A pathologist examines tissue for signs of cancerous cells while a surgeon (right) watches.
Herewith a look at the pathologist’s role as American healthcare moves to value-based care and reimbursement.
Like other specialties, pathologist must now focus more on the patient experience and look to eliminate unneeded costs.
As the introduction to a Hospitals & Health Networks Executive Dialogue noted:
“By partnering with other clinicians and staying abreast of the most recent advances in diagnostics, pathologists can ensure that patients receive the appropriate test at the right time with an accurate diagnosis. Health Forum convened a panel of pathologists and hospital executives recently in San Diego to discuss how pathologists continue to provide and demonstrate value for patients in their institutions and across the care continuum.”
And:
“We ask pathologists to give us their opinion about what tests should be done and when. We ask them not only to look at the utility of the test from a positive and negative value, but also to look at the efficacy of the test in terms of finance and how to limit testing to produce the highest value.”
To read the dialogue, please hit this link.
