What was the motivation for cutting ThinPrep so drastically

[pathstudent]

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I do quite a bit of ThinPrep cytology cases on hosptial specimesn (BALs, Thoracentesis, Pelvic Wash, and such) By alot I mean 5 to 15 a day (so maybe not a lot by a gyn cytologists standard) but for me it is one of the more time consuming specimens of my day. It is not something that seems easy to over utilize. How was this picked out to be slashed?

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Well, there are some urology labs spinning down formalin containers, making ThinPreps, billing quite a few 88112. Maybe that played a part in it.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

What really sucks is when you make a ThinPrep off of Thyroid FNA and you CAN'T bill for it IF you have smears. You are stuck billing 88173 only unless you can get a worthless cell block off of the aspirate. Nothing more worthless than a cell block on a Thyroid FNA though. The ThinPrep is much more useful but unfortunantly you are doing it for FREE.

 

[pathstudent]

Well, there are some urology labs spinning down formalin containers, making ThinPreps, billing quite a few 88112. Maybe that played a part in it.

I can't imagine a more worthless test than doing a ThinPrep from a prostate biopsy.

Let's see what has been cut drastically the last two years....

88305 x 12 (12 prostate biopsies), 88342 x 36 (IHC panel on 12 prostate biopsies), 88112 x 12 (ThinPrep on each container).

I am beginning to see a pattern. Let's see urologists do lots of FISH on urine and that's whats going to slashed next.

I think we have a urologists colleagues to thank for the destructon of our reimburesment. No wonder every urologists is driving a 150k car to work.

 

[WEBB PINKERTON]

Urovysion was already slashed a few years ago. It was the first to go down. It's not nearly as profitable as it used to be. Old Joe from In-office pathology was pretty upset about it.

http://labsoftnews.typepad.com/lab_...alf-the-reimbursement-for-urovysion-test.html