Pathology assistant arrangement

[homer315]

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Curious how folks have their PAs employed. At my previous hospital-based private practice, they were hospital employees and the group paid nothing. At my current practice, the path group employs them.

I've never been entirely clear if grossing is intended to be covered under the TC or PC component. I think most people understand it to fall under the PC making PAs the pathologist's financial responsibility, but there are many places online where you can find the PC to be defined as only review of a prepared slide, with everything beforehand to belong to TC. Also, there are plenty of labs doing TC-only billing where a tech or low level cassettes the specimens and the client PC- only lab (eg dermpaths) isn't responsible for any grossing.

For anyone else in private practice, how are you structured? If you are one of the lucky groups that convinced your hospital to pay for the PAs, what were your arguments?

 

[Guest8]

50-50. We employ them, the hospital reimburses us for half their salaries.

 

[octopusprime]

Both gross and microscopic examination fall under the rubric of 'professional services', so that's generous if the hospital reimburses you half, unless they're factoring that into your Part A monies. We have several PAs and employ them, but the hospital employs multiple techs that gross all the small stuff.