At one time many physicians considered or actually launched labs within their practices. But with changes in reimbursements, technology, and oversight issues, physicians are rethinking the benefits of physician-operated labs. They are relying more on national laboratories like LifeBrite Laboratories.
National laboratories such as LifeBrite Laboratories provide hospitals and physician practices with an efficient option for lab testing to help them quickly diagnose and treat their patients. They can also reduce the need to send specialized lab work to multiple sites without increased costs.
“Many hospital and physician practices use us as their “one-stop shop” for all laboratory work instead of using multiple labs, which can cause confusion with clinicians having to fill out various forms and labels for the different labs they use,” said CEO Christian Fletcher. “We know our value is directly tied to our ability to provide excellent customer service. So we focus on providing fast turnaround times, a broad range of testing services and accuracy in results and in billing.”
Here are four ways physicians groups and hospitals can benefit by using a “one-stop shop” medical lab.
Reduced costs and convenience
Operating a physician-owned lab (POL) requires significant investments in staffing and equipment. Choosing to use a national laboratory like LifeBrite Laboratories can free up capital for physician offices’ core missions.
Working with one national reference lab like LifeBrite simplifies test process management. For instance, it’s easier to keep track of where specimens have been sent and can reduce the number of lab contracts.
Competitive turnaround times
The demands on primary-care physicians, specialists, pain clinics, and addiction centers for fast, accurate diagnoses and treatment plans continue to grow. That makes efficient, reliable lab testing services invaluable. Because LifeBrite performs certain tests several times a day as opposed to one or two times a week, it can deliver results more quickly. LifeBrite also can interface with EMRs, providing results and reports in a more timely manner.
Reliable results
Economies of scale benefit national laboratories like LifeBrite. Because lab testing is LifeBrite’s primary focus, it invests in state-of-the-art instrumentation and highly qualified staff to validate and read genetic assays. Larger labs like LifeBrite also perform tests more frequently than smaller labs, helping them increase overall expertise. Finally LifeBrite is accredited by nationally recognized organization rather than certification by state CLIA inspectors.
LifeBrite also is CLIA certified and COLA accredited. Plus, LifeBrite Laboratories can afford to offer more extensive test menus and services. These services include screenings for more than 100 drugs and metabolites and a plethora of clinically actionable molecular tests.
Diagnostic expertise
LifeBrite Laboratories invests in experienced staff who are well-versed in multiple testing methods and adept at using new technologies. They provide diagnostic expertise gained only through working in a commercial clinical laboratory.
LifeBrite also offers proprietary test panels such as LifeBrite’s STI and women’s health panels. These panels are nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) designed for the detection and identification of genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (gDNA) of microorganisms associated with bacterial and viral infections. This can be a life-changing test, especially for those who suffer from chronic infections.
Atlanta-based LifeBrite, led by CEO Christian Fletcher, operates LifeBrite Community Hospital of Early and LifeBrite Community Hospital of Stokes. To learn more about LifeBrite Laboratories, visit our homepage.