Laboratory Management Services
LMS offers hospitals and laboratories full-scope laboratory solutions to a changing pathology landscape. We provide a comprehensive menu of testing across the continuum of patient care, including but not limited to: anatomic pathology, cytopathology, clinical pathology, molecular pathology, genetic pathology, infrastructure, management, logistics, and consultations.
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Laboratory Industry Business Cycle
The need for pathologists is at an all time high, but due to the professions lack of recruitment over the past decade, there are not enough pathologists to cover the nation’s workloads. This means it is increasingly competitive to retain doctors, maintain low costs to hospitals, and prevent doctors from burning out. Pathologists are now favoring digital workflows and compensations only available through private practice.
Challenges Faced by Independent Pathology Groups
Delta Pathology Group recognizes there is an increasing shortage of pathologists nationally, which threatens service levels, pathology burnout, and subsequently quality of care. This is largely due to retention and recruitment costs skyrocketing. Subsequently, hospital systems have lost their entire pathology staff, and labs are unable to fill jobs. For example, there were 1500 pathologist job openings in the US as of October 2022, but only 250 US Medical Students and 350 J-1 Visa Candidates finish pathology residency annually. This shortage will only become a larger and larger problem, as we expect over 2500 pathologists to retire in the next 5 years as 33% of current pathologists are above age 65. Delta recognizes that the way pathology is being done must change in order for both doctors and patients to thrive.
Our Solution
We have created a streamlined pipeline for our doctors to ensure fast, accurate turnaround times, a system to evenly distribute workloads, and a flexible work culture which prevents pathologist burnout. Our network of pathologists ensures quality of care for special and complex cases, and our use of digital pathology ensures fast turnaround times, so your patients can rest assured they are getting the best treatment available.
Flexible Work-Compensation Opportunities
1: Off-site Pathologist (Digital only)
FMV based compensation based on wRVU production.
2: On-Site Pathologist (FTE)
FMV based compensation on wRVU production; Frozen Sections; Medical Directorship (QA, Procedures, Policies, Lab Instrumentation); Meetings (Conferences, Committees); Call rotation; Other non RVU generating activities (Resident/Fellow training, Rural Coverage, Clinical Consultation, Professional Societies).
Two tiers based on productivity and pathologists’ goals: worklife balance focus versus equity/production focus.
3: Management
Our employees who show excellent leadership potential are offered FMV based upon 3rd party valuation.
4: Physician Owners (No PE investors)
After all stakeholders are paid at FMV, owners receive their portion of the profits, so called return on investment, based on their ownership equity in the organization. Non owner associates and management share in profits through profit sharing and through so called Profit Interest Units. This aligns the interests of owners with management and associates at all levels of the organization. All profits inure to the benefit of the stakeholders in DPG, not outside investors.
Ensuring Even Workloads
We have created a system which categorizes doctors by their credentials and desired workloads, so as cases come in, we can evenly distribute the workloads accordingly. This reinforces the pathologist’s ability to choose the style of work they prefer, allowing for less burnout, more retention, and more productivity.
Digital pathology helps us ensure even workloads for our doctors across the nation. Click below to learn how.
An Open Letter to
Current and Prospective Clients
Welcome to the Delta Pathology Group. Our business mission of keeping volumes, revenue, tax base, economic engine and intellectual property locally owned and operated is built on the following guiding principles:
1. Our healthcare enterprise is wholly owned by laboratory professionals that call the communities we serve their home. The best healthcare is delivered when done so at the point of service and by stakeholders who invest in the communities they serve instead of outside investors (ie private equity) that commoditize the professional practice of pathology.
2. Using DPG for your pathology lab ensures that your specimen and your pathologists are part of the local community from where the specimen arose. Investments that DPG makes in its personnel, equipment, and laboratory space are reinvested in the community we share with the patients, the referring physicians and the client hospitals we serve.
3. As an independent laboratory, we compete with national labs, private equity owned labs, academic medical centers and other independent pathology groups. We pride ourselves on exemplary best in class service levels- 95% of our cases are fully signed out within 48 hours of receipt of specimen in our lab.
4. With our broad array of fellowship trained specialists, we have on site expertise to partner with cancer treatment centers across the state of Louisiana, NE Texas, and New Mexico to ensure accurate and comprehensive diagnostic services which facilitate the delivery of cutting edge oncology services.
5. We align ourselves with client doctors and hospital systems that are committed to making investments in the community we serve and value. DPG will not grow for the sake of growth and will only partner with clients that value our services at FMV instead of commodity pricing models that lower quality standards at the expense of the patient’s best interest.
We encourage you to call us with your questions and concerns. We stand ready to serve you.
Sincerely,
Vivek K Khare MD
Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer
Contact for Business Inquiries
Melonie Falcon
Chief Executive Officer
1000 E. Preston Ave.
Shreveport, LA 71105
Phone: (318)344-8001
melonie.falcon@pathologyresource.net