Jun 22, 2021 | Digital Dermatopathology, Digital Pathology
PathologyWatch was recently ranked by MedTech Innovator as one of the top 50 most transformative device, diagnostic, and digital health technologies from around the globe. PathologyWatch will participate in a flagship, four-month Showcase and Accelerator program that offers unparalleled visibility and access to some of the medtech industry’s leading manufacturers, providers, investors, and other industry stakeholders.
“Our goal at MedTech Innovator is to find the most promising medical innovations and make sure they actually reach the patients who need them,” said Paul Grand, CEO of MedTech Innovator. “We are thrilled with the caliber of the startups participating in this year’s cohort and we look forward to providing them with the resources and mentorship they need to succeed.”
Since 2017, PathologyWatch has been an innovative leader in intuitive, easy-to-implement digital dermatopathology solutions that aim to streamline the diagnostic process while improving patient care models.
Compared to its competitors, PathologyWatch focuses on enhancing services available in outpatient clinics by offering a fully interfaced EMR reporting process, access to top dermatopathologists with the option to interpret and bill for their cases, and provide their clients 24/7 access to digital slides.
“I believe PathologyWatch is the future of dermatopathology for dermatologists. The group combines academic expertise with the efficiency of a private lab. It is a huge timesaver for me and my staff,” said April Larson, a certified dermatologist, and VP of client experience and advisory board at PathologyWatch. “By reviewing my own cases, I am able to make better clinical decisions for my patients. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
With PathologyWatch, clinics can significantly reduce the time it takes from completing the patient examination to diagnosis with high-quality reads that lead to improved patient-provider relationships in shared medical decisions. What typically takes two weeks to receive a diagnosis can now potentially take two days through the efficient workflow that PathologyWatch has developed.
The 50 companies selected by MedTech Innovator will compete in the final competition at The MedTech Conference in September 2021.
To read the full list of the medtech companies honored, click here.
Jun 11, 2021 | Digital Pathology, Uncategorized
Medical courier services play an integral role across the healthcare industry. This expanding, $54.8 billion industry quickly responds to meet the specialized demands of today’s pathology clinics, with no signs of slowing down.
A recent Market Analysis Report suggests that the popularity of medical couriers is impacted by an emphasis to improve the healthcare system by streamlining the growing need for quick transportation of samples and specimens for testing while reducing the cost of logistics.
“As a dermatologist, I ultimately answer to my patient for the biopsy procedure as well as the pathology result,” explains April Larson, MD, VP of client experience and Advisory Board at PathologyWatch. “My work at PathologyWatch has taught me the importance of appropriate specimen labeling, handling, and chain of custody. It’s important to ask questions and make sure your courier has clear guidelines around the handling of medical specimens.”
As the desire for a quick turnaround time on lab work increases, you need a courier service you can count on.
“A quality medical courier service is knowledgeable in the laws and customs of every product they transport. They’ll be able to handle the legal matters for you, giving you more time to focus on your business,” say experts at Mobile One Courier. “A medical courier service should also have the necessary equipment to keep your medical equipment, prescriptions, and specimens safe. Whether that involves a refrigerated car or just careful watching, they ensure that every package arrives undamaged.”
Factors like experience, property protection, and tracking tools are essential. If you are moving toward a medical courier service, here are four questions to ask.
1. Are they insured?
As the saying goes, always expect the unexpected. In unforeseen weather conditions or significant delays, even an accident, it’s important that your precious cargo is protected. Be sure to clarify whether or not the collateral and the driver are both insured.
2. Do they have experience handling specimens or other sensitive materials?
Medical couriers should be experienced with the intricacies of medical equipment and biological samples and understand the special conditions required for successful delivery.
“Many specialty medications and medical tests must be maintained within a specific temperature range during shipment,” explains Benjamin Meskin, owner of Meslee Insurance Services, Inc. “To keep those items at the manufactured recommended temperature, they require special handling and storage during transport from shipper to recipient.”
Be sure to ask how many years of experience the courier company has in healthcare. Studies show that 34 percent of medical couriers only work in the industry for one to two years before moving onto something else. In addition, inquire if the courier company requires that drivers complete specific training to ensure they understand the unique conditions for transporting specimens.
3. How do they track deliveries?
An internal study from the University of Minnesota Medical Center laboratory found their facility could not account for about six to seven specimens per week, totaling around 30 specimens per month. That rate of error isn’t acceptable if you want to run a successful pathology practice.
Every patient sample matters. This isn’t just a specimen—it’s your patient’s peace of mind. You need to work with a courier who shares that commitment to safeguarding your packages. Most courier services offer a real-time GPS tracking system to monitor their deliveries. This feature lets you check real-time locations to ensure your packages are moving in the right direction and will arrive when you expect them to.
4. Are the delivery drivers HIPAA compliant?
Courier services are essential to patient care, but they are not part of the health care sector. However, courier companies still need to adhere to HIPAA standards. This is under the omnibus rule mandating compliance to the HIPAA privacy rule by business associates or entities engaged by individuals and businesses in the healthcare industry that help them complete industry-related activities and functions.
Larger courier companies are quick to advertise their HIPAA compliance, but if you prefer to use a local service, be sure to ask about it.
Your practice relies on trusting doctor-patient relationships. Working with a medical courier service that supports a quick turnaround time on test results is essential to building and maintaining those relationships. You will find a great long-term partnership that provides quick results by asking about a courier’s specialized experience, tracking tools, and other support services.
May 19, 2021 | Digital Dermatopathology
Three days.
Three time zones.
One incredible experience.
That’s what we can expect from the International Confocal Working Group’s 2nd World Congress on Confocal Microscopy on May 21–23, 2021.
This simulive interactive virtual event, sponsored by SUNY Downstate Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, will broadcast from Brisbane, Madrid, and Chicago.
We reached out to Nina McMurray, who, along with the Business Boutique team, is facilitating this virtual event. We wanted to learn more about in vivo and ex vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy and what we can expect from this year’s event.
PathologyWatch: How are in vivo and ex vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy impacting the dermatopathology field?
Nina McMurray: In vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is noninvasive dermatopathology. RCM and histopathology alike have their advantages and disadvantages. By embracing both, we can not only improve patient satisfaction by avoiding scars and pain associated with unnecessary biopsies, but we can also deliver safer, higher-quality care by ensuring biopsies are taken from the most diagnostically important area and minimizing false-negative results related to histopathology sampling errors.
Ex vivo laser scanning microscopy may revolutionize and could eventually replace frozen-section pathology. However, the greatest impact it could have on dermatopathology is enabling real-time invasive biopsy diagnosis, bypassing the need for tissue processing.
PW: Have you seen significant adoption of this technology in the medical fields?
NM: Confocal microscopy is still most widely adopted in Europe due to differences in reimbursement and healthcare delivery. However, since the recent development of specific CPT codes, adoption has grown in the US. It is disseminating as more US doctors and patients learn about the technology and more insurance plans begin covering the procedure.
We are proud to say that all active pioneers of this technology are faculty at this meeting. The combined experience of the presenters is unsurpassed. Furthermore, these key opinion leaders are also renowned for their complementary expertise in their fields of medicine.
PW: What sets this upcoming May 21–23 event above other virtual events?
NM: This is a truly global event with 106 global experts from 22 countries, providing 113 lectures, and delivering 20 hours of CME-accredited points in three time zones.
It is also the most comprehensive and inclusive meeting on this topic in history. Not only does this event provide the delegates with the highest level of the most up-to-date education on the current breakthroughs in the world of in vivo and ex vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy, but it is also delivered on an exciting interactive virtual site. This means you can speak directly with leading global experts or privately chat with colleagues from across the world in real time while sitting in the comfort of your own home.
You can raise your knowledge through high-quality education at an event that allows you to be safe and secure during the pandemic while simultaneously reducing your carbon footprint and minimizing your CME expenditure.
PW: How many people signed up for this event?
NM: Over 200 people have already registered. Pricing is set for accommodating so that we can reach as many of our students and fellows as well as our key physicians.
We have also set aside a pool of tickets for attendees with financial hardship. This event is barrier-free and inclusive. There is still time to book and spaces available, and no concerns about the impact of COVID, travel, or loss of earnings. We would love for you to join us!
PW: How has the response been since going virtual in 2021?
NM: There has been a buzz of excitement in the confocal community. The meeting had to be canceled last year due to the unprecedented effects of COVID-19. Melissa Gill and Orit Markowitz, the copresidents, were undeterred and have created this exciting platform to deliver the best of global experts. There is a real focus on the necessity of dermatology, pathology, and surgical specialists working together to ensure the safest forms of practice and best patient outcomes. The speakers and faculty are extremely excited to be a part of this meeting and deliver cutting-edge education to the broader community. This meeting is breaking boundaries educationally and in delivery alike.
PW: What can attendees expect to experience during this event?
NM: Although virtual, this platform is a significant step away from Zoom. The event will take place live across three different time zones, ensuring the delegates can interact with the speakers, ask questions, meet privately in the chat rooms to discuss current topics, visit the booths of their top manufacturers and companies in the exhibition hall, and visit the abstracts room to see what’s new in the world of confocal microscopy.
In fact, it has been suggested that you will have better direct contact with these experts within this platform while also interacting with some of the key manufacturers and companies within a virtual exhibition.
This interactive platform recreates the convention center experience but without the usual challenges of navigating the space. Moreover, direct access to global experts across multiple disciplines over three days sets this meeting apart from in-person and Zoom-style meetings. Certainly, everyone is ready to get together, share their knowledge, and deliver the most up-to-date trials and studies published. There will even be an interactive quiz and opportunities to win some very exciting prizes throughout the event.
PW: What can participants hope to take away from attending this event?
NM: To ensure active learning and development, we want our participants to enjoy the whole experience. We want our attendees to become part of our confocal microscopy community, enjoy sharing and learning from one another in a global setting, and have fun! Our mission is to grow the field of confocal microscopy through collaboration, inclusion, and education to improve patient safety and outcomes.
Clinically, the key learning objectives are below:
- Understand how in vivo and/or ex vivo confocal microscopy could be incorporated into the dermatologist, surgeon, or pathologist’s workflow to improve patient care
- Identify the many applications of in vivo and ex vivo confocal microscopy
- Improve diagnostic confidence and accuracy by incorporating recent advances in image acquisition and interpretation in addition to quality control steps when utilizing RCM for the diagnosis and management of a variety of skin diseases
- Assess clinical endpoints while also evaluating potential complications and/or pitfalls when using confocal microscopy
- Understand how machine learning techniques are being applied in the field of confocal microscopy
PathologyWatch will be there! Be sure to visit the PathologyWatch booth to discover what makes us the groundbreaking leader of digital dermatopathology services. Our friendly pathologists and representatives can answer your questions about our full-service dermpath lab and share the ways we can help you maintain optimal patient outcomes while reducing staff burdens.
For more information on the International Confocal Working Group’s 2nd World Congress on Confocal Microscopy on May 21–23, click here.
