[Work quota setting and man-hour productivity estimation in pathologists]. / Normirovanie truda i otsenka trudozatrat vrachei patologoanatomicheskikh otdelenii.

The paper considers the development and current state of the regulation of work quota setting and remuneration in pathologists. Reasoning from the current staff standards for morbid anatomy departments (units), the authors present a method to calculate the load of pathologists. The essence of the proposed method is demonstrated using a specific example.

How to evaluate a potential merger or acquisition.

Economic imperatives in health care financing are compelling a variety of mergers, acquisitions, integrations, and other forms of amalgamation. As hospitals merge, their pathology practices are merging. Physicians are forming clinically integrated groups, both with and without hospitals. Universities, commercial laboratories, and even insurance companies are acquiring laboratories and pathology practices. There are few standards or guidelines to help the practicing pathologist respond to such new undertakings. In the present study, we present a "how-to" guide or template to assist pathologists in evaluating proposals to amalgamate and in managing the alliance. The procedure begins with an articulation of the cons and pros, followed by a series of assessments of the cultures, the market, the organization, and operations, as well as a legal and financial assessment and human resources appraisal of each of the entities. We then outline the method for developing an organizational and operational model for the new merged entity and for performing the feasibility analysis, making a final decision, drafting a contract, and developing the business plan for the new venture.

[Accreditation in pathology. Systematic presentation and documentation of activities in pathology]. / Akkreditierung in der Pathologie. Systematische Darstellung und Dokumentation der Tätigkeiten in der Pathologie.

In the last ten years, almost 60 departments of surgical pathology were accredited in Germany according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020. Accreditation in pathology was accompanied by the adoption of a highly dynamic process, which requires staff to be more aware of quality and to introduce a quality-oriented system. The accreditation body in turn needed to consider all the duties, responsibilities and processes in surgical pathology and was supported in this regard by the Sector Committee of Pathology and Neuropathology of the DGA German Association for Accreditation. In this review we illustrate the various problems associated with accreditation in surgical pathology by answering eight questions that have arisen over many years of activity. These include the registration and appropriate presentation of the scope of accreditation, the terminology, as well as the extent and depth of documentation. A department of pathology applying for accreditation is required to document the entire step-wise process leading to a surgical pathological diagnosis.

Normativa técnica para la regulación de los servicios de patología, laboratorios de patología y salas para necropsias: acuerdo ministerial No. 115-2009 / Technical regulations for the regulation of pathology services, pathology laboratories and necropsy rooms: ministerial agreement No. 115-2009

El documento tiene algunos problemas de nitidez, que dificultan un tanto su lectura y está un poco inclinado a la derecha. Incluye las definiciones de los conceptos relacionados al tema principal, además de la infraestructura que deberá tener cada centro, incluidos el equipo y recurso humano y técnico. Presenta también las características técnicas así como el perfil del personal que las maneja y el equipo de deben contener.

Departamentos de Anatomía Patológica a tenorde la legislación vigente / Pathological Anatomy Departments according to current legislation

La gestión de muestras en un departamento de AnatomíaPatológica se ve directamente afectada en España porla Ley de Protección de Datos, la Ley de Autonomía delPaciente y la Ley de Investigación Biomédica. Estas leyesinfluyen en aspectos tan trascendentales como que lasmuestras deben guardarse un mínimo de 30 años, que lautilización de las mismas para investigación requieren unComité de Ética, que deben venir referidas con un consentimientoinformado, que requieren una trazabilidad total,un alta en la base de datos de biobancos etc… Estos y otrosde los aspectos que influyen directamente en la gestión delas muestras en un servicio de Anatomía Patológica sonanalizados en este artículo (AU)

Specimen management in a Anatomic Pathology departmentin Spain is directly affected by the Data ProtectionAct, the Patient Autonomy Law and the Biomedical ResearchLaw. These laws affect transcendental aspects, such ashow long samples must be kept (minimum 30 years), andenforce that an Ethics Committee must oversee the use ofthese samples in research, that these must come with informedconsent, that they must be fully traceable, that theymust be registered in biobank databases, etc. These andother aspects that invariably influence specimen managementin Anatomic Pathology services are analysed in thisarticle (AU)

Legal billing for pathology services.

Minnesota physicians recently debated whether primary care physicians can legally and ethically "mark up" or add to the fees charged by a pathologist when submitting bills for pathology services to third-party payers. This article explores the relevant federal and state laws and offers the conclusion that both federal and state law allow for such a mark-up if it reflects reasonable compensation for additional work and risk assumed by the primary care provider group.

Managing hazardous waste in the laboratory.

This article offers an introduction to the federal U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations as they relate to hazardous wastes generated by clinical and anatomic pathology laboratories. Traditionally, the EPA has targeted "heavy" industries such as manufacturing for compliance auditing, but it recently turned an eye toward health-care facilities since they are identified as important sources of hazardous waste generation. Enforcement of EPA regulations within health-care facilities presents the challenge of a new labyrinth of definitions, rules, and compliance methods for laboratorians who have already made it through other regulatory agency mazes, including the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) checklists, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

[Legal regulation of pathoanatomic activity].

Knowledge of the laws, article 54, the law of 22.07.1993, N.5487-1 helps regulate the legal activity of the pathology service.

Forensic pathology services and autopsy law of Qatar.

This work presents information about the current practice of medico-legal services including forensic pathology services in the Islamic state of Qatar from the author's personal experience gained during a consultation visit to Hamad Medical Corporation Hospital of Qatar. Qatar enacted a comprehensive autopsy law (Law No. 8 of 2003) on the basis of tenets of Islam, incorporating modern trends and opinion. This deals with performance of hospital/clinical, forensic post-mortems and dissection of dead bodies for educational purposes.

[Twenty years' experience with the information system "biopsy" used in the work of a department of morbid anatomy].

The long-term use of the information system "Biopsy" has shown its efficiency in improving the organization of the department of morbid anatomy in a large hospital. Its advantages are the availability of materials and necessary information for the shortest period. The introduction of an electronic signature and the storage of signed documents are new real steps to the creation of paper-free technology, including the so-called electronic case history base. Automated exchange of orders for tests and their results not only reduces the time of their obtaining, but also lowers costs and enhances the efficiency of work pf a biopsy laboratory.

[Topical problems in the organization of cytological studies in departments of pathology (the experience of a cytological center as part of the Leningrad Regional Department of Pathology)].

Cytological studies of biopsy specimens in the Center of Cytology are one of the promising lines in the activity of the Leningrad Regional Department of Pathology. For the time being, there is no standard for cytological activities. This fact adversely affects the training system of laboratory physicians and assistants, the organization of their work in health care facilities, and the testing quality system. Cytological studies are a promising method in the morphological evaluation of biopsy specimens and surgical material and they should be considered as a morphological method in morbid anatomy.