MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'digital imaging'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:54:52 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182342&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F09%2Ffuture-of-pathology-jim-harrison.html This is a guest blog note by Jim Harrison, M.D., Ph.D. He is a pathologist and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia. It's a repost of a document that he circulated on the Association for Pathology Informatics (API) listserv earlier in the year and is, in part, a compilation of input from other pathologists about anticipated changes in AP and CP. Earlier this summer I posted a request to the API list for thoughts about key changes that might occur in AP and CP within the next five years and how those changes might be best supported by IT. A similar request was passed around in CAP's informatics-related committees, and the results were compiled for distribution to the CAP Pathology Transformation project. I did receive several responses from this list, so I'm summari... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182342 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:42:49 +0100 5182342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159863&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fapathology-informatics-2011-conference-only-six-weeks-away-1.html The second annual Pathology Informatics 2011 conference is only about six weeks away. It will be held in Pittsburgh on October 4-7, 2011. It's the merged version of two prior, long-standing informatics conference, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit. You can review the entire conference schedule as well as register on-line. Three separate content tracks are being offered: Clinical Information Management, System Support and Connectivity, and Digital Imaging. The 3 1/2 day conference with a venue at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand offers an opening day with three workshops, included in the registration fee, 10 plenary lectures, and 27 track lectures. A total of 43 faculty members will participate. Also presented will be about 40 scientific presentations and 15 e-posters that have been selected fr... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159863 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:47:29 +0100 5159863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140317&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-most-important-iphone-app-for-pathologists.html In response to a blog note about iPhone ecosystems (see: The iPhone Effect: Smartphones and Their App Ecosystems Have Changed Everything), a reader, Christopher Metts, asked the following question as a comment: If [you] wanted to create an app for a practicing pathologist, what do you think it should do? It's an interesting question and, for me, the answer seems to be obvious.  However, I need to qualify my answer. First, it will encompass all smart phones and not just the iPhone as well as tablets such as the iPad. Secondly. my response will include two broad functions rather than specific app products. Various apps with these functionalities do exist but I don't want to single out any of them. The two functional categories that come to mind for smartphone/tablets that will ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140317 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:42:01 +0100 5140317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057936&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fascp-job-market-in-pathology.html A recent article on fellowship training in pathology got me thinking about the number of years of postgraduate training that is required for training in pathology and also the job market (see: 2011 Fellowship & Job Market Surveys), Below is an excerpt from the article: Each year the ASCP Resident Council directs [a] survey on fellowships and the job market for pathologists in training, both residents and fellows....This year, 2,591 residents participated in the survey. Competition is tight for fellowships. Similar to both the 2009 and 2010 results, slightly more than half of residents (54 percent) received one fellowship offer; 21 percent received two fellowship offers. But 12 percent of applicants received no offers (up from 10 percent last year). While 59 percent of residents intend ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057936 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:00:51 +0100 5057936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753978&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F04%2Fexhibitors-sought-for-pathology-informatics-2011-october-4-7-in-pittsburgh.html We are seeking exhibitors for the Pathology Informatics 2011 conference that will take place at the Wyndham Hotel in Pittsburgh on October 4-7, 2011. This conference resulted from a merger of two previous pathology informatics conferences, Lab Infotech Summit and APIII. The inaugural merged conference was held in Boston last September. A total of 41 exhibitors participated in that event with about 250 paid registrants in attendance. A total of twenty-five companies have signed-up thus far to participate in Pathology Informatics 2011. They are the following: Aperio, Apollo PACS, ARUP Laboratories, Aurora Interactive, Beckman Coulter, Cerner, Dawning Technologies, Definiens, Elekta, General Data, Haemonetics Software Solutions, Halfpenny Technologies, McKesson Corporation, Milestone Medical,... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753978 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:07:51 +0100 4753978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693515&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F04%2Fcap-foundations-futurescape-coming-up-quickly.html The CAP Foundation's Futurescape of Pathology conference (IV) will be held on April 15-17 at the InterContinental Hotel near Chicago's O'Hare airport. I will be moderating the program on Saturday morning on digital pathology that will include a session entitled: The Development of National Electronic Pathology/Laboratory Networks. Faculty will include Kenneth J. Bloom, MD, of Clarient; Rob Atlas, President & CEO, Atlas Development Corporation; and Michael J. Becich, MD, PhD, from the University of Pittsburgh. In my opinion, the Futurescape conferences have been some of the best in the country regarding strategic positioning of pathology and the clinical labs. Ne sure to put this event on your calendar if you have concerns about the future of our speciality. (Source: Lab Sof... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693515 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:04:12 +0100 4693515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450526&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F02%2Fontario-ges-omnyx-establish-digital-pathology-center-of-excellence.html GE has announced an agreement to establish its first Global Pathology Imaging Centre of Excellence in Toronto, Ontario. GE and its digital pathology joint venture, Omnyx, will invest $7.75M along with a $2.25M grant from the Health Technology Commercialization Program created by HTX (Health Technology Exchange) and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. Planned collaborative research and development partnerships will bring an additional $7.2M, for a total investment of $17.2M over the next 3 years (see: GE and the Government of Ontario Establish First Global Digital Pathology Centre of Excellence to Improve Patient Care). Three facts were listed at end of the press release that provided some insight for me about why the Canadian government was interested in jump-startin... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450526 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:19:14 +0100 4450526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343347&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Ftu.html I had previously heard about Google Goggles but do not have the app on my smartphone -- I don't have an Android phone. However, I may consider one in the future. It turns out that the app can perform a new trick that astonishes me (see: Android Google Goggles Adds Barcode Scanning, Sudoku Cheats). Below are the details: Google's latest version of Google Goggles is apparently powerful enough to beat a Sudoku champ at her own game....Google announced Goggles 1.3 client for Android, featuring instant barcode scanning and print ad recognition. And as an added bonus, Goggles 1.3 can also help you cheat on Sudoku. First released on Android phones in December 2009 and on iOS in October 2010, Google Goggles is a visual recognition app that allows users to photograph objects and receive rel... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343347 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 12:48:54 +0100 4343347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183562&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F11%2Fnew-malamoma-detection-device-narrowly-apporoved-by-the-fda.html MelaFind, a device designed for use by dermatologists for in-vivo detection of suspicious pigmented skin lesions, has been narrowly approved by an FDA advisory panel. Here is an excerpt from the article (see: Panel Splits over Skin Cancer Detection Device): An FDA advisory panel has voted 8-7, with one member abstaining, to recommend approval for an experimental skin cancer detection system called MelaFind. A vote so close generally is not considered an endorsement in the eyes of FDA officials, who have the final say in whether to approve the device. The FDA does not have to follow the advice of its advisory committees, but it often does. Some panelists on the [committee] were concerned that relying on a device to detect melanoma could lead to unnecessary biopsies, or worse: missed skin ca... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183562 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:06:09 +0100 4183562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152288&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F11%2Ftusame-day-histopathology-services.html I have been promoting the idea of integrated diagnostics in this blog (see: Revisiting Integrated Diagnostics and the Integrated Diagnostic Report) and suggested that the goal of no more than a three-day turnaround time for breast cases would be a suitable goal. In a recent note, I presented evidence that the current diagnostic-delay-time (DDT) for breast lesions from the time of initial screening until a definitive diagnosis is about 16 to 60 days (see: Diagnostic Delay Time (DDT) and Integrated Diagnostics). The Dark Daily recently ran a story about the University of Nebraska-Omaha and the technology they were deploying in surgical pathology. The lab is generating reports for a significant number of patients on a same-day basis. (see: Lean and New Diagnostic Technologies Fuel Innovations... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152288 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0100 4152288 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119740&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F10%2Fquality-collaboration-arranagments-in-surgical-pathololgy-between-small-and-large-hospitals.html We need to take some steps to ensure that our smaller hospitals continue to be viable both financially and in terms of the quality of care that they provide. This may be difficult for some of them in this new era of accountable care organizations (ACOs) with complex performance standards required by the government and insurance companies. One of the challenges facing smaller hospitals, from the perspective of surgical pathology, is that the number of pathologists working in such a setting will be small -- perhaps one or two in many cases. It is impossible in such a small group to solicit multiple opinions about a challenging surgical pathology case. In a large academic pathology department, there are numerous colleagues close-at-hand to consult, all of whom will have sub-speciality experti... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119740 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:43:59 +0100 4119740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4106080&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F10%2Fquality-collaboration-arranagments-in-surgical-pathololgy-between-small-and-large-hospitals.html We need to take some steps to ensure that our smaller hospitals continue to be viable both financially and in terms of the quality of care that they provide. This may be difficult for some of them in this new era of accountable care organizations (ACOs) with complex performance standards required by the government and insurance companies. One of the challenges facing smaller hospitals, from the perspective of surgical pathology, is that the number of pathologists working in such a setting will be small -- perhaps one or two in many cases. It is impossible in such a small group to solicit multiple opinions about a challenging surgical pathology case. In a large academic pathology department, there are numerous colleagues close-at-hand to consult, all of whom will have sub-speciality experti... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4106080 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:43:59 +0100 4106080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4077614&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F10%2Fmwho-will-build-the-diagnostic-emr.html I have just come back from Washington G-2 Report's Lab Leaders' Summit and Lab Institute in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC. This was the 28th annual presentation of the latter. Both were well received and highly successful. I personally spoke at the Lab Leaders' Summit, summarizing in my lecture what I perceived to be the current top ten IT trends in healthcare. One of the items in my top-ten list was the Diagnostic EMR (D-EMR), which I believe will now evolve on a parallel track to the clinical EMR (C-EMR). These are not terms now in common usage but I hope to make them so in the upcoming months. One of the questions that I posed during my lecture was which of the current LIS vendor(s) will decide to build a D-EMR. I envision that such a system will be cloud-... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4077614 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:39:35 +0100 4077614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4061083&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F10%2Ffdiagnostic-delay-time-ddt-and-integrated-diagnostics.html One component of Diagnostic Adverse Events (see: New Attention Being Directed toward Diagnostic Adverse Events (DAEs)) is the Diagnostic Delay Time (DDT). I discussed the topic of diagnostic delays in a recent note, comparing them to Clinical Adverse Events (CAEs) (see: Breast cancer diagnostic delay depends more on race than insurance). Below is an excerpt from the DDT article as it relates to breast cancer: Race and ethnicity appeared to affect diagnostic delay more than insurance status for women with breast abnormalities, as revealed by data presented at [a recent conference].... Findings revealed that non-Hispanic black and Hispanic women with government or private insurance waited more than twice as long for a definitive diagnosis than non-Hispanic white women with government o... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4061083 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:50:43 +0100 4061083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976720&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F09%2Fmore-evidence-that-roche-moving-awar-from-traditional-pharm-business-model.html I have previously blogged about Roche's interest and focus on companion diagnostics (see: More Details About Roche's Companion Diagnostics Strategy; A Closer Look at Companion Diagnostics Strategies; Consideration of a Broader Definition for "Companion Diagnostics"). This is a strategy whereby a company such as Roche co-develops, or recommends, a gatekeeper biomarker test or IVDMIA that qualifies a patient for treatment with a particular biotech drug manufactured by that company. Also keep in mind the company's recent purchase of BioImagene, one of the leaders in digital pathology. This allows the blending of digital pathology with the product line of Ventana. Now comes news that Roche is abandoning its relationship with the pharma trade association PhRMA and casting ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976720 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:34:16 +0100 3976720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3973122&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F09%2Fwhy-does-a-pathologist-request-a-consultation-on-a-case-when-should-this-be-documented.html In two previous posts, the issue has been discussed, firstly, how to document whether the consulting pathologists on a surgical pathology case should be documented in the report and, secondly, how to format this documentation (see: Displaying Pathology Consultants' Names and Opinions in Surgical Pathology Reports; Appending a List of Consultants to Surgical Pathology Reports). Michael Mihalik of Pathview Systems has responded to the second of these notes with a comment:At the risk of displaying my ignorance to the world, why WOULD a pathologist want to note the consulting pathologist on a report? We obviously support this functionality, but I have always had this question.I guess I have two general thoughts on the matter. The first is that is this not equivalent to the documentat... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3973122 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:38:46 +0100 3973122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3965710&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F09%2Fmrevisiting-integrated-diagnostics-and-the-integrated-diagnostic-report.html In previous notes, I have been a strong advocate for integrated diagnostics, defined as closer collaboration, and perhaps eventual merger, of pathology, lab medicine, and radiology (see: The Evolution of Integrated Diagnostics into Integrated Diagnostic Centers)). A key central concept of this idea is the integrated diagnostic report (see: New Attention Being Directed toward Diagnostic Adverse Events (DAEs)). As currently conceptualized, such a report consists of a "super" or "bottom-line" diagnosis for a patient. It would be created by the integration of all of the "sub-diagnoses" for a patient that are generated serially and independently within the radiology sub-specialties (e.g., CT, MRI, PET) plus surgical pathology diagnoses plus data/diagnoses from the... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3965710 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:24:16 +0100 3965710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3958069&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F09%2Fmore-on-developing-a-consultants-list-on-surgical-pathology-reports.html In a recent guest blog, Dr. Alexis Carter discussed the importance of formally documenting the names of pathology consultants on surgical pathology reports (see: Displaying Pathology Consultants' Names and Opinions in Surgical Pathology Reports). Two comments were received with reference to it. The first was from Infopathic:Nice commentary on a rather simple concern, for which I believe has no simple solution. I would very much like to hear other voices weigh in with approaches to formally index consultations within AP-LIS solutions.The second from, Michael Mihalik of Pathview Systems, stated the following:We just recently had a very similar topic arise during the installation of our latest client. Our solution was an enhancement to our system which allows for both directed, formally e... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3958069 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:35:42 +0100 3958069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946695&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F09%2Fdicom.html This is a short guest blog by Dr. Bruce Beckwith, Chief of Pathology, North Shore Medical Center, Salem, MA. Dr. Beckwith will be providing more details about DICOM in a talk at Pathology Informatics 2010 that will be held in Boston on 19-22 September (see: Enabling Digital Pathology - Whole Slide Imaging in DICOM). Please contact him if you want more information or would like to get involved with the DICOM pathology working group. Such input is always valued. The approval of Supplement 145 (Whole slide microscopic image object definition) coupled with the prior approval of Supplement 122 in 2008 (Pathology specimen module) means that the DICOM standard now has the pathology concepts and image objects that are necessary for vendors to implement a digital pathology workflow, including AP-L... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946695 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:08:11 +0100 3946695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3896104&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Froches-ventana-acquires-bioimagene.html Roche Holding... said it will buy closely held BioImagene for $100 million, helping the Swiss drug company to extend its diagnostics business (see: Roche to Buy BioImagene, U.S. Diagnostics Firm). As part of the deal, Roche's unit Ventana Medical System Inc. will acquire 100% of the California-based company, which specializes in tissue-based cancer diagnostics and research. The U.S. company makes digital images from glass microscope slides that can be processed with computers, thus helping researchers and doctors save costs and time....The takeover is part of Roche's efforts to boost activities in personalized medicine, whereby companies develop diagnostic tests to help determine which therapy is the best for a patient....Efforts in the realm of diagnostics should also give pharmac... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3896104 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:14:43 +0100 3896104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3896105&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Fmkey-upcoming-deadline-for-pathology-informatics-2010-conference.html The Pathology Informatics 2010 conference will take place on 19-22 September at the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston. It's an amalgam of three previous pathology informatics conferences: (1) APIII, held for 14 years, mainly in Pittsburgh; (2) Lab InfoTech Summit, presented for six years in Lab Vegas; and (3) AIMCL with a 21 year tenure in Ann Arbor.A key date is approaching for those interested in registering for this conference -- August 27. This marks the deadline for the reduced conference registration fee for the event and also for making a reservation at the Copley. A block of rooms have been set aside at the hotel by the conference organizers for registrants at a special price but there is no guarantee that rooms will be available after this date. On-line registration is avail... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3896105 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3896105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3881093&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Fbig-pharma-and-net-innovation-trends.html Think quickly when I say "innovation" in relation to healthcare. What types of organizations come quickly to your mind. Hospitals? No. The pharmaceutical industry? No. I personally think of sectors such as medical devices, molecular diagnostics, genomics, medical imaging, biotech. Well, recent trends in the market cap of various healthcare sectors bear out this conclusion (see: The Net Innovation Trend), Below is an excerpt from the article making this point, including pie charts illustrating the comparative value of sectors for 2000 compared to 2008:The relative absence of innovation set against a bloated cost structure has led to a rapid decline in value of large-cap pharmaceuticals, from nearly two-thirds of the market cap of healthcare in 2000 to less than one-third today. Ov... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3881093 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:11:47 +0100 3881093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872750&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Flabcorp-collaborates-with-clearstone-in-global-clinical-trials.html Contract research organizations (CROs) such as Covance and Charles River, particularly those with expertise in clinical and anatomic pathology, have been in the forefront of efforts to develop global networks for collaborative work and information exchange (see: A Look at the World's Largest Central Laboratory Network; Covance's Execution of a Global Virtual Clinical Lab; Charles River Acquires Molecular Imaging Company; Status and Challenges of Offshore Clinical Trials). They are also leading the way in the adoption of digital pathology for their veterinary pathologists (see: Veterinary Pathologists Adopting Digital Pathology Faster than MDs). These networks allow for archiving of digital image files in central global locations plus collaborative efforts across multiple sites in ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872750 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:49:10 +0100 3872750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858406&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Fmpathologylinks.html I have just discovered PathologyLinks (Eric's Links) by way of a referral to Lab Soft News. It's a compilation of approximately 230 separate links (there were so many that I lost count) with relevance for the practice of pathology and categorized in the following way: Surgical Pathology (general) Subspecialty Surgical Pathology      Cytopathology Autopsy Histology Anatomy & Physiology Microscopes and Microscopy History of Pathology Other Pathology Resources Bioinformatics Internet Research Eric turns out to be Eric K. Morgen, M.D., an AP resident in the Department of Lab Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. This meta-site is obviously a labor of love for Eric -- great work. We can all derive benefit from his efforts. I could... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858406 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:35:59 +0100 3858406 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3823170&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Fseeing-and-understanding-the-world-through-your-iphone-camera.html I still haven't gotten used to the idea that I have a camera in my pocket at all time -- my smart phone. If and when I get my head around this idea, I will be confronted with a new capability. I can use this camera to better understand the world around me. This concept was explained in a recent article from which I quote below (see: Seeing the World Around You Through Your Phone):The best new thing to hit smartphones is augmented reality. These apps, like Goggles (free, for Android phones) and Layar (free, for Android and Apple devices), are like space-age glasses. Point your smartphone in any direction and look through the camera viewer, and it will reveal information about what it sees. Want to know the artist responsible for the print hanging in that restaurant? ....The last selling... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3823170 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:06:17 +0100 3823170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3813210&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F08%2Ffirst-annual-definiens-conference-madrid-spain-october.html Item: Definiens has just announced the date for the First Annual Definiens International Symposium. It will be held on October 7-8, 2010, in Madrid. There is no charge to attend the event. Speaker and attendees are expected from  international institutions, bio-pharmaceutical companies, industry partners, and the global healthcare industry. Sessions will include the following topics: Digital pathology image analysis Cell, confocal, and small animal image analysis The developer perspective: Image analysis solution strategies Item: Pathology Visions, a long-running educational event, was initially launched as an Aperio user group, then morphed into a broad multi-vendor-supported conference. After the last conference in 2009, control was turned over to a newly-formed trade association... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3813210 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:22:30 +0100 3813210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790931&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F07%2Fphilips-makes-major-move-into-digital-pathology.html Philips may be a force to contend with in the increasingly competitive U.S. digital pathology market. The company first unveiled its "work-in-progress" slide scanner and image management system at the USCAP conference last March in Washington, D.C. (see: Philips to unveil breakthrough in digital pathology). Their prototype system has been initially positioned for research but will then transition to clinical use after FDA approval. More recent news is that the company signed an agreement to integrate some of Dako's image analysis applications into Philips'  digital pathology solutions. Company officials have emphasized that anatomic pathology is an essential element in virtually every cancer diagnosis and that demand in this cancer market is increasing.  ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790931 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:02:50 +0100 3790931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3794941&cid=t_221665_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator-2%2Fupgrades-to-newtom-vgi-and-adds-3d-mobile-cone-beam-imaging-service%2F (Elmsford, NY, June 2, 2010,) AFP Imaging Corporation (OTC. AFPC.PK) announces that McCormack Dental Imaging in Southern California and C?Dental X?Ray in Northern California, the single largest customers of the NewTom 3D Cone Beam Imaging scanners in the US, have upgraded all 12 of their locations from the NewTom 3G to the NewTom VGi. Additionally, McCormack Dental Imaging has expanded its service to include 3D Mobile Imaging as the growth of the NewTom VGi Flex and mobile imaging fleet continues to reach across the country. This latest 3D Mobile Cone Beam unit will operate out of San Diego County and provide enhanced onsite service to both doctors and patients, delivering the highest caliber images for which the NewTom VGi is known. C?Dental X?Ray has provided the bay area dental communit... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3794941 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:55:30 +0100 3794941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3758119&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F07%2Fsome-details-about-diagnostic-adverse-events-daes.html The definition for an "adverse event" appears to be broadening to include problems beyond those associated with drug administration. Here is an example of such a broader definition that I encountered: An unexpected medical problem that happens during treatment with a drug or other therapy. Adverse events do not have to be caused by the drug or therapy, and they may be mild, moderate, or severe. To make things even more interesting, the term adverse event is also logically being split into two subcategories: diagnostic adverse events and therapeutic adverse events. An recent study of the former has revealed that they can have serious consequences (see: Diagnostic Adverse Events Mostly Caused By Human Error). Below is an excerpt from this article:Diagnostic adverse events (DAEs) ha... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3758119 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:17:06 +0100 3758119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3737306&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F07%2Ffrequency-of-video-watching-on-youtube.html I am sure that most of the readers of this blog are aware of YouTube, the web-based video channel and perhaps have watched a video via this site or its various competitors such as Hulu and Google Videos. I also suspect that most of you, like me, have little sense of the volume of activity on such sites. Well, here's some numbers for you to contemplate (see: The Average YouTube User Watched 100 Videos in May):May was a bang-up month for YouTube, according to data released today by the comScore Video Metrix service. Having for the first time achieved the milestone of 100 videos watched per user, the video-sharing site reached an all-time high of 14.6 billion videos viewed in May. Overall, video viewership was on the upswing — in April, data showed that 178 million U.S. users watched on... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3737306 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:09:19 +0100 3737306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3707017&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Fadoption-trends-in-digital-pathology.html I recently posted two guest blog notes by Steve Potts, Ph.D., focusing on the more rapid adoption of digital pathology by veterinary pathologists than MD pathologists (see: Veterinary Pathologists Adopting Digital Pathology Faster than MDs; Reasons Why DVM Pathologists Are Adopting Digital Pathology Faster Than MD Pathologists). Coincidentally, an article has just been published in Laboratory Economics entitled Adoption Trends in Digital Pathology (Volume 5, No. 6, June 2010) that provides survey data on this topic. I copy it in its entirety below.Nearly everyone agrees that digital imaging will play a big role in pathology in the future. Academic medical centers, commercial labs and large independent pathology labs are rapidly installing digital pathology systems. But its use in reimbursa... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3707017 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:16:14 +0100 3707017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695825&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Freasons-why-dvm-pathologists-are-adopting-digital-pathology-faster-than-md-pathologists.html This is the second portion of guest blog note written by Steve Potts, PhD. The first was posted yesterday (see: Veterinary Pathologists Adopting Digital Pathology Faster than MDs). Steve is the CEO of Flagship Biosciences, a pathologist-owned CRO and provider of digital pathology services in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.I would propose the following reasons why the adoption of digital pathology among DVM pathologists is faster than among their MD counterparts: Veterinary pathologists have benefited from the development of a strategic, forward-looking vision by pathologists working in executive management at the various pharmaceutical companies. These individuals are required to manage studies generating hundreds, if not thousands, of slides each and requiring review... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695825 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:38:02 +0100 3695825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3691123&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Fwhy-are-v.html This is a guest blog note written by Steve Potts, PhD. Steve is the CEO of Flagship Biosciences, a pathologist-owned CRO and provider of digital pathology services in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.There are approximately 1,200 board-certified veterinary pathologists in the U.S. working in a variety of settings including veterinary schools, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, governmental agencies, and contract research organizations (CROs). Approximately 500 veterinary pathologists work in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry with a consistent industry average of about one pathologist per one billion dollars in annual company revenue. I have had the privilege of working closely with many of these veterinary pathologists for the last three years after working for a large ref... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3691123 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:48:47 +0100 3691123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3659168&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Fthe-criticality-of-performing-both-tc-and-pc-in-incources-labs.html Discussion: Insourcing of Pathology Specimens by Specialty Groups; Consideration of the Underlying Forces that Promote Pathology Insourcing). Pathology services, for reimbursement purposes, are separated into two components referred to as TC (technical component) and PC (professional component). The term global billing applies if a single fee is used to cover both parts. Joe Plandowski has shared with me a letter that he sent to Mark H. Stoler, M.D., president of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), on March 31, 2010. In it he discusses the integration of insourced pathology services as they relate to TC and PC. I quote it below:Besides eliminating CMS payments to pod labs, I advocate eliminating CMS payments to any in-office anatomic pathology laboratory that is not perform... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3659168 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:04:37 +0100 3659168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3645069&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Fw.html I recently posted a note announcing a webinar on the insourcing of pathology specimens (see: Webinar on the "Insourcing" of Pathology Specimens by Clinical Practice Groups). The title of the presentation indicates the need to "fight back" against the practice. Graham Grieve submitted the following comment: Why is [specimen insourcing] a threat to the specialty of pathology? Shortly afterward, Joe Plandowski sent the following note to me that I now offer to readers as a guest blog. What is wrong with "in-sourcing" of specimens by specialty groups? Consider these points: Many large, and not so large, GI and Uro specialists have moved out of the hospital into their own facilities for patient procedures (e.g., ASCs [ambulatory surgery centers] and Endoscopy Center... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3645069 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:06:33 +0100 3645069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641342&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Fwebinar-on-the-insourcing-of-pathology-specimens-by-clinical-practice-groups.html In my opinion, one of the greatest threats to the specialty of pathology is the "insourcing" of pathology specimens by large clinical practice groups, usually urologists and gastroenterologists. I have posted previous notes about this practice in which I have referred to the construction of in-office histopathology labs (see: Pathologist Satisfaction with "Pod Lab" Positions; Corrected Definition for a Pod Lab and a Look at In-Office Labs). The basic concept is that the clinical groups processes their own tissue specimens and then contract with a pathologists to generate the interpretive reports. Fees for both the technical and professional components are collected by the group. The Pathology Business Institute is offering a webinar entitled Fight Back Against the Insou... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641342 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:57:00 +0100 3641342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3629885&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F06%2Ffnhs-to-attempt-large-trial-of-personalized-cancer-therapy.html You will discover various definitions for personalized medicine in a web search. I prefer the term targeted therapy because "personalized" is often misunderstood by healthcare consumers to refer to their personal preferences for services. In my view, personalized medicine usually refers to the treatment of cancer. In this same context, the basic idea is to identify the genetic characteristics of a malignant lesion and then attempt to tailor the treatment of it in a manner that eradicates the tumor without unduly harming the patient. This has largely been a theoretical construct in healthcare delivery despite the wide use of biotech drugs because of the genomic complexity of cancer cells. We are now moving in a more practical direction. As one example, the non-profit Cancer Resear... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3629885 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:21:19 +0100 3629885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607838&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F05%2Fpathology-visions-conference-presented-in-san-diego-on-october-2427-by-the-dpa.html Take a look at the Pathology Visions Conference web site. This excellent conference, now sponsored and managed by the Digital Pathology Association, will take place October 24-27, 2010, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. Five difference components of the digital pathology field will be emphasized: Clinical, Drug Development, Research, Education, and IT. Here's a list of current exhibitors. You can register on-line. Applications for oral presentations and poster are being solicited. (Source: Lab Soft News) Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607838 Thu, 27 May 2010 16:18:43 +0100 3607838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595916&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F05%2Fneed-for-technololgy-evangelists-in-pathology-departments.html Here's a question for all of the readers of Lab Soft News. Do you think that pathologists in particular, and physicians in general, are more or less accepting of new technology than other professionals of the same educational level and income? I don't know the answer to this question but I do believe that the adoption of digital pathology has been much slower than I would have predicted a year or two ago. There are are number of compelling reasons for this, some of which I have documented in this blog. However, I come away with the following idea: most pathologists are very receptive to new science but not necessarily to new technology based on this science, particularly when the technology disrupts established lab workflow or invokes changes in the status quo (see: Major Drivers f... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595916 Tue, 25 May 2010 11:33:52 +0100 3595916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3573959&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F05%2Fmrisless-teleradiology-solutions-the-evolution-of-a-new-it-vocabulary-.html I frequently scan press releases from healthcare IT vendors in order to understand the vocabulary that is used to describe new products. A recent one provided me with some useful insights (see: Imaging On Call Achieves Full Speech Recognition in RIS-less Environment with Integrated Document Solutions). Integrated Document Solutions,..., a provider of web-based, modular health documentation solutions and Imaging On Call (IOC), an industry leading teleradiology provider, today announced the successful implementation of a groundbreaking RIS-less teleradiology solution using 100 percent speech recognition and template-based reporting....Using a thin-layer, cloud-based approach, IDS and IOC were able to deploy, in less than 30 days, a solution that automates report creation, advanced formatting... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3573959 Tue, 18 May 2010 12:21:33 +0100 3573959 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3570079&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F05%2Fabstracts-solicited-for-pathology-informatics-2010-conference-in-boston.html The Pathology Informatics 2010 (PI-2010) conference will take place in Boston. MA, on 19-22 September, 2010. Abstracts for scientific sessions and e-posters are being solicited in connection with the conference with a firm deadline of July 30 for both categories. PI-2010 is the largest and most comprehensive pathology informatics CME event in the country and has been created by the merger of two predecessor conferences of long standing, APIII in Pittsburgh and Lab InfoTech Summit in Pittsburgh. The former has a 14 year history in Pittsburgh and the latter was presented for 21 years and Las Vegas and Ann Arbor. The latter event was known as AIMCL.The conference web site is now up-and-running. Details about the three content tracks (applied informatics, imaging informatics, and advanced/expe... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3570079 Mon, 17 May 2010 13:31:30 +0100 3570079 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3494560&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F04%2Foptical-scanning-of-sputum-smears-for-tubercle-bacilli-1.html The fastest growing technology in the field of pathology and lab medicine is digital imaging and, tangentially, the use of algorithms in the interpretation of digital images. This latter technology is commonly used in connection with IHC and FISH-stained slides to quantify a previously subjective interpretation. Now it turns out that image analysis and algorithms may also be of value in the identification of tubercle bacilli in microbiology labs in developing countries (see: Technology: For Nations That Lack the Expertise, an Automated System for Detecting TB):One of the difficulties of diagnosing tuberculosis is that there is no simple blood or urine test. Instead, a laboratory technician must take a sample of sputum coughed up from the lungs, stain it and inspect it under a microscope f... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3494560 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3494560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3437951&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F04%2Fmckesson-cloud-storage-for-cvis.html I believe that cloud computing is an early stage on a certain path to becoming an essential element of all hospital-based information systems including LISs, RISs, and PACSs. In fact, healthcare computing will become, in and of itself, a vertical cloud (see: A Closer Look at the Vertical Cloud in Healthcare Computing). Adoption of this technology has been relatively slow up to this point because it is still not totally mature. However, the adoption of this architecture would be much faster if the companies selling these systems directly integrated the service and architecture into their "turn-key" products. A recent press release from McKesson presents two advanced features for the Horizon Cardiology cardiovascular information system (CVIS)  -- hosted (i.e., cloud) storage ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3437951 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:50:31 +0100 3437951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3425142&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F03%2Fwan-example-of-governmentsponsored-central-medical-data-repositories.html In a recent note, I proposed the idea of developing cloud-based central repositories to store radiology reports and images as a way to avoid redundant testing. Before new studies were ordered for patients, at least in theory, such repositories could be queried to search for prior studies. My note was prompted by a comment to a previous note discussing the increasing cost of imaging studies in the U.S. Mark Cox, an astute observer of the global LIS industry who works for Sysmex in New Zealand, responded to my second note with the following comment:In NZ this is a key focus and justification for a number of projects. Have a look at http://www.testsafe.co.nz/ & http://www.testsafe.co.nz/images/testsafe_diagram_webready.png This is a system set up that contains all pathology (hospital a... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3425142 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:38:40 +0100 3425142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3404164&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F03%2Fct.html The point is frequently made in the media that the cost of imaging studies is a significant and growing percentage of the total cost of healthcare. It's useful to put some numbers to this assertion. A recent blog note by KevinMD raised the issue (see: How CTs and MRIs drive health care spending). Here's his note in its entirety:It’s well known that the use of imaging scans, like CTs, MRIs and PET scans, have been growing at an alarming rate. But a recent study provides some stark numbers (see: MRIs, other scans quadrupled in recent years). According to a recent CDC report, “MRI, CT or PET scans were done or ordered in 14 percent of ER visits in 2007, the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. That’s four times as often as in 1996.” Although a phys... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3404164 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:49:15 +0100 3404164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366446&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F03%2Fwheres-the-healthcare-it-excitement.html John Moore, who blogs over at Chilmark Research, summarizes his visit to the recently-completed HIMSS conference (see: Another Year, Another HIMSS) in the following way:Coming back from HIMSS and really scratching my head trying to think of what incredible new and novel thing(s) did I see, hear about or experience at the conference.  Nothing stood out. Here it is just my third HIMSS and I am already getting a bit bored, struggling to find those truly exciting advances that get my juices flowing. me on vendors, I can’t be getting bored that quickly can I? Was there really nothing new on display at HIMSS this year?  Or is it that I am still wet behind the ears and am unable to recognize the subtle differences occurring in the market that for others are truly significant? ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366446 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100 3366446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354592&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F03%2Fdrone-technology-causes-upheaval-in-the-air-force.html Although we are not always acutely aware that such changes are occurring, technology innovations can have a profound effect on various aspects of our lives such as the nature of our work or business models. One example of such an innovation is digital radiology which set the stage for Nighthawk Radiology Services and the emergence of global teleradiology networks. A recent article discussed the conundrum for U.S. Air Force generals about how to manage and reward drone pilots who have never stepped into a combat jet (see: Combat Generation: Drone operators climb on winds of change in the Air Force). Below is an excerpt from it:The Air Force's identity crisis is one of many ways that a decade of intense and unrelenting combat is reshaping the U.S. military and redefining the American way... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354592 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:03:49 +0100 3354592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3311951&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F02%2Fan-analysis-of-digital-collaboration-in-the-context-of-integrated-diagnostics.html I recently participated in a wide-ranging discussion about integrated diagnostics and the term digital collaboration cropped up. I had not heard if before so I thought it would be useful to analyze it in this context. Integrated diagnostics refers to the closer collaboration, or even eventual merger, of the diagnostic specialties, particularly lab  medicine, pathology, and radiology.To get the ball rolling, digital collaboration can be defined in the following way: working together [by] sharing ideas and [information] using online technology. What then is its relevance with regard to the emerging closer collaboration across the boundaries of the diagnostic medical specialties and also with regard to the broad effects of digital pathology and radiology on the daily work of clinicians?... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3311951 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:10:22 +0100 3311951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283839&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F02%2Fthe-toyota-way-lean-and-six-sigma.html My previous blog notes have been somewhat critical of one aspect of the Lean and Six Sigma approach to lab management. I have no problem with these management techniques as long as they are viewed as only one facet of a total lab management program and do not crowd out other approaches such as strategic planning. Here's a quote from a note I posted last October (see: Some Laboratory Managers Getting Carried Away by Lean/Six Sigma Projects):...[L]ab personnel who spend most of their time worrying about "how" or "comment" questions may be too involved with improving daily work processes and perhaps avoiding some of the more challenging "why" or "pourquoi" questions....In order to begin to explore some of these strategic "why" questions, i... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283839 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:00:00 +0100 3283839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3197909&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F01%2Fdefiniens-takes-advantage-of-social-media-sites.html Dr. Keith Kaplan, who blogs over at Digital Pathology Blog recently alerted us to the fact that Definiens is taking advantage of social media like YouTube and Twitter to market their product as well as educate current and potential clients (see: Definiens on YouTube and Twitter):Definiens has a channel on YouTube  (Definiens Life TV) hand a Twitter page. The YouTube page...has some excellent videos including several webinars you can view that have been uploaded in the past week. Another excellent example of Medicine 2.0.Here's a brief description of Definiens copied from its web home page:Automated Image Analysis: Definiens is the No.1 Enterprise Image Intelligence company. We support customers in analyzing and interpreting images on every scale, from microscopic cell structures ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3197909 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:53:36 +0100 3197909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3146224&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F01%2Fpathology-informatics-2010-new-merged-conference-scheduled-for-fall.html The two major general pathology informatics conferences in the U.S. over the past nearly three decades, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit (LITS), will merge into a single event this September with a new name -- Pathology Informatics 2010. The former event that has been held in Pittsburgh for the past 14 years and the latter in Lab Vegas for the past six. Lab InfoTech Summit was a direct descendant of APIII that was presented in Ann Arbor for 21 years prior to the transition to Las Vegas. The new, merged conference will convene at the Westin Copley Place hotel in Boston on September 19-22, 2010. On Sunday, September 19, a set of three workshops will be offered, one focusing on advanced informatics presented by the Association for Pathology Informatics (API) and a second on specialized imaging p... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3146224 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:15:27 +0100 3146224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3063487&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F12%2Fradiiology-groups-create-their-own-inhouse-versions-of-nighthawk.html Nighthawk Radiology Services has filled an important niche for hospital-based radiology groups in the past. As the name implies, the company offers the services of its own radiologists to interpret studies performed at night. Some of these personnel are located in countries with different time zones than the U.S. such as Australia to facilitate this process. This was viewed as a desirable alternative to having the associates of the local hospital-based radiology groups perform this night work. I have posted a number of notes about various aspect of the "Nighthawk" business model. Unfortunately for the radiology groups involved, some hospital administrators have asked the following question: If we use the Nighthawk services during off-hours, why not "disassociate" from o... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3063487 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:47:54 +0100 3063487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048374&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F12%2Fdigital-pathology-as-a-service-rather-than-a-product.html For a few years, an evolution has been occurring in the field of information technology whereby software is provided as a service rather than as a purchased product. This is approach has been referred to in the past as SaaS (software as a service). In parallel with this development has been the transition to cloud computing whereby applications and data storage are managed by a network of servers accessed via the web rather than on servers located within the enterprise. It's clear to me, that digital pathology, at some time in the near future, will be provided as a service rather than as a product. As evidence for this statement, here's what BioImagene has to say on its web site about Virtuoso, its software product, and its pricing strategy:BioImagene’s Virtuoso digital pathology... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048374 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:34:28 +0100 3048374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012648&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F11%2Ffintroducing-the-cardiovascular-information-information-system-cvis.html I must have been sleeping at the switch. Outside of my lab/LIS world, a new category of integrated clinical information systems has arisen -- the CVIS or cardiovascular imaging and information system. McKesson provides a CVIS web site promoting the McKesson product. Listed below and copied from the "comparing solutions" tab of this web site is a summary of the functionality of their system: Reporting: (1) Real-time reporting; (2) Remote report creation and signing; and (3) Automated rules-based report distribution A single, coordinated image display, to view all medical images Single sign-on for clinicians to access multiple systems Patient-centric workflow Robust digital archiving (efficient access to historical images and data, including echocardiograms, and ECGs and hemodynami... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012648 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:58:55 +0100 3012648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008412&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F11%2Fin-a-note-posted-yesterday-i-suggested-that-the-term-soft-copy-read-could-be-used-by-pathologists-to-describe-the-process-wh.html In a blog note posted yesterday, I suggested that the term soft copy read could be used by pathologists to describe the process whereby a scanned image of a tissue lesion is reviewed using a terminal rather than a microscope (see: Digital Pathology, Pathologists, and the "Soft Copy Read"). I am not completely satisfied with this phrase, borrowed from the radiologists, but think that its use, or a similar phrase, could be useful in the digital pathology dialogue. In response, Lance submitted the following comment:Perhaps a more applicable term would center around the [term]: 'digital diagnosis' or 'z-view diagnosis'. Note, in both terms, inclusion of the term 'diagnosis' implies that the final decision/diagnosis rendered was made using the preceding word&#3... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008412 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:29:31 +0100 3008412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3004107&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F11%2Ftudigital-pathology-and-the-soft-copy-read.html A reader of Lab Soft News has suggested that it would be useful if pathologists were to adopt the phrase soft copy read as part of the ongoing discussion about digital pathology. The term is in common usage among radiologists. Digital pathology, of course, refers to the process by which the images obtained from fixed stained paraffin sections of tissue are converted to digital format, interpreted by pathologists, and then stored. Soft copy read refers specifically to the rendering of a diagnosis from an image displayed on a monitor without the creation of a hardcopy image as an intermediate step. Radiologists, of course, have a history prior to the development of digital radiology of "reading" a hardcopy film copy of the image.The use of this phrase may be useful because the term... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3004107 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:57:19 +0100 3004107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999870&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F11%2Fmkey-questions-in-cytopathology-that-rquire-immediate-answers.html I recently shared the podium for a lecture with Dr. Liron Pantanowitz. This took place at the annual conference of the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) in Denver. The two of us discussed innovation and the relevance of information technology (IT) for the field of cytopathology. At the end of his lecture, he presented to the audience the following key questions that are confronting the field and require immediate answers: Are conventional Pap smears still considered acceptable standard of care? Is autoverification (no human review) of imaged abnormal Pap tests feasible? Will future re-screening require morphology review or molecular tests? Will automated screening be applied to non-GYN specimens and FNA biopsies? Once [cytopathology] images are [stored] in...computer system[s], [can ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999870 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:18:55 +0100 2999870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2985048&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F11%2Fdr-jared-schwartz-joins-aperio-as-cmo.html Just after stepping down from his post as president of the CAP, Dr. Jared Schwartz has joined Aperio as the chief medical officer (CMO). Here are are few of the details (see: Jared N. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., Joins Aperio as Chief Medical Officer):Aperio Technologies...has appointed Jared N. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D, as its Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Schwartz, former president of the College of American Pathologists, is a leading advocate for improving patient care using technologies such as digital pathology. In his new role as Aperio’s CMO, Dr. Schwartz will continue to interact with the pathology community—including key opinion leaders, professional medical and advocacy societies, and medical directors of major clinical and regulatory organizations—about the benefits of digital pa... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2985048 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:45:14 +0100 2985048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2959099&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F11%2Fnew-lecture-on-integrated-diagnostics.html I delivered a lecture/discussion yesterday about integrated diagnostics to a mixed audience of pathologists and radiologists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). This is a topic that I have covered in previous notes. Part of the discussion also touched on the development of integrated diagnostic centers and the relationship of the virtopsy/catopsy to these new concepts. The potential patient referral patterns into these integrated diagnostic centers was touched upon, a topic ripe for discussion that I plan to address in subsequent notes. (Source: Lab Soft News) Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2959099 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:42:20 +0100 2959099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916455&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F10%2Fth-fda-convenes-advisory-committee-meeting-to-discuss-whole-slide-imaging.html The FDA's Hematology and Pathology Devices Advisory Committee will be convening today and tomorrow to discuss discuss, and make recommendations, about what they describe as "public health issues" related to the use of digital whole slide imaging (WSI) systems that are now being used to replace conventional light microscopy for diagnostic surgical pathology. The meeting will be open to the public. Within the scope of this meeting, digital pathology is defined as the conversion of images that can be observed by conventional light microscopy on histologic glass slides into digital whole slide images via digital scanners. These latter images are then viewed with a computer monitor to render pathologic diagnosis of the lesion of interest. Finally, this process involves digitally a... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916455 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:59:20 +0100 2916455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2890955&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F10%2Fbut-we-already-have-many-mammologists-physicians-staffing-breast-clinics.html In a recent op-ed piece in the New York Times, the authors lamented about the fact that we do not have enough medical specialists focusing on diseases of the breast, referring to such specialists as mammologists. This void, according to the authors, results in diagnosis delays and more severe bouts with the disease for women with the disease (see: Wanted: Mammologists). Below is an excerpt from it:Delayed diagnosis of breast cancer — measured from the first health care consultation for a breast complaint to a diagnosis of cancer — is the most common and the second most costly medical claim against American doctors. Moreover, the length of delays in breast cancer diagnosis in cases that lead to malpractice litigation has been increasing in recent years. According to a study by the Physi... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2890955 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:43:47 +0100 2890955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846640&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F09%2Fshift-to-services-as-a-major-national-corporate-phenomeon.html In recent notes, I have begun to explore questions pertaining to whether lab software vendors will begin  to provide professional services (i.e., consulting services) to hospital-based clinical labs in addition to software and hardware (see: Professional Services Divisions as Potential New Profit Centers for Pathology Vendors; Who Will Function as System Integrators for Mini-LIS-Networks?). Increasing emphasis on IT services is not unique in the lab world but occurring across the entire business sector. A recent article in the New York Times discussed the purchase by Xerox of a service outsourcing company and the larger implications of this trend (see: Xerox Buys Affiliated, Fueling Shift to Services). Below is an excerpt from it:Ursula M. Burns, the chief executive of Xerox, declare... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846640 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:28:19 +0100 2846640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2828468&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F09%2Femergence-of-professional-services-divisions-as-significant-profit-centers.html In a recent note, I commented on the professional services division of Aperio as a relatively novel component of digital pathology companies (see: Emergence of a Professional Services Division at Aperio). Ole Eichhorn, the CTO of Aperio, emailed me the following comment to this note, which I quote with his permission:One key point about having a professional services team is that [this approach requires] a relatively open system to build on....The professional services team is a sort of “third party for hire” that [Aperio's] customers can use to create interfaces, customize the product, and otherwise work with them to craft a tailored solution.  Our team builds onto existing interfaces and plug-in APIs at each point, they never modify our baseline code. Another point which wo... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2828468 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:16:14 +0100 2828468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807893&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F09%2Ffdrivers-for-the-adoption-of-digital-pathology-in-academic-centers.html I have just returned from the Pathology Visions conference in San Diego, which is now being converted from an Aperio user group conference to a vendor-neutral conference under the control of the Digital Pathology Association (DPA). This was one of the best managed and content-rich conferences that I have attended lately and I intend to post a number of notes about the ideas that the conference presentations have sparked in my mind. For today's note I want to concentrate on what I now consider to be the major driver for the adoption of digital pathology in the country's most prestigious pathology teaching programs.Included in the Visions conference were lectures by Drs. Victor Reuter, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, John Pfeifer,Washington University School of Medicine, and ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807893 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:08:54 +0100 2807893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752220&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F08%2F14th-annual-apiii-pathology-informatics-conference-september-2326.html It's not too late to register for the 14th annual APIII pathology informatics conference that will be held on September 20-23, 2009, in Pittsburgh. The conference brochure is available on-line as a PDF file. Take a look at it -- this event is one of the major highlights of the year in the field and should not be missed by anyone with even a passing interest in lab computing. You can register on-line, by fax, or my mail. The conference was originally scheduled to run through Thursday, September 24, but the program was slightly truncated because of a conflict with the G20 meeting that will begin on that Thursday in Pittsburgh. Here is the G20 announcement copied directly from the APIII home page:We were recently informed that Pittsburgh will begin hosting the G20 Summit on the last day o... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752220 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:11:10 +0100 2752220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2630219&cid=t_221665_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautostitching-big-apple-v-40.html Since it was next door to our hotel, we took a college tour of the Juilliard School this morning. Looks like a swell place, but probably not the best fit for my son, whose musical tastes, shall we say, are somewhat orthogonal to most Julliard norms. I did use part of the tour time to grab this quick Autostich panorama of the Paul Recital Hall there, using 6 images:Then we hopped the D train up to the Bronx, and watched the Yankees beat the Orioles 6 - 4. It's a very nice stadium -- if they can consistently fill it up with enough hungry and thirsty fans every game, they might just be able to make payroll on their team of millionaires. I grabbed two panoramas -- an exterior view (3 images), and an interior view (28 images):The Orioles hit two successive home runs in the last inning, which el... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2630219 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:01:00 +0100 2630219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2616751&cid=t_221665_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fautostitching-big-apple.html We just spent the day visiting a few cultural icons here in Manhattan. This seemed like a fine time to play with a new iPhone app called Autostich, which merges multiple separate pictures into a much larger panoramic image.I've actually used one of this program's big brothers (Calico) for several years to stitch together mountain photos from my big Nikon into cool panoramas. Both programs are based on image-processing research from the University of British Columbia, which has licensed its algorithms to other developers, including Industrial Light & Magic. We also use similar software at work to stitch together life-sized vertical panoramas of the entire human spine from several smaller shots.To kick things off, here are 4 iPhone 3GS photos of the Time Warner Center at dusk...The resul... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2616751 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:37:00 +0100 2616751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2453258&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F06%2Fa-new-and-improved-version-of-the-walkin-retail-clinic.html I have posted a number of previous notes about the so-called walk-in retail health clinics that were located in big-box stores and retail pharmacy outlets. The initial business model involved facilities that were staffed by nurses and nurse clinicians, that treated only a very limited set of conditions, and they did not offer lab testing. Prices for all services were conspicuously posted. I believe that ultimately clinics of this general type will provide some considerable percentage of first-tier office healthcare services and also an inexpensive alternative to visits to hospital emergency departments for minor problems. However, some of these early ventures were not successful (see: CVS Shifts Some of Its Retail Clinic Operations to "Seasonal" Schedule), perhaps because there w... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2453258 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:14:24 +0100 2453258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406258&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F05%2Fdetails-about-the-reverse-emr-feed-to-pathology-and-lab-medicine.html Generally speaking, the laboratory information system (LIS) "feeds" critical data (i.e., lab test results and surgical pathology reports) to the EMR and not vice versa. The term reverse EMR feed thus refers to a reversal of this information flow with clinical information fed back to lab professionals and pathologists working in pathology.Pathologists examine tissue biopsies and also large tissue specimens both grossly and microscopically. They then render diagnoses that are used by clinicians to treat their patients. In the past, the most critical data required by pathologists when generating current reports were the previous tissue and cytopathology reports that were readily accessible from the LIS. However, new data requirements are now arising in pathology such as diagnostic r... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406258 Thu, 14 May 2009 11:36:47 +0100 2406258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2399001&cid=t_221665_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrubyte.dentsply.com%2Fpro%2Fvideo%2Ftrurx_onlyMed_Prog.mov This innovative case planning tool doubles as a clinical tool and paitent education tool. The process starts by uploading a digital photo of the patient. Calibration tools are included in every kit. TruRx(TM) software determines appropriate measuarements and clinical data based on the photo and your input. The TruRx system standardizes denture consultation and planning, allowing a smooth information transfer from your office to the lab. Your pateints will enjoy seeing their future with beautiful new dentures, as well. See the video here. Visit the website here. To order the TruRx™ kit, call your Trubyte dealer (or Trubyte Customer Service at 1-800-786-0085) and ask for part #908400. (Source: dental blog for dentists about dentistry) dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2399001 Fri, 08 May 2009 15:40:36 +0100 2399001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2317745&cid=t_221665_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fgetting-finger-from-patient.html A patient gave me the finger not long ago.Not once, but twice.How did that make me feel?The first time, intrigued.The second time, embarassed but relieved.Here's why:It started when her dematologist ordered an MR scan to "R/O glomus tumor" of the middle finger. In case you're not completely up on your small, rare, soft tissue tumor lore, here are a few facts: glomus tumors are usually small (often 1 - 2 millimeters in diameter), benign , rare (we only see a few a year), typically occur in the tissues under the nail bed, and can be exquisitely painful.Looking for something this small is a real challenge -- even with current MR technology. Most MR machines are optimized to look at large chunks of human tissue -- sometimes as large as the abdomen on a 350 pound dude. In this patient's case, w... Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2317745 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:11:00 +0100 2317745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2281095&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F03%2Fpowerpoint-lectures-for-lab-infotech-summit-20009-now-available.html Listed below in the order of presentation are the workshop and plenary lectures presented at the 27th annual Lab InfoTech Summit. This conference was held on 16-18 March, 2009, at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Each title is a link to the PDF version of the PowerPoint lecture. Many of the files are large so please allow sufficient time for them to load on your computer. No audio files of these lectures are available. The few missing links will be supplied as soon as they become available. Implementing data-driven feedback and learning mechanisms in surgical pathologyJeffrey L. Myers, M. Detecting and avoiding errors in the clinical pathology labs with special emphasis on lab automationCharles D. Hawker, Ph.D., M.B.A The Innovator’s Prescription: An Examination of the Future of Healthca... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2281095 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:20:29 +0100 2281095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2261627&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2009%2F03%2Ffew-vendors-deliver-an-integrated-rispacs-solution-according-to-klas.html I have been a strong advocate for the merger of pathology, lab medicine, and radiology into a new integrated specialty of Diagnostic Medicine and have posted a number of notes about this topic. As a parallel discussion, I have also suggested that a conversion of the specialized information systems supporting these medical disciplines, LISs, RISs, and PACSs, might also be in order, with vendors offering an integrated Diagnostic Information System (DIS). Apparently little progress has been made in terms of IT integration, according to KLAS (see: Healthcare IT Vendors Not Delivering on the Vision of Integrated RIS/PACS Solutions). Below is an excerpt from their report with boldface emphasis mine:Despite years of vendor announcements and market rhetoric about the virtues of a solution that com... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2261627 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:58:45 +0100 2261627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2122956&cid=t_221665_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fawesome-panoramic-images-from.html Today's New York Times has some awesome interactive panoramic images from the inauguration yesterday.Seems like this kind of image would be a swell tool for teaching radiology, if only one were clever enough. I will ponder how to do this. (Source: Not Totally Rad) Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2122956 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:22:00 +0100 2122956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2105411&cid=t_221665_115_f&fid=37661&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnottotallyrad.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fwhite-house-goes-digital.html Barack Obama's official presidential portrait was released today.Besides being a nice photo, this marks the first time that an official presidential portrait has been taken with a digital camera.The White House trails radiology by several years with this new-fangled digital stuff. However, they will still beat the FCC and U.S. TV broadcasters by over a month.(via Daring Fireball) (Source: Not Totally Rad) Not Totally Rad blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2105411 Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:21:00 +0100 2105411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2067340&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F12%2Finformatics-as-the-secret-sauce-in-the-merger-of-pathology-and-radiology.html I have posted many notes about the potential benefits of the integration or merger of pathology, lab medicine, and radiology. Robert Michel is presenting a conference on this specific topic in Philadelphia on February 10-11, 2009 (Molecular Summit). A review of the conference program reveals a number of lectures devoted to the topic of informatics which one could describe as the "secret sauce" without which this integration of these medical disciplines could never take place.  Siemens Healthcare is the corporate underwriter of this conference. The company has been a powerful advocate for the blending of in-vitro and in-vivo diagnostics and has just launched a clinical initiative in a Barcelona hospital (see: SIEMENS HEALTHCARE AND HOSPITAL CLINIC, BARCELONA ENTER AGREEMENT ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2067340 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:11:43 +0100 2067340 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1968673&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F11%2Fambiguity-about-the-term-molecular-imaging.html It recently occurred to me, after posting a number of blog notes about molecular imaging, that the term was too ambiguous to continue using without some additional clarification. On its face, it means to create images that can be used to identify and locate various molecules in tissue. This is a goal that is being actively pursued in radiology departments and in radiologic research in relation to radiology imaging techniques such as PET/CT. By way of contrast, I have also used the same term in Lab Soft News to refer to the identification of molecules in surgically removed tissue with immunohistochemistry (IHC), for example, in surgical pathology and other clinical settings. I also posted a note (see: Charles River Acquires Molecular Imaging Company) about this company, a contract research ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1968673 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:08:07 +0100 1968673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1955161&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F11%2Fon-line-radiology-and-the-explosive-growth-of-the-speciality.html Two of my recent notes have discussed the new phenomenon of auctions in which hospital executives bid for the professional services of radiologists (see: On-Line Auctions for Radiologist Services Offered by Telerays) and a comparison of digital pathology vs. digital radiology (see: Digital Pathology vs. Digital Radiology: A Broad Divide). Ole Eichhorn who blogs over at the Daily Scan comments in the following way (see: Digital Pathology vs. Digital Radiology) about these notes and how the emergence of digital radiology and on-line auctions the professional services of radiologists will affect the prospects in the specialty:I can see where pathologists might be worried, but truly no Radiologists have lost jobs or even work due to online [auction] services. [I]nstead, it has caused an explos... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955161 Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:25:18 +0100 1955161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1938928&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F11%2Flimss-and-preclincal-workflow-continuing-evolution-of-the-bench-to-bedside-continuum.html Having just posted a note discussing the differences between LISs and LIMSs (see: LIS vs. LIMS: It's Time to Blend the Two Types of Lab Information Systems), my attention was drawn to a recent press release from Aperio (see: Aperio and PDS Pathology Data Systems to Develop Integrated Solution for Preclinical Laboratory Workflow) that touched on some of the issues raised in my original note and also raised others. Below is an excerpt from it with boldface emphasis mine:Aperio Technologies...has teamed with PDS Pathology Data Systems...in the development of an interface between Aperio’s Spectrum digital pathology information management system and PathData, the PDS pathology software system. The interface...is designed to optimize laboratory workflow by providing access to true color wh... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1938928 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:39:15 +0100 1938928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1924412&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F10%2Fsome-observations-about-the-future-of-digital-pathology.html In response to my recent blog note about how the services of radiologists are now being auctioned off to the lowest bidder (see: On-Line Auctions for Radiologist Services Offered by Telerays), Ajit Alles submitted this comment:Of course, I'm sure you realize that this is the best argument against moving to digital pathology.He was undoubtedly reacting to this comment in the last paragraph of my note:Obviously, events relating to this new radiology business model are moving quickly. Nighthawk established the successful precedent for these auctions by building a reliable global teleradiology network and solving the accreditation issues. Such a network does not exist at the present time for surgical pathology because of the lack of wide adoption of digital pathology services.Pathology has... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1924412 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:55:36 +0100 1924412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1891918&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F10%2Fsiemens-venture.html GE Healthcare recently announced that it was jumping into the digital pathology field via a joint venture with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (see: GE Medical Partners with UPMC in Pathology Imaging Venture). The newly formed company is called Omnyx. Siemens Medical Diagnostics is now closely following suit with an investment from Siemens Venture Capital in BioImagene (see: Siemens Venture Capital Invests in BioImagene, Validating the Digital Pathology Space). Siemens, like GE, has recently been investing heavily in in-vitro diagnostics to complement its expertise in in-vivo diagnostics. The company refers to this strategy as full service diagnostics. Below is an excerpt from the press release with boldface emphasis mine: BioImagene...announced that Siemens Venture Capital (S... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1891918 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:57:59 +0100 1891918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1775504&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F09%2Finnovation-the.html The New York Times columnist Tom Friedman quotes Chuck Vest, former president of MIT, about what seemed to be missing from the current presidential election campaign:Both candidates have spoken a lot about ‘change,’ but in most areas of need, innovation is the only mechanism that can actually change things in substantive ways. Innovation is where creative thinking and practical know-how meet to do new things in new ways, and old things in new ways.I totally agree -- all of our politicians seem to talk about change but few refer to innovation which is the most important change engine. This idea got me thinking about the following question: what have been the most important recent innovations in diagnostic medicine and healthcare delivery and how does one recognize innovation when o... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1775504 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:09:25 +0100 1775504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1704650&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F08%2Fsigns-of-proble.html In a recent note about the major strategic challenges facing pathology (see: Strategic Challenges Facing Hospital-Based Pathology & Lab Medicine Groups), I dismissed pod-labs, also known as condo-labs, as one of the top ten challenges. I suggested at that time that this business model would continue to decline because of legal and regulatory challenges. The Dark Daily now brings us some interesting news about the acquisition of UroPath, an AP-condo-lab operation, by HealthTronics (see: AP Condo Lab Operator UroPath is Acquired, Apparent Victim of Medicare Anti-Markup Rules). Also see this related story: HealthTronics Acquires UroPath, LLC. Below is an excerpt from the Dark Daily: Medicare anti-markup rules implemented last January 1, 2008, have apparently contributed to the sale of Ur... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1704650 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:18:57 +0100 1704650 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652250&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F07%2Fstrategic-cha-1.html When browsing the July issue of Laboratory Economics, I came across the following table: What are the biggest challenges pathology groups will face over the next 5 years?  I thought that such a list would be a good starting point for generating an expanded list of the major strategic challenges facing hospital-based pathology and lab medicine groups in the near-term. To launch this discussion, I now provide this table for your review. It's clear to me that nearly all of the items in this table represent major challenges with the exception perhaps of pod labs that I believe are declining in strategic importance, as the table reflects, and will continue to decline because of legal and regulatory challenges. In addition, I will add three additional items to the list to reach an even ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652250 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:05:19 +0100 1652250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1630940&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F07%2Festimated-size.html In the course of researching yesterday's note about a direct-access-testing (DAT) franchise (see: DAT Franchise in Fort Lauderdale Focuses on "Sex and Drugs"), I came across an article on the topic from Washington G-2 Reports that provided an estimate of the total U. S. lab testing market versus the direct-to-consumer (DTC) laboratory testing market (see: Direct-to-Consumer Testing and Its Impact on the Lab Market). Such estimates are hard to find from reputable sources. My problem with the article is that the definitions used for traditional lab-based testing, direct-to-consumer (DTC) testing, and direct-access-testing (DAT) are confusing. Below is a excerpt from the article:The direct-to-consumer (DTC) laboratory testing market, including at-home genetic testing, is estimated a... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1630940 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:47:10 +0100 1630940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1593735&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F07%2Fbioimagene-laun.html I have posted a number of previous notes about various contract research organizations (CROs), particularly Covance that has special expertise in supporting the clinical lab testing associated with clinical trials. I have also posted previous notes about the growing popularity of holding clinical trials offshore in countries such as India (see: Status and Challenges of Offshore Clinical Trials; When Clinical Trials Go Awry). I was interested to learn recently that BioImagene, a provider of digital pathology and life sciences services has launched a CRO business (see: BioImagene Launches AgilityBio, a New Generation Contract Research Organization Leveraging Its Innovative Digital Pathology System). Below is an excerpt from the article with boldface emphasis mine: BioImagene...launched Agil... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1593735 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100 1593735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1556214&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F06%2Feminence-based.html In a recent note, I commented on the new strategic alliance between GE Medical and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the pursuit of the digital pathology department and whole slide imaging (see: GE Medical Partners with UPMC in Pathology Imaging Venture). It is often stated that digital radiology took about a decade to mature and that digital pathology will take an equal amount of time to become the accepted standard of practice. However, major incentives were available in the conversion to digital radiology such as the ability to offer new imaging procedures with attractive profit margins plus a groundswell of enthusiasm on the part of hospital clinicians for these new offerings. These same incentives do not exist for digital pathology -- there are no additional profit... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1556214 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100 1556214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1546572&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F06%2Fintegrated-diag.html In a recent post (see: A Call for the Development of Integrated Diagnostic Centers), I posted an abstract of a lecture that I will be delivering at the 42nd annual Congress of the Brazilian Society of Clinical Pathology (Sociedade Brasileira de Patologia Clínica; SBPC) on July 3, 2008, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In it I emphasize the idea that pathologists, lab medicine specialists, and radiologists should collaborate to develop physical or virtual integrated diagnostic centers (IDCs) to which patients can be referred with early symptoms of disease or for wellness/preventive medicine consultations. In these centers, diagnostic specialists would use the most advanced imaging modalities and in-vitro laboratory testing to quickly arrive at the correct diagnosis. These patients would then be refer... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546572 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:51:40 +0100 1546572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1494236&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F06%2Fge-medical-part.html GE Medical and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are launching a pathology imaging business (see: GE, Pittsburgh hospital establish imaging business). Below is an excerpt from the article: General Electric Co....is investing $20 million in technology that will allow doctors to share and transmit images of microscopic human tissue....GE Healthcare and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are each putting up $20 million to establish Omnyx LLC, a business to develop and commercialize technology allowing doctors to store and display on computers, digital images of human tissue from microscope slides, allowing colleagues anywhere to participate in consultations. Jeffrey Romoff, president and chief executive of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1494236 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:27:39 +0100 1494236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1337871&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F03%2Fprogress-in-dia.html Image from Wikipedia I have a special interest in emerging technologies that may ultimately compete with histopathology in diagnosing pathologic lesions from tissue samples. I have posted a number of notes about molecular imaging but never any about endo-microscopy. A recent article about this topic caught my attention (see: Endo-microscopy Technique Shows Promise for Early Colon CA Diagnosis) and below is an excerpt from it, with boldface emphasis mine. Shown on the right is an image of a flexible endoscope. ...we [previously} profiled an endo-microscopy system from Paris-based Mauna Kea Technologies...[T]his company's main product, the Cellvizio fibered confocal microscopy system, allows a "practitioner to insert one of the miniprobes (only 300 um to 2.8 mm in diameter) into a conv... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1337871 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:12:47 +0100 1337871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1239194&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F02%2Ffinally-a-clear.html I believe that eventually most personal and business computing will move to the web and be accessed by a browser running on a PC or more simple personal device. The name currently in vogue for web-enabled computing is cloud computing, about which I have posted a number of previous notes. Mention has also been made in Lab Soft News about vertical cloud computing which means that this type of computer architecture is adopted by a vertical industry such as healthcare. Healthcare computing tends to run a decade or so behind computing in other business sectors so you won't hear many references to cloud computing in hospital corridors except perhaps for PACS storage (see: A Closer Look at the Vertical Cloud in Healthcare Computing). A very interesting note was recently posted by Nicholas Carr ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239194 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:28:39 +0100 1239194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1152443&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2008%2F01%2Fmds-communicate.html A common scenario in a medical practice involves a physician discussing and interpreting test results with his or her patients during an office visit. We now learn that at least one physician is creating video emails that are sent to his patients to accomplish this same goal (see:  Click to play: YouTube and similar sites have more doctors getting ready for their close-ups). Below is an excerpt from the article with boldface emphasis mine: Loring Jacobs. MD , an internist from Las Vegas, wanted to find a more personal way to tell patients their routine test results, otherwise relayed through a phone call, an automated system or a nurse. So Dr. Jacobs began making video e-mails, giving patients the results himself, and explaining them in more detail. If the news is bad, Dr. Jacobs sen... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1152443 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:31:42 +0100 1152443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=751614&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F07%2Ftest-drive-digi.html One of the two best pathology informatics conferences in the country is fast approaching -- APIII. New this year is a free pre-conference workshop on whole slide digital imaging that will be held from 8:00 am until 1:30 pm, on Sunday, September 9, 2007. This workshop is presented by the Digital Pathology Imaging Group at the University of Pittsburgh. Below are the goals of the workshop: Learn whole-slide-imaging (WSI) basics Gain hands-on experience with six digital slide systems Compare scanners and interfaces of today’s market leader Meet pathologists with extensive WSI experience and the vendors who created these (Source: Lab Soft News) Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=751614 Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:34:21 +0100 751614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=747092&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F07%2Fnew-digital-pat.html Dr. Keith Kaplan, one of the leading telepathology experts in the country, recently launched a blog dedicated to digital pathology. It's called Digital Pathology Blog. This will be a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in this area. Congratulations, Keith, for taking the time to explore this critical area and also sharing your expertise with the rest of us. (Source: Lab Soft News) Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=747092 Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:45:50 +0100 747092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=708729&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F07%2Fmajor-forces-af.html At the recently completed CAP Foundation Futurescape Conference, I delivered the kickoff lecture entitled: A Survey of the Myriad Forces Changing Anatomic Pathology & Some of the Consequences. Clicking on this link will launch the entire set of lecture slides. Podcasts of all of the lectures delivered at this excellent anatomic-pathology future-oriented conference will be posted shortly. During the course of this lecture, I listed ten forces that I believe will greatly affect anatomic pathology in the near future. I make no claims to infallibility regarding this list and readily admit that it may be inadequate, ill-conceived, or merely wrong. However, and as I stated to the audience at that time, I would be very pleased if they, or anyone else, will take serious issue with my list and... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=708729 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:11:10 +0100 708729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=703019&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F06%2Fcap-foundation-.html I have posted some recent previous notes about the CAP Foundation Futurescape Conference that was presented 9-10 June in Chicago. This conference was noteworthy because of the forward-looking perspective of the faculty members who both individually and collectively sketched out a vision of what pathology and lab medicine could/should look like in the upcoming years. It is my intention to return to the ideas that were generated in this conference in upcoming notes. However and for the time being, the PowerPoint files of all of the presentations are now available for your review at this link: Futurescape of Pathology Conference Series. You will need to click on each individual lecture title to launch the PowerPoint file. One of the lectures that I found most interesting (note the title) w... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=703019 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:34:54 +0100 703019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=674332&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F06%2Fcap_futurescape.html Jochen "Joe" Lennerz participated in the CAP Foundation Futurescape Conference recently held in Chicago as one of the recipients of a pathology resident travel award. Two previous notes (see: The Future of Medicine and, Therefore, of Pathology and Lab Medicine & Need to Establish a Value Proposition for Digital Pathology) made reference to this same conference. The following is his summary of some of the ideas that he carried away from the event. Originally from Germany, Dr. Lennerz is currently in the Anatomic Pathology basic research track at the Washington University in St. Louis.  He received his doctorate in the neurosciences from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. However, he describes his most formative experiences as those gained while training as a pathology ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=674332 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:30:06 +0100 674332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=674334&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F06%2Fthe_value_propo.html The Dark Daily recently quoted Dr. Mike Becich on what he believes are the most important new developments in pathology informatics (see: Pathologist Becich ID's Three Most Important Developments in Pathology Informatics). Mike is one of the thought leaders in pathology who has been the subject of numerous previous notes here. It's well worth paying attention to his opinions. Below is a excerpt from the article:Number one on Becich's list is the continued deployment of synoptic reporting. Synoptic reports are structured, textual reports with coding and standards built in. Laboratory Information System (LIS) vendors continue to push this feature and it is enabling laboratorians to data mine from pathology reports....Next on Becich's major list of trends is the continuing development of whol... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=674334 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:55:58 +0100 674334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573301&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F04%2Fnighthawk_radio.html I have closely followed NighHawk Radiology in recent months and posted a number of notes about the company. My interest stems from the fact that anatomic pathology is still is its digital infancy whereas digital imaging is so prevalent in the world of radiology that the specialty has spawned a successful company built on a pure play in teleradiology. Nighthawk can thus serve as an important model for pathology and lab medicine. A recent article (See: NightHawk says buys Radlinx Group) discusses the consolidation that is now occurring in this business sector (boldface emphasis mine): NightHawk Radiology Holdings ...said it acquired Radlinx Group, a Texas-based provider of teleradiology services, for $53 million, increasing its customer base to cover 24 percent of all U.S. hospitals.The pro... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573301 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:46:10 +0100 573301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=465780&cid=t_221665_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2007%2F03%2Fworkshop_a_asse.html Listed below are the lectures presented at the two workshops and the four plenary sessions of Lab InfoTech Summit 2007 which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 5-7, at the Venetian Hotel. Links to all of the podcasts of these lectures will be available shortly.Workshop A: Assessing and Improving the Value of Lab Services Improving Healthcare Outcomes with Lab IT InvestmentKenneth E. Blick, Ph.D. Are You Using Autoverification in your Lab? If Not, Why Not?Leonard K. Dunikoski, Ph.D. Improving the Ordering and Interpretation of Lab Tests: A Reference Lab PerspectiveBrian R. Jackson, M.D. Workshop B: Rules in the Clinical Laboratory: Design, Validation, and Process Technical and Human Factors Associated with the Implementation of Lab RulesFrank A. Polito, MT(ASCP), M.B.A. Simple ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=465780 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:00:00 +0100 465780