The Value Proposition for Pathologists: A Population HealthApproach

摘要

The transition to a value-based payment system offers pathologists the opportunity toplay an increased role in population health by improving outcomes and safety as well asreducing costs. Although laboratory testing itself accounts for a small portion ofhealth-care spending, laboratory data have significant downstream effects in patientmanagement as well as diagnosis. Pathologists currently are heavily engaged in precisionmedicine, use of laboratory and pathology test results (including autopsy data) to reducediagnostic errors, and play leading roles in diagnostic management teams. Additionally,pathologists can use aggregate laboratory data to monitor the health of populations andimprove health-care outcomes for both individual patients and populations. For theprofession to thrive, pathologists will need to focus on extending their roles outside thelaboratory beyond the traditional role in the analytic phase of testing. This shouldinclude leadership in ensuring correct ordering and interpretation of laboratory testingand leadership in population health programs. Pathologists in training will need to learnkey concepts in informatics and data analytics, health-care economics, public health,implementation science, and health systems science. While these changes may reducereimbursement for the traditional activities of pathologists, new opportunities arise forvalue creation and new compensation models. This report reviews these opportunities forpathologist leadership in utilization management, precision medicine, reducing diagnosticerrors, and improving health-care outcomes.