Recruiter, Lighthouse Recruiting

Laura Lee Feiner, Laboratory Educator, PeaceHealth Laboratories


You may be surprised to learn that the supply-demand equation in the labor market for medical technologists (MT) and other medical laboratory scientists is changing nationally.

Skilled med techs and experienced lab scientists are getting multiple job offers. That’s why they’re asking for more money-and why many labs are willing to outbid competitors to hire these top candidates. Employer demand is another reason why other forms of compensation, such as recruitment bonuses, student-loan forgiveness, and incentive payments, are also fueling increased costs to hire and retain the best candidates.

These important developments may catch some clinical laboratories and pathology groups unawares, making it difficult for them to recruit enough med techs to maintain staffing. Worse yet, if salaries at your lab lag behind the competitive labor market, you may see some of your most valued employees leave to earn more money at a lab across town.

To get you up to speed on these fast-moving changes in the med-tech labor marketplace, THE DARK REPORT has lined up laboratory recruiter Chris Harol of Lighthouse Recruiting to lead a special audio conference, “Important New Trends on Med Tech Recruiting, Salaries, and Compensation: National Changes, Regional Developments,” on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

Harol is the “go-to” recruiter for many well known clinical laboratory organizations. He has the pulse of the labor market for med techs, cytotechs, and other lab scientist skills. In this concise and focused session, Harol will give you an insider’s view of the current supply and demand concerns in the med-tech laboratory marketplace.

You and your team will learn what’s different about today’s labor pool compared with just 12 months ago. Harol will identify how the supply of med techs is changing-but in ways that run contrary to popular wisdom. Because some regions in the United States actually have an ample supply of med techs.

Harol’s experience negotiating between labs and hiring candidates, makes him amply qualified to provide an invaluable analysis of what goes into successful job offers. You’ll learn why some top candidates are less interested in a prime salary, preferring other benefits, such as a schedule that better meets their lifestyle needs.

Is your lab using expensive temporary help agencies to keep enough med techs on duty? Is overtime at your lab above targeted limits because it’s the only way to have enough people to get the work done? If so, you’ll want to participate in this audio conference and get the recommended steps your lab can take to wean itself away from these expensive staffing remedies.

You’ll get a clear understanding of what drives today’s lab labor marketplace and come away from this information-packed session with a checklist of do’s and don’ts that you can use to recruit experienced medical technologists.

Next, you’ll hear from Laura Lee Feiner, Laboratory Educator at PeaceHealth Laboratories, which is owned by a major health system and operates a successful laboratory outreach program. PeaceHealth Labs has a fascinating story. It’s a fast-growing lab with hundreds of employees, yet it’s based in a rural university town with a population of less than 150,000.

You’ll learn about the innovative strategies Feiner and her team use to attract talented people to their lab-and give them career advancement opportunities that boost employee retention. The secret is to create different career paths that foster personal growth, without having to incur expensive relocation costs to move newly hired med techs into your community.

Along the way, PeaceHealth used economic development grants and distance learning programs to tap a ready pool of bachelor of science (BS) graduates already living in the community. Feiner will share how you can use these same strategies in your lab to recruit talented people, then motivate them to pursue a career path that makes them long-time contributors to your laboratory staff.

With the oldest generation of med techs reaching retirement years, both Harol and Feiner will provide tips on the best way to attract and retain the generation now graduating from school. These are the people with an entire career ahead of them that will help you build a stable lab workforce.

Find out how you can address staffing shortages and boost the effectiveness of your med-tech recruiting and retention programs when you join The Dark Report and DarkDaily.com for “Important New Trends on Med-Tech Recruiting, Salaries, and Compensation: National Changes, Regional Developments” on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

Listen as these two nationally prominent experts on med-tech staffing, recruiting, retention, and compensation give you the latest intelligence on the changing supply/demand situation and salary/compensations packages.

Find out how to use this knowledge to help your lab be more successful at recruiting new, highly qualified medical technicians. Creating a work environment that reduces turnover and increases retention of long-term employees translates into a significant reduction in your hiring budget.

Whether you’re a laboratory manager, trainer, medical technologist, histotechnologist, cytotechnologist, or recruiter at an independent clinical/medical laboratory (both for-profit and not-for-profit), hospital, or reference lab, this is one session you won’t want to miss.

Register today to guarantee your place at this essential learning session. And remember that your entire management team can learn and participate when you register.

THE DARK REPORT AUDIO CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 2012

TIME: 1 p.m. EST; 12 p.m. CST; 11 a.m. MST; 10 a.m. PST

PLACE: Your telephone or speakerphone

COST: $195 per dial-in site (unlimited attendance per site) through 2/15/12, $245 thereafter

TO REGISTER NOW: Click here or call 1-800-560-6363 toll-free


For one low price—just $245— you and your entire team can take part in this fast-paced, insightful audio conference. Best of all, you’ll be able to connect personally with our speakers when we open up the phone lines for live Q&A.

Here’s just some of what you’ll learn during this in-depth 90-minute audio conference recording:

  • National trends and the current state of medical technologist supply and demand.
  • Insights about increased salaries and what non-salary compensation incentives competing laboratories are offering that could steal your med techs.
  • What successful labs are doing to recruit top-performing med techs.
  • Why a defined career path is important to new med-tech graduates.
  • How to increase employee morale to reduce turnover and the need for new hires.
  • What job seekers are really looking for and how to ensure your lab meets their employment needs.
  • How to effectively recruit new talent for your lab.
  • Learn how to identify if the med-tech “retirement bomb” is ticking in your lab-and what you can do about it.

…and much more!


How to Order Now:

1. Online
2. Call toll free: 800-560-6363.

Your audio conference registration includes:

  • A site license to attend the conference (invite as many people as you can fit around your speakerphone at no extra charge)
  • A downloadable PowerPoint presentations from our speaker
  • A full transcript emailed to you soon after the conference
  • The opportunity to connect directly with the speaker during the audience Q&A session

Register NOW !     Or for more information, call us toll-free at 800-560-6363

 

Distinguished Presenters:

Chris-Harol

Chris Harol is a Laboratory Recruitment expert with Lighthouse Recruiting.  For the past six years, he has successfully recruited and placed laboratory professionals in new positions nationwide. Mr. Harol specializes in recruiting medical technologists, histotechnologists, and cytotechnologists for the staff to director level. He works with employers ranging from the Hospital Corporation of America to Quest Diagnostics to small critical access hospitals in rural locations. Mr. Harol has an in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of the laboratory market and what the future holds.


Feiner

Laura Lee Feiner is a Laboratory Educator for PeaceHealth Laboratories and a Medical Technologist (ASCP). Her clinical lab experience includes diverse settings, from managing a lab in a small private physician office to performing special chemistry testing in South Korea. She has worked as a technologist in labs across five states. Ms. Feiner has held business and management positions in clinical labs, patient financial services, a cardiovascular service line, and biopharmaceuticals. Her training and education roles have included Director of the MLT program at a community college; instructor of theory, bench, and clinical lab skills; and trainer in various clinical departments. She has a master's degree in public administration.

 

ACCENT® Continuing Education Credit
The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) designates this program for a maximum of 1.5 ACCENT® credit hours towards the AACC Clinical Chemist’s Recognition Award. AACC is an approved provider of continuing education for clinical laboratory scientists in the states of California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.

 

Top Tumor Website now Available as Mobile App

February 8, 2012

Newton, MA  - prMac Medical (courtesy of a loyal reader for passing this along)

[prMac.com] Newton, Massachusetts – The Tumorpedia / Bonetumor team announces the launch of Tumorpedia, a suite of mobile medical reference applications designed for healthcare providers and students. The Tumorpedia mobile applications deliver comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date information on the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors.

Tumorpedia is designed for physicians, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, primary care providers, podiatrists, residents, interns, medical students, and patients as well, Tumorpedia is available for iPhone and iPad, and is available now in the Apple App store.

T-boness2

Tumorpedia comprises a suite of mobile applications focusing on different types of tumors. The applications released today include Tumorpedia-lite, Tumorpedia-bone, Tumorpedia-soft tissue, Tumorpedia-foot and ankle, and Tumorpedia-Espanol, designed for Spanish-language users. 

 

The Tumorpedia applications allow healthcare providers rapid mobile access to the content from Bonetumor, the web's most comprehensive medical information site covering all aspects of benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. The website Bonetumor has been ranked #1 on Google since its inception in 1996.

Each Tumorpedia app contains information on 20 to 50 different tumors, covering the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and examination findings, as well as the xray, MRI, and CT scan appearance of the tumor. The diagnostic features of each tumor are illustrated with hundreds of images from actual case examples. In addition, the microscopic pathology findings are described and illustrated. The app provides treatment options, outcomes information, and prognosis for each tumor. 

"There is no textbook in print that has the information available in this application, presented in the manner that it is. It's a great tool for orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, podiatrists, residents and students who might be caring for patients with these tumors. It's hard to memorize the variable presentations and diagnostic features of these tumors, which can range anywhere from minor, benign conditions to serious, aggressive cancers. Zeroing in on the right diagnosis is really essential in determining the most accurate and appropriate tests to use. Having this information readily available, right at the point of care is invaluable," explains Dr. Henry DeGroot, principal content author of the applications.

It took DeGroot and his team more than five hundred hours of work to create and organize the content presented in Tumorpedia. Their goal was to make sure the app's information was accurate, evidence-based, comprehensive and easy to access in a clinical setting or at the point of care.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (also available on Android)
* Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or higher (iOS 4.0 Tested)
* 1.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Tumorpedia-Lite for universal iOS devices is free, Tumorpedia-Bone, Tumorpedia- Soft Tissue, Tumorpedia – Foot and Ankle and Tumorpedia – Espanol for universal iOS devices is only $2.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Medical category. Promo codes will be supplied to qualified reviewers. Please identify the website or blog you represent when requesting promo codes.

Bonetumor

Tumorpedia_logo_512

Tumorpedia Lite
Tumorpedia Bone
Tumorpedia Soft Tissue
Screenshot
Tumorpedia App Icon

Located in Newton, MA, Tumorpedia and the bonetumor.org website were created by Dr. Henry DeGroot III, M.D., F.A.A.O.S. with the help of a group of talented clinicians and scientists who are active in patient care, surgery, radiology, pathology, clinical and bench research, and academic teaching. Dr. DeGroot is an Instructor in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Tufts Medical School, as well as an Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He teaches orthopaedics, orthopaedic oncology, and foot and ankle surgery. All Material and Software (C) 1996-2012 Digital Image Flow and Bonetumor.org / All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPod, the iPod logo, are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

###

Henry DeGroot
Proprietor
Email this

 

Blog App to be Launched

February 5, 2012

Coming to an iPhone near you soon.  The Digital Pathology Blog App.  Look for iPad and Android OS versions to follow.  Stay connected and up to date from your mobile device to the blog with Twitter (@tissuepathology) and Pathology 2.0 Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pathology2.0) tabs.

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IMG_0097

 

 

 


Usefulness of Software for Analyzing Digital Pathology Images Highlighted

January 17, 2012
Hard to miss this news item which I saw reproduced on dozens of media outlets and sites.

Ul Balis and his team, including Jason Hipp using their SVIQ technology were able to differentiate benign from malignant bladder tissue in cases of micropapillary urothelial carcinoma.
 
This type of technology which uses concentric rings to identify key features for recognition rather than square blocks in the query is a welcome addition to the surgical pathologist's toolkit and I think the tip of the iceberg in the type of value added propositions digital pathology will offer over analogue.  
Reproduction of the glass slide is just the beginning.  The ability to differentiate normal from malignant and dozens of other applications helps add science to the "art and science" practice of pathology. 

This is the 11th of what could become hundreds of publications looking at a wide variety of anatomic pathology differential diagnoses and clinical situations.  
Look for more to come from this game changing technology.

As tissue slides are more routinely digitized to aid interpretation, a software program whose design was led by the University of Michigan Health System is proving its utility. malignancy from background tissue in digital slides of micropapillary urothelial carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer whose features can vary widely from case to case and that presents diagnostic challenges even for experts.

In a new study, a program known as Spatially Invariant Vector Quantization (SIVQ) was able to separate malignancy from background tissue in digital slides of micropapillary urothelial carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer whose features can vary widely from case to case and that presents diagnostic challenges even for experts.

The findings by U-M and Rutgers University researchers were published online in Analytical Cellular Pathology ahead of print publication.

"Being able to pick out cancer from background tissue is a key test for this type of software tool," says U-M informatics fellow Jason Hipp, M.D., Ph.D., who shares lead authorship of the paper with resident Steven Christopher Smith, M.D., Ph.D. "This is the type of validation that has to happen before digital pathology tools can be widely used in a clinical setting."

To test the software's ability to identify cancer in a digital slide, a group of human pathologists first pinpointed the cancer the old fashioned way, by hand. Their work was then used as the gold standard for grading the program's results. Researchers then systematically tested which settings within the program produced the most accurate results – which can serve as a blueprint for optimizing the software to detect other types of cancer and disease.

The findings by U-M and Rutgers University researchers were published online in Analytical Cellular Pathology ahead of print publication.

Diagnosing cancer and other pathologies from tissue slides has always been part science and part art. Pathologists pore over samples looking for certain structural anomalies or counting microscopic features.

"Being able to pick out cancer from background tissue is a key test for this type of software tool," says U-M informatics fellow Jason Hipp, M.D., Ph.D., who shares lead authorship of the paper with resident Steven Christopher Smith, M.D., Ph.D. "This is the type of validation that has to happen before digital pathology tools can be widely used in a clinical setting."

News-digital-pathology-2012

To test the software's ability to identify cancer in a digital slide, a group of human pathologists first pinpointed the cancer the old fashioned way, by hand. Their work was then used as the gold standard for grading the program's results. Researchers then systematically tested which settings within the program produced the most accurate results – which can serve as a blueprint for optimizing the software to detect other types of cancer and disease.

Diagnosing cancer and other pathologies from tissue slides has always been part science and part art. Pathologists pore over samples looking for certain structural anomalies or counting microscopic features.

But different pathologists – or even the same pathologist at different times – may come to different conclusions based on a number of factors, including whether a slide is viewed at high or low magnification, or even whether the pathologist is fatigued from examining dozens of other slides that day, the researchers say.

Digital tools like SIVQ can help pathologists to quickly, accurately and efficiently identify features on a slide with just a few clicks; to quickly calculate the area of an irregularly shaped feature; or to eliminate the slow and painstaking tallying of tiny elements.

Still, the authors stress, the program isn't intended to replace the skill and art of human pathologists, but to provide an additional resource.

"Not only do our findings show that SIVQ has the potential to be a useful tool in surgical pathologists' toolkits when optimized to aid detection of such a highly variable disease, but the case is an excellent example for how the same approach might be applied to a variety of clinical areas," says Ulysses Balis, M.D., director of the division of pathology informatics at U-M and the paper's senior author.

Balis led the software's design at U-M along with Hipp and former informatics fellow Jerome Cheng, M.D.

Unlike other pattern recognition software, SIVQ bases its matches on a set of concentric rings rather than the usual square block. This allows features to be identified no matter how they're rotated or whether they're flipped, as in a mirror.

An example of the program's flexibility was recently demonstrated by Bruce P. Levy, M.D., a research fellow in pathology at Harvard Medical School. Testing the program's utility in a forensic pathology setting, SIVQ was used to calculate the area of bullet wounds and to identify and quantify stippling, which are small scrapes surrounding some gunshot wounds that help to determine the distance from which a gun was fired.

"Being able to use software like SIVQ to analyze forensic images helps to bring the practice of forensic pathology closer to the high-tech fictional world of CSI," Levy says.

Since the computer-aided analysis of micropapillary urothelial carcinoma might contribute to patient care, the group is making all of their primary data freely available to other doctors and researchers at U-M's online digital imaging repository, www.WSIrepository.org.

This paper marks the researchers' 11th SIVQ-related publication, including two editorials. Several others are currently in progress.

Source: University of Michigan

Audio Conference: HIPAA Form 5010 Implementation: Real-World Solutions to Ease the Transition from 4010 to 5010 and Avoid Reimbursement Delays

January 16, 2012

The first 18 days: Lessons learned about how labs can generate
clean lab-test claims for speedy payment 

 

YOUR PRESENTERS:

Lâle White, Executive Chairman and CEO, XIFIN, Inc

Jackie Griffin, Director, Client Services, Training & Project Implementation, Gateway EDI

Matt Warner, Associate Vice President, Operations, XIFIN, Inc.


Every clinical lab is about to learn whether the transition to form 5010-required as of January 1, 2012-will be handled flawlessly by payers or not.

Ideally, clean claims should mean that payers send timely remittances to your lab. But things are less than perfect. Certain payers have already admitted that they weren’t 100% ready for form 5010 implementation on January 1. And in the days since, other payers have struggled to process claims in a timely fashion. Even your own lab’s billing and collections department probably already has stories to tell about unexpected payer glitches.

Join THE DARK REPORT and DarkDaily.com on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 and listen as two nationally prominent experts on billing and collections give you up-to-the-minute news and intelligence about the successes and setbacks payers are having with form 5010 implementation.

The timing couldn’t be better, because you’ll have a front-row seat to hear the latest developments in how payers are handling 5010 implementation. You’ll learn which payers are processing 5010 claims in an exemplary fashion. But you’ll also find out which payers have been overwhelmed by the transition-along with tips that can help your lab avoid these issues when it files its own claims with these payers.

First up is Lâle White, CEO at XIFIN, Inc. Last year, XIFIN submitted more than one million 5010 live claims for their lab clients and found a number of problem areas. White will provide an in-depth review of those problems as well as what your lab can do to avoid them. You’ll also learn what’s being done to resolve these problems going forward.

“Don’t underestimate the importance of having in-house expertise to help you identify, investigate, and resolve problems,” says White. “Because if a claim is rejected, you won’t necessarily know why.” Find out what tools you’ll need to ensure that 100% of claims can be reconciled and errors can be easily found-and resolved.

Next you’ll hear from Jackie Griffin, Director, Client Services for Gateway EDI. She’ll talk about Gateway’s experiences with how different payers are handling 5010 claims. As one of the nation’s fastest-growing electronic data interchanges (ED), Griffin’s company serves 90,000 providers and submits claims to more than 3,000 payers.

Griffin will share an insider’s perspective of the good, the bad, and the ugly of how payers are coping with 5010 claims. You’ll understand the essential elements to making your lab’s claims “clean and compliant” at first submission. You’ll also learn specific things to avoid, as well as how to quickly recognize payers with problems in their 5010 implementation program.

As you know, the 5010 form requires new information from providers that wasn’t included on form 4010. What these new requirements are-and how to interpret data that might be returned if there are problems with your submissions-will be critical for getting your lab claims  reimbursed without delays in the process.

Adding confusion about how and when to use the new 5010 form is that some payers aren’t ready to accept it. And those that are may not be equipped to handle the massive number of new forms, which will cause further delays in claims processing and payments. But the reality is that it’s your lab that is ultimately at risk for claims denials or delays. Not knowing the ins and out of the new form and how to use it correctly poses a considerable threat to your bottom line.

Despite the testing delays at CMS, there has been no delay in transitioning to the new form. CMS did announce a grace period on penalty enforcement through March, but some payers are still insisting on the 1/1/12 cutover. So it’s critical that your lab start using-and understanding how to use-form 5010 now.

To make sure you’re on top of the new form and aware of the problems that could seriously affect your revenue stream, you won’t want to miss the latest audio conference from THE DARK REPORT and DarkDaily.com, “HIPAA Form 5010 Implementation: Real-World Solutions to Ease the Transition from 4010 to 5010 and Avoid Reimbursement Delays.” Listen as two experts who have first-hand experience with the new form provide details on the best strategies for being in compliance with its use. You’ll get practical, real-world insights and advice based on the results of comprehensive testing in the last year.

Keep in mind that the initial testing covered the design of the new form, not the actual data. So providers can expect to encounter additional problems when they start using 5010 on January 1st. With almost three weeks of experience submitting live claims on the new form, both speakers will have new insights to share, including specific payer problems and what you can do to overcome them. This is truly up-to-the-minute information that will have a direct impact on how your lab can avoid potential problems that could result in significant reimbursement delays.

Flexibility is key to any successful transition to form 5010. Your lab needs to know in advance which payers are ready for the new forms and which ones aren’t. So if your lab hasn’t done significant testing with its payers, this audio conference is your chance to find out what’s working-and what isn’t-with many of the payers. You’ll learn about some of the biggest problems and how to make sure they’re fixed before you submit additional claims to those payers.

But some payers simply won’t be ready. So bottom line: Be prepared to send native 5010 and 4010 forms and decide which one to send on a payer-by-payer basis. And make sure you can revert to 4010 at a moment’s notice to ensure timely reimbursement.

Whether you work in a hospital, health system, or independent clinical laboratory-even if you use your hospital’s billing and collections department or an outside billing company-this is one session you can’t afford to miss.

Register today to get the latest on the new 5010 form, the changes you’ll need to make, the problems you can expect, and how it could all impact your revenue cycle management after the cutover.  And remember that your entire management team can learn and participate when you register.

THE DARK REPORT AUDIO CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE


DATE: Wednesday, January 18, 2012

TIME: 1 p.m. EDT; 12 p.m. CDT; 11 a.m. MDT; 10 a.m. PDT

PLACE: Your telephone or speakerphone

COST: $195 per dial-in site (unlimited attendance per site) through 1/13/12; $245 thereafter

TO REGISTER NOW: Click here or call 1-800-560-6363 toll-free


For one low price-just $195 (through 1/13/12; $245 thereafter) you and your entire team can take part in this fast-paced, insightful audio conference. Best of all, you’ll be able to connect personally with our speakers when we open up the phone lines for live Q&A.

Here’s just some of what you’ll learn during this in-depth 90-minute audio conference:

  • The best and worst news for labs about the first 18 days of form 5010 implementation.
  • Common issues that prevent payers from prompt settlement of lab-test claims submitted on 5010 forms, plus what labs can do to rectify these problems.
  • Which payers are struggling the most with 5010 lab-test claims, plus the names of payers doing a great job processing 5010 claims.
  • Specific steps your clinical laboratory can and should do to address payer problems with form 5010 that will speed payment of conforming lab test claims.
  • What’s working (and what isn’t) in form 5010 implementation.
  • Simple steps to optimize your lab’s ability to submit clean claims and get timely/accurate payments.

…and much more!


How to Register Now:

1. Online
2. Call toll free: 800-560-6363.

Your audio conference registration includes:

  • A site license to attend the conference (invite as many people as you can fit around your speakerphone at no extra charge)
  • A downloadable PowerPoint presentations from our speaker
  • A full transcript emailed to you soon after the conference
  • The opportunity to connect directly with the speaker during the audience Q&A session

Register Now!     Or for more information, call us toll-free at 800-560-6363

 

Distinguished Presenters:

Lale White

Lâle White is Executive Chairman and CEO at XIFIN, Inc. She is a nationally recognized expert in the field of medical financial management and regulatory compliance, with more than 25 years of experience in information systems development and medical billing. She lectures extensively on these topics and has consulted for major laboratories and laboratory associations throughout the U.S. Ms. White worked with HCFA and the U.S. Office of the Inspector General to develop the first OIG Model Compliance Program. She was previously Vice President of Finance for Laboratory Corporation of America and its predecessor National Health Laboratories, where she led the software development of several accounts receivable, inventory, cost accounting, and financial management systems for the laboratory industry. Ms. White has a BA in finance and an MBA from Florida International University.

jackie-griffin

Jackie Griffin is Client Services Director for the training and implementation teams at Gateway EDI. The implementation team focuses on the overall direction, implementation control, and completion of specific projects ensuring consistency with company strategic objectives. Ms. Griffin worked on Gateway EDI's own 5010 transition strategy, planning, and rollout. She also led efforts to educate customers and the industry about 5010 planning, issues, and concerns. Ms. Griffin began working at Gateway EDI in 1999 to help with Y2K planning. She has served in several customer-service positions, including supervisor for executive accounts. She is an active member of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange and participates in other industry groups such as the American Medical Association, American Standards Committee, and Medical Group Management Association. Ms. Griffin was a feature speaker for the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange 5010 Forum and the GetReady5010 webinar series, presenting on topics such as HIPAA 5010 Testing for Small Practices and Planning for the "what ifs" of 5010. Prior to joining Gateway EDI, she attended Missouri College and worked in several provider offices gaining an understanding of front- and back-office functions.

Matt-Warner-XIFIN-INC
Matt Warner is Associate Vice President, Operations at XIFIN where he oversees the IT and EDI Services departments. Mr. Warner works with all aspects of electronic data interchange (EDI) with thousands of payers and dozens of direct-trading partners, from enrollment to eligibility and claims payment for each of XIFIN’s customers. As head of the IT department, he supports an SAS-70 audited, high-traffic, Internet-facing, business-critical environment. Previously, Mr. Warner was a Senior Systems Engineer/Infrastructure Engineer at Intuit, and also held positions at MedImpact and Caventa. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University.

 

ACCENT® Continuing Education Credit
The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) designates this program for a maximum of 1.5 ACCENT® credit hours towards the AACC Clinical Chemist’s Recognition Award. AACC is an approved provider of continuing education for clinical laboratory scientists in the states of California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.

 


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