Axe continuing to fall at Bostwick Labs

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Doubt they will be a competitor too much longer. Arizona, Virginia, Tennessee locations all gone. Sounds like Florida not in very good shape either. Future not looking real bright there. The 88305 and FISH cuts, hospitals buying practices and so on...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/lo...-laboratories-layoff-20121207,0,5615283.story

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[Tissue issue]

Anybody know what has happened to pathologists who were working for Bostwick Labs??

 

[mlw03]

While developments like this are perhaps good for the field and probably patients too (I'm not one who believes a mega-lab thousands of miles away is what's best for the patient), I also remember that when these labs close, people lose jobs. Not just pathologists, but techs, administrative assistants, lab assistants. The economy in Florida is struggling, so I feel for these people. So in my view, this kind of thing is a mixed blessing.

 

[MetroPath]

While developments like this are perhaps good for the field and probably patients too (I'm not one who believes a mega-lab thousands of miles away is what's best for the patient), I also remember that when these labs close, people lose jobs. Not just pathologists, but techs, administrative assistants, lab assistants. The economy in Florida is struggling, so I feel for these people. So in my view, this kind of thing is a mixed blessing.

I guess this is one reason why you should never work for these labs. They may pay well but if the company goes down you are going to go down with them as well.

 

[NuckingFuts]

I guess this is one reason why you should never work for these labs. They may pay well but if the company goes down you are going to go down with them as well.

I hear one of David Bostwock's second-in-command was luring one of our fellows to go work for them last year. Starting salary, $280k plus bonuses / benefits.

Lucrative, yes. Secure, no.

 

[2121115]

I hear one of David Bostwock's second-in-command was luring one of our fellows to go work for them last year. Starting salary, $280k plus bonuses / benefits.

Lucrative, yes. Secure, no.

While that is a good starting salary, I wouldn't call that lucrative in the long run.

 

[MetroPath]

While that is a good starting salary, I wouldn't call that lucrative in the long run.

280K starting? I would expect more for a large ref lab.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Bostwick has always paid staff well, which isnt smart when there is such a surplus of pathologists.

Bostwick still has a lab in New York I believe. Sometimes the pathologists are offered a chance to relocate at another facility. They have done that as they closed their other locations (Arizona, Tennessee, Richmond).

I have a feeling we will be seeing a fair number of labs close due to all these cuts, especially the ones that have relied on 88305x12, overutilizing FISH and other shady practices. You can tell who is swimming naked when the tide rolls out.

 

[mlw03]

I guess this is one reason why you should never work for these labs. They may pay well but if the company goes down you are going to go down with them as well.

Yes, but I was referring not to the pathologist making >250K, but the person typing the reports up for 32K/year. We in medicine often forget we're the big earners in a system that employs millions of people, most of whom make way less than us and still have families to support. And at times like this I just think we should be mindful of the others affected, that's all.

 

[yaah]

Bostwick has always paid staff well, which isnt smart when there is such a surplus of pathologists.

Bostwick still has a lab in New York I believe. Sometimes the pathologists are offered a chance to relocate at another facility. They have done that as they closed their other locations (Arizona, Tennessee, Richmond).

I have a feeling we will be seeing a fair number of labs close due to all these cuts, especially the ones that have relied on 88305x12, overutilizing FISH and other shady practices. You can tell who is swimming naked when the tide rolls out.

Huh? That's kind of a silly comment (the first one). You pay staff well if you want quality staff. If your goal is to purely make money, then fine. But the goal of any lab is going to be to make money plus provide quality care.

One of the things I am surprised it not talked about on these forums more is that reference lab jobs do pay decently well. Plus, they don't have some of the annoying responsibilities of other jobs like call, administrative stuff, etc. $280k is not great for private practice but it is better than a lot of smaller groups, and is better than some semi-academic places that are still "private." Isn't that the point? Would you expect reference labs to pay the same level as private practice full service groups? Unless, of course, you are an internationally reknowned expert at which case reference labs are going to pay a premium for your services.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Its dumb to pay a pathologist well when there is such a surplus. That money would be better served going to infrastructure. I have worked for labs that made that mistake. The greedy old timers "got theres" and threw everyone else under the bus. A secure job making less is much more desirable. If only unions would understand that....

 

[mlw03]

The fact that there's a surplus is perhaps why decent pathologists make a good living. We've seen posts from people in private groups saying it's tough to recruit a good pathologist to their practice. So there may be a surplus of total pathologists, but not sure there's a surplus of quality pathologists. Thus, if you want to recruit a good one, there needs to be financial incentive. I have to believe the mega-labs operate and make money not only because they're efficient, but also because they do provide clinicians with timely and accurate diagnostic information.

 

[lipomas]

There may be a surplus of pathologists but there isn't a huge surplus of excellent pathologists. Your definition of that term may vary I guess, but we had kind of a hard time filling a job spot a couple years ago. I have no idea why that is since you have to be smart to get into med school and finish residency. But smarts aren't everything.

Reference labs need to employ competent individuals, not just warm bodies. I have met people who work in some, many are excellent pathologists who would do fine elsewhere but they like the schedule, the focus, and the no call. Others are young and think it will help them get a better job elsewhere. Very few are people who are taking it because there was nothing else.