PathologyWatch Raises $2M in Extension Funds to Bolster Pathology AI Research

Dec 16, 2020 | Pathology Business

Funding led by Neue Fund and BioVentures Investors to extend pathology AI research and allow strategic life science and AI investors into the round.

SALT LAKE CITY, December 16, 2020—PathologyWatch has announced $2M in extension funding from Neue Fund, BioVentures GmbH, Lateral Capital, BeniVC and Sky Ventures. PathologyWatch will direct the capital towards digital dermatopathology development and scaling the laboratory system to extend pathology AI research and to allow additional strategic life science and AI investors into the round. 

Following $5M series A funding, the $2M extension brings the total capital PathologyWatch has raised to $7M series A. The company has raised over $10M total capital to date. The extension funds will bolster operations to facilitate larger clients and continue progress in developing innovative technology, including the extension of artificial intelligence research for various cancer lines.

“It’s thrilling to see our year-over-year volume triple,” said Dan Lambert, Pathlogywatch CEO and cofounder. “With that increase comes the demand to improve algorithms, build out operational volume, increase lab capacity and augment staffing to ensure our clients achieve optimal patient outcomes.”

PathologyWatch specializes in providing dermatology clinics with fully interfaced EMR reporting and 24/7 access to digital slides. In addition to more efficient workflows and faster turnaround times, clients have direct access to leading dermatopathologists.

“In the digital dermatopathology universe, PathologyWatch stands apart with cutting-edge technology and services designed to improve the human experience,” noted Cofield Mundi of Neue Fund. “Our confidence couldn’t be higher in their ingenuity and devotion to advancing the digital dermatopathology landscape.”

About PathologyWatch

PathologyWatch is the groundbreaking leader of digital dermatopathology services. Through these services, dermatology clinics, hospitals and laboratories can improve operational efficiency by speeding up workflow and enhancing patient outcomes by utilizing the PathologyWatch expert professional team and partner laboratory services. This can facilitate best-in-class reads and, in some cases, enable additional revenue to the practice by in-housing pathology. With an intuitive and easy-to-implement digital pathology solution that includes access to top-tier dermatopathologists and a streamlined clinical workflow that interfaces directly into the EMR, PathologyWatch brilliantly combines state-of-the-art technology and clinical decision-making to deliver unprecedented patient care.

View the original release.

PathologyWatch Announces Key Hire to Bolster Digital Dermatopathology Practice

Dec 9, 2020 | Digital Dermatopathology, Digital Pathology, Press Release

Darren Whittemore, DO, joins the PathologyWatch team to support the delivery of optimal patient outcomes.

SALT LAKE CITY—DECEMBER 8, 2020—PathologyWatch, a full-service digital dermatopathology solution, is pleased to welcome Dr. Darren Whittemore, DO, to the growing PathologyWatch family. A qualified and respected dermatopathologist, Whittemore will be instrumental in establishing processes to ensure dermatology clinics receive the highest level of digital pathology services.  

Board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and dermatopathology, Whittemore was fellowship-trained at the University of Texas Health Science Center after completing his residency at the combined US Air Force Wilford Hall Medical Center/Brooke Army Medical Center program.

“Dermatopathologists play a critical role in a patient’s recommended treatment,” said Dan Lambert, CEO and cofounder of PathologyWatch. “With expertise and attention to detail, Dr. Whittemore utilizes innovative advances in digital pathology to deliver the highest quality of care and efficiency to patients.”

Whittemore brings extensive subspecialty experience and proven abilities in diagnosing alopecia cases to PathologyWatch. Also, he embraces new technologies and the growing role they play in understanding the pathogenesis of diseases. 

“With advantages that include enhanced clinicopathologic correlation, improved turnaround time and paperless, electronic workflows, digital dermatopathology represents the future of the dermatology industry,” Whittemore said. “Joining PathologyWatch places me in the heart of this burgeoning technology with individuals who are committed to helping dermatology clinics deliver industry-leading care to their patients.”

For more information on PathologyWatch, please visit pathologywatch.com.

About PathologyWatch
PathologyWatch is the groundbreaking leader of digital dermatopathology services. Through these services, dermatology clinics, hospitals and laboratories can improve operational efficiency by speeding up workflow and enhancing patient outcomes by utilizing the PathologyWatch expert professional team and partner laboratory services. This can facilitate best-in-class reads and, in some cases, enable additional revenue to the practice by in-housing pathology. With an intuitive and easy-to-implement digital pathology solution that includes access to top-tier dermatopathologists and a streamlined clinical workflow that interfaces directly into the EMR, PathologyWatch brilliantly combines state-of-the-art technology and clinical decision-making to deliver unprecedented patient care.

View the original release.

PathologyWatch Makes Your Dermpath Workflow Easy as Pie

Dec 3, 2020 | Digital Pathology, Pathology Business

The healthcare industry is busier than ever. While patients are grateful for quality dermatology care, staying competitive in the marketplace can be challenging for those just starting out or looking to expand their practice.

Here are three ways PathologyWatch can streamline your dermpath workflow to be easy as pie:

Ensure Tantalizing Turnaround Times on Lab Results

Patient satisfaction and health outcomes can be impacted by long turnaround times, mainly when a patient’s condition requires a quick response to starting treatment. If this is a new practice, a great way to reduce overhead expenses without compromising accuracy or quality patient care is to partner with a digital pathology service provider.

There are at least two benefits of this partnership. First, studies show that using a lab with experience in digital pathology to read slides improves your chances of receiving a result within 48 hours. The most important asset you can share with your patients after their examination or procedure is information. When you have a solid partnership with an experienced lab, tracking the status of samples and obtaining results quickly is meaningful to patients.

Second, since slides are digitized, they can be shared among experts. Best of all, your patients will display an attitude of gratitude as they view their results and discuss treatment options with a better understanding of their case.

Serve Up an EMR Interface

Studies show that three out of five dermatologists have already adopted EMR technology, a logical choice for a busy dermatology office. “When a dermatology practice sees 40–50 patients per day, relying on paper to manage the workflow can create inefficiencies and impact the time to deliver results to patients,” explains April Larson, MD.

But not all EMR technology performs the same or cooperates with other systems. “To move beyond the challenges of paper, dermatopathology lab services like PathlogyWatch can build an HL7 interface directly to the dermatology clinic’s EMR to optimize margins of error and turnaround times, preserving precious staff and provider time,” adds Larson.

PathologyWatch utilizes an HL7 interface, enabling the lab to quickly send reports directly to your EMR of choice. In some instances, it populates a patient’s diagnosis and treatment details. This means all of the patient’s information is centralized and easily accessible. “The adoption of technology can save the staff from menial, time-consuming tasks and allow them to participate more in patient care, which increases both staff and patient satisfaction,” says Larson.

Provide Support a la Mode

Every system has hiccups and challenges. Find a lab with friendly staff members who are responsive to patient billing issues, technical problems, or just general questions. This makes it easy and comfortable when your staff unavoidably need to reach out for help with patient care in the dermatopathology arena. This is especially important because your team often takes the heat from unhappy patients, so it helps when your ancillary partners are eager to help and relieve those burdens.

Running a dermatology practice is an incredibly rewarding experience. By finding supportive partners, updating medical records processes that streamline work, and partnering with innovative services that offer both accurate and speedy results for patients, your dermpath workflow will be the icing on the “pie.”

Bad Online Review? Four Ways to Convert Patient Criticism into an Opportunity

Nov 25, 2020 | Pathology Business

Negative Online Review

Example of a bad online review.

Pretty harsh, isn’t it? Although this review isn’t referring to any of our medical clients, it illustrates the daily challenges healthcare providers face in the digital space.

Online patient reviews can either make or break a dermatology clinic’s reputation and practice. According to the Pew Research Center, 77 percent of consumers say they use online reviews as the first step in finding a new physician. During that search, studies found that only 14 percent of consumers would consider using a business with a one- or two-star rating.

In other words, online reviews are a big deal. A study by Dimensional Research found that 90 percent of people who read online reviews admitted their buying decisions are influenced by positive reviews. And 86 percent said their decisions are impacted by negative online reviews. 

How does that affect a business, lab, or dermatology clinic? A Moz study found that a business will lose about 22 percent of potential customers from one negative online review that appears in an online search. Two negative search results can double the loss of potential customers. “Have four or more negative articles about your company or product appearing in Google search results? You’re likely to lose 70% of potential customers,” says Dan Hinckley at Moz. 

Be proactive in protecting your brand. When negative reviews appear online, don’t ignore them. Instead, take it as an opportunity to show you care about your patients. Here are four ways to do so. 

1. Invest in reputation management.

Most doctors don’t invest much time in reputation management or tracking online reviews or searches, but they should. Here’s why: 

Improved SEO. Search engines prioritize sites that have frequently updated, relevant, and uniquely worded content. This means your online reviews (both good and bad), engagement, and comments can also improve search results. So encourage your patients to share their experience online and be engaged with a response. 

Credibility. We want to project a positive image, and tracking online reviews is a great way to ensure you are connecting with your patients. But a smattering of negative reviews—and how you respond to them—can actually help build credibility in your practice. Studies show that 85 percent of users trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. By welcoming feedback and creating an online “community” through comments, you are building a trustworthy and credible brand. 

“Online reviews matter,” explains Inc.com contributor Craig Bloem. “And that’s why you need to create and maintain a process that encourages your customers to leave reviews, monitors the reviews they leave, and improves any negative reviews you might receive.”

2. Determine if the response should be public or private.

As shown in the above example, a patient will use an online platform to vent frustrations for a variety of reasons. The important thing is to offer a public apology. “Remember, while you are exchanging messages with the reviewer, other people are reading your comments and wondering whether or not to visit your practice,” explain the staff at My Practice Reputation. 

Your medical practice can fall victim to any number of criticisms: “The parking was bad.” “Your office was hard to find.” “The waiting room was too noisy.” In those cases, a public apology and a reassurance that your patients’ experience at your office is a priority can be handled online. But if the reviewer is referring to the care he or she received—regardless of whether or not you feel the complaints are legitimate—you’ll want to be more discrete. Extend a public apology, reiterate how important it is for your team to deliver excellent patient care and that you welcome feedback, and invite the reviewer to reach out to your office to discuss what happened.

3. Keep the conversation solution-oriented.

If the patient contacts your office, quickly pull the file and review what happened from the patient’s perspective. Then put your office to the test: How was the patient greeted? Did the office staff use discretion when verifying personal information? How was the exchange between the doctor and patient? Why did the patient leave feeling frustrated? If possible, encourage the patient to describe his or her experience to uncover the breakdown in the situation. Then ask the patient what you and your staff could have done better.

“Most patients who leave negative reviews just want to feel heard,” says Erin Kitchen at Medical Economics. “You can even gain real insight and grow from their feedback!” For example, use feedback to improve office processes. Or allow more time between appointments to ensure patients have plenty of time to ask questions. 

Don’t ask the patient to remove the negative review. In some cases, the patient will volunteer to remove the negative review or add a follow-up post that the situation was resolved.

4. Consider legal help for extreme cases.

Fake reviews happen. That’s why safeguarding your online reputation is essential. If you discover the online review was posted by an aggressive competitor, for example, or by people who aren’t verifiable patients but post defamatory comments or reviews, you can demand the reviewer remove the post. 

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some situations can’t be resolved without involving legal support. In those cases when an online reviewer refuses to take down a false review post, legal experts suggest taking the information you have about the online reviewer and consulting with an attorney. The attorney will send a letter alerting the reviewer of legal action should he or she refuse to take down the posted review. As a final resort, your attorney can notify the website, website host, owner, and internet service provider. 

Keep in mind that the process of working with a legal team or the online platform can be slow. For quicker results, continue encouraging patients to share positive (and recent) reviews about your patient care and leverage that positive feedback. 

Online patient reviews can literally change the way customers view your dermatology practice. By figuring reputation management into your marketing efforts and treating a negative review as a marketing opportunity, you can tap into valuable insights on ways to better connect with potential customers and offer the best patient care possible.

Managing a motivated and efficient dermatology staff

Nov 19, 2020 | Digital Dermatopathology, Digital Pathology, Uncategorized

Across America, healthcare industry professionals play pivotal and often pressure-filled roles in keeping individuals and communities safe. However, this commitment to service comes with a toll in the form of heavy turnover rates. One two-year study found that family practices experienced an average turnover rate of 53 percent. Now is the time to ensure you’re running a motivated and efficient dermatology clinic staff.

While tending to patients is every dermatologist’s most critical concern, maintaining a productive and satisfied staff isn’t too far behind. By increasing your team’s high-level patient contact, sharpening your staff-retention efforts, and making sure you hire qualified individuals, your practice can continue to administer the level of care your patients have come to expect.

High-Level Patient Contact

Expanding individual responsibilities can improve staff morale while helping to reduce your workload. Since medical assistants represent the biggest group of individuals providing clinical support to dermatologists, increasing their contact with patients can result in more time for you to address other priorities. 

A well-trained MA may be capable of sharing diagnoses with patients on a case-by-case basis. To ensure seamless quality care, do the following:

  1. Provide staff members with a dermatology atlas to familiarize themselves with more common cases.
  2. Make sure every patient experience is consistent and professional by developing formal staff training programs.
  3. Promote knowledge and curiosity by teaching your team about frequent medications and treatments.

It would also help to train your staff to be conduits between your clinic and the dermatopathology lab. While full-service digital dermatopathology labs like PathologyWatch return diagnoses directly to your patients’ EMR, having a staff member that follows up on orders and results is a positive way to keep the lines of communication open. 

Staff Retention

Spending more time now to retain reliable dermatology staff members means spending less time in the future filling positions and training new employees. Since preventable employee factors are responsible for 80 percent of healthcare industry turnover, here are some suggestions to ensure your team members feel job satisfaction:

Create a comfortable office culture.

Is anyone happy working in a frantic environment that treats every task like an emergency? While there will be times when urgency is in order, do your best to set the example of composure and positivity by setting reasonable expectations for tasks and time management. This includes keeping a level head and being respectful in your actions and speech.

See team members as individuals.

You’re all in this together, so avoid focusing on individual mistakes. Likewise, nobody wants to be singled out or embarrassed in front of others. Be encouraging, promote camaraderie, listen to employee feedback, and find teachable moments to increase efficiency and skills.

Share accolades and rewards.

Small gestures can go a long way. In addition to praising accomplishments with kind words, keep your staff motivated with performance pay or other incentivized bonuses. 

Provide employee discounts.

Offer discounts on procedures and products to turn your staff into brand ambassadors. As a result, you can build loyalty from your employees while increasing public awareness. 

Creating an environment where people look forward to coming to work benefits your staff retention while leaving a good impression on your patients.

Hire Qualified People

Tending to patients while meeting the demands of running a thriving dermatology practice would be a daunting challenge without reliable staff support. Start on the right foot by hiring individuals with the characteristics and skill sets you require to deliver quality care to your patients.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare industry will add nearly 2.5 million jobs by 2029. With a labor pool that size to choose from, make sure you aren’t settling for employees that aren’t going to make long-term contributions to your clinic. Trust your instincts if you don’t feel someone is a good fit for the job’s values, pace, or expectations. If you’re on the fence, suggest a trial period to ensure both parties are satisfied with the duties and performance. 

Here are some personality traits to keep in mind as you identify features that translate to a valuable dermatology staff member:

  • Ambitious: Your workload can get lighter with the support of enthusiastic individuals who don’t mind shouldering additional responsibilities.
  • Personable: Single out people who are comfortable communicating and showing compassion with patients of all ages.
  • Teachable: Surround yourself with staff members who are eager to learn and share new knowledge and skills.
  • Team Player: Dermatology clinics require staff members to wear many hats to keep the front office and exam rooms working efficiently. 

Managing a motivated and efficient dermatology clinic staff requires consistent attention and leadership. By expanding your team’s patient contact level, focusing on staff-retaining actions, and hiring qualified team members, you can surround yourself with the right people to serve your patients.