Digitally Decentralized Pathology Departments; Creating a Value Added Network

Although digital pathology is being adopted by a relatively small number of pathology departments, we now seem to be approaching an inflection point for the broader deployment of this technology. Adoption will be driven by at least two factors: (1) for surgical pathology reference labs, the portability of WSI case images and other DP features loom large as a strategic business advantage; (2) for academic pathology departments, potential trainee applicants will increasingly favor departments that have deployed the technology in order to be prepared for the future.As pathology departments increasingly"go digital," another opportunity will then be available to them -- the creation of a decentralized surgical pathology department. For me, this idea harks back to an article I wrote 26 years ago: (see:Integrating information from decentralized laboratory testing sites. The creation of a value-added network). My focal point at that time was a discussion of the emergence of a"value-added networks" in clinical pathology. Such a goal is now achievable in surgical pathology. Here is a list of some important features and opportunities associated with the development of a surgical pathology, value-added network usingy digital pathology:First and most obviously, WSI files for the most difficult cases can be forwarded to outside skilled consultants for their diagnoses. This is already the norm for most practices but DP decreases the"friction" and lag time...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Clinical Lab Testing Digital Pathology Healthcare Information Technology Healthcare Innovations Lab Industry Trends Medical Education Quality of Care Surgical Pathology Source Type: blogs