Number of path groups in the US

[Sulfinator]

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Anyone know of any data regarding the number of private path groups in the US? CAP appears to have that data, but their Practice Characteristics Survey report appears to only list the percentages of various sizes of path groups, with no mention of their raw numbers.

 

[mark-ER]

Good question, I'd be interested in seeing that too.

 

[deleted314957]

Yes. There are 13 and they are looking for one hire amongst the lot of them.
Preferably someone who likes to provide float coverage.

 

[Sulfinator]

Yes. There are 13 and they are looking for one hire amongst the lot of them.
Preferably someone who likes to provide float coverage.

Sigh . . .

Anyone know the real answer?

 

[Torsed]

If you are real pathologist you know all the major groups in a 200 mile radius that might affect you.

I get cold calls from pathologists for jobs and tell them which groups I know may help them.

 

[Sulfinator]

If you are real pathologist you know all the major groups in a 200 mile radius that might affect you.

I get cold calls from pathologists for jobs and tell them which groups I know may help them.

I am a pathologist and I do know all the path groups within a 200 mile radius. This inquiry has zero to do with finding job (or changing jobs). I am just trying to understand the national landscape (in terms of raw data, not in terms of the status of the pathology job market, etc.).

 

[Torsed]

Why don't you know the other groups? I don't even try to network effectively and I know most of them. I guess I am the senior pathologist, maybe that affiliations will come with time for you.

There are ways to find out who is who and these numbers. The government database on Medicare payments for one, the other would be the CAP directory. Start your net miles radius small and work out as far as you want. At the very least you can go to the hospital websites and do manual counts. I don't think anyone really cares and I am sure any medical directorship is paid based on at least 1 FTE even if 5 pathologists work there (peanuts). Things like the VA and locums would likely skew the numbers I would imagine.

I know the average groups in my areas are about 4 pathologists per group, some over multiple hospitals.

 

[Med Director New England]

Hard question to answer but the number of groups is trending down with hospital systems merging which sometimes means two path groups merge or the larger one just absorbs the work and smaller group is SOL.
A CAP source will also be lower than true number, there are groups in my immediate area who are not CAP labs...In fact the pathology dept at MGH is not CAP certified / inspected so that group would not show up on a CAP source!

 

[Sulfinator]

Why don't you know the other groups? I don't even try to network effectively and I know most of them. I guess I am the senior pathologist, maybe that affiliations will come with time for you.

There are ways to find out who is who and these numbers. The government database on Medicare payments for one, the other would be the CAP directory. Start your net miles radius small and work out as far as you want. At the very least you can go to the hospital websites and do manual counts. I don't think anyone really cares and I am sure any medical directorship is paid based on at least 1 FTE even if 5 pathologists work there (peanuts). Things like the VA and locums would likely skew the numbers I would imagine.

I know the average groups in my areas are about 4 pathologists per group, some over multiple hospitals.

I DO know the groups in my general geographic area. What I don’t know (and would like to) are the number of total path groups (and their sizes) in the US.

Your directory suggestion may work fairly well. CAP probably has reasonable data on this (even on non-CAP accredited labs/groups, likely).

 

[Sulfinator]

Hard question to answer but the number of groups is trending down

Agreed, on both counts.

 

[Torsed]

Another source is the CMS data.....you asked.... can you mine?

 

[LADoc00]

I would throw out an educated guess in the range of hundreds but not thousands.

It really depends on what you call "groups". Like is a VA staff of pathologists a single group or are all the VA pathologists a "supergroup"?

Maybe a few hundred private groups total in the US. places like Alaska and PR have literally 1 group per.