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Digital pathology is already making waves in the healthcare continuum, “Taking pathology into the umbrella of digital arena will open new folds like virtual pathology, securing patient electronic health records, facilitating consultations and referrals, providing optimized healthcare services that sans geographical boundaries. By and large, the benefits of digital pathology include improvements in service delivery, patient safety and communications, lower costs and efficient use of data,” said Anand K, CEO, Anand Diagnostic Laboratory.
With more than 33 global companies providing digital pathology hardware, software and services, the global digital pathology market is expected to reach approximately $4.5 billion by 2018.
Another emerging trend is integrating the management of laboratory test results with multi-site labs using different lab information systems like hematology, immunology, microbiology, cytology and biochemistry. This consolidation through system integration can result in increased efficiency in processing data and supporting the functions of multi-disciplinary teams, Anand told Pharmabiz in an email.
However, the industry also needs to address several concerns immediately. Availability of skilled resources to adapt to the fast evolving restructures is a challenge which if overcome, can boost the business in many ways. “Today, when most labs are looking for outsourcing opportunities, the quality of services needs to be constantly tracked. Aspects like image hosting, measuring accuracy and bias, sample size and of course the pathologist’s experience both in terms of their practice as well as with the device, are all technological holdups in the diagnostics world today,” he said.
Delving on the trends and challenges in the pathology business model, Anand said that in a world full of changing technology, higher disposable incomes and the need to acquire the best for oneself, it is imperative that healthcare services take a front seat. Pathology especially is one sector in healthcare that has witnessed several changes in the recent years, which have sustained to cater to the requirements of customers of the day.
Personalized medicine and home-care monitoring have become the trendsetting buzz words in the medical industry. With an expected global industry growth rate of 8.7%, major players in the sector are trickling into this service. This service garners attention with benefits like ease of access, strengthened customer-lab relationships and improved brand awareness, and hence many major labs are creating and branding their own in-house services. Further, labs are also looking to collaborate with comprehensive home health providers of services like nursing, physiotherapy, elderly care etc. which will be a significant partnership, he noted.
In terms of reliability of these tests, a recognized standardization should be implemented in order to make it easier for customers to make informed choices. With an effective line of action in tow, the recent trends in the business of pathology can be made sustainable for the betterment of healthcare services, said Anand.
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