Further private practice adventures...

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LADoc00

Gen X, the last great generation
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Mkay, I have issued my second decree at my practice: I will no longer handle, gross or otherwise offer transcription support for renal biopsies. Does anyone else have this problem?? Why am I and my staff wasting time on a specimen that goes directly to an academic center for dx and billing! This is insane, nephrologists have the same access to FedEx like I do....what the hell, is my time somehow less precious?!

Same holds true for muscle biospies.


~Committee for the shedding of B.S. specimens from Pathology.
 
If they continue to send them to you, just do them yourself and sign them all out as "mild non specific chronic inflammation." That should stop it.
 
LADoc00 said:
Mkay, I have issued my second decree at my practice: I will no longer handle, gross or otherwise offer transcription support for renal biopsies. Does anyone else have this problem?? Why am I and my staff wasting time on a specimen that goes directly to an academic center for dx and billing! This is insane, nephrologists have the same access to FedEx like I do....what the hell, is my time somehow less precious?!

Same holds true for muscle biospies.


~Committee for the shedding of B.S. specimens from Pathology.

Yeah, you could process it, sign it out and bill for it and then send if off for consult.

Why do kidneys only go to academic centers. Is this true nationwide? What makes them so special?
 
It's because they are hard, and there are many subtle changes that you need a lot of experience and regular biopsy reading to truly understand. Plus, the quite frequently require EM and immunofluorescence for diagnosis, which many community places don't have. The histology is also different - generally thinner sections are cut. One way to always have a job in path is to be a renal pathologist, although you would probably have to be willing to move around where the available jobs were.
 
LADoc00 said:
Mkay, I have issued my second decree at my practice: I will no longer handle, gross or otherwise offer transcription support for renal biopsies. Does anyone else have this problem?? Why am I and my staff wasting time on a specimen that goes directly to an academic center for dx and billing! This is insane, nephrologists have the same access to FedEx like I do....what the hell, is my time somehow less precious?!

Same holds true for muscle biospies.


~Committee for the shedding of B.S. specimens from Pathology.

Don't be nephro's bi-otch, LA. Seriously. They can do it themselves, those lazy passive-aggressive pieces of crap.

In the end, they'll repect you for setting boundaries.
 
yaah said:
It's because they are hard, and there are many subtle changes that you need a lot of experience and regular biopsy reading to truly understand. Plus, the quite frequently require EM and immunofluorescence for diagnosis, which many community places don't have. The histology is also different - generally thinner sections are cut. One way to always have a job in path is to be a renal pathologist, although you would probably have to be willing to move around where the available jobs were.

It is not like it is harder than anything else.

Every community place had its own EM scope until a few years ago when it became clear that they were now worthless except for renal biopses and those 1 in 1000 tumors that defy histology and immunohistochemistry.

Some community hospitals own their own flow cytometers. No reason they couldn't buy an IF. It is probably just comes down to whether or not you can drum up enough cases to make it worth it. I am sure there are community practice places that have their own little empire of renal biopsies.
 
pathdawg said:
Don't be nephro's bi-otch, LA. Seriously. They can do it themselves, those lazy passive-aggressive pieces of crap.

In the end, they'll repect you for setting boundaries.

As I always say: make someone your bi-otch or be the bi-otch!
 
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