Recently, I was asked to participate in the CAP (College of American Pathologists) Transformation project (www.cap.org/transformation). This really is an interesting and thought provoking project. I think it is always good when an organization invests time and money to ask the basic question “why?” Carefully listening to the questions and talking with the people involved helped me understand what was important to CAP. It also showed me how serious they are when it comes to the future of pathology. CAP has some very intelligent, creative thinkers on their staff and I commend them on this project.
CAP asked me, "What do you think the role of a pathologist will look like ten years from now?" Here are my thoughts: It is quite possible that more and more hospital-based pathology practices will shrink in size, while a percentage of new pathologists will move into direct relationships with gastroenterology, urology or oncology practices. These sub-specialized pathologists could make up to 10%-15% of all the pathologists in the industry.
The truth be told, we are a free market economy, meaning the work will follow the dollar. At this point in time, it is very profitable for the referral sources to outsource this type of work. However, until this becomes unprofitable or the cost benefit reaches a negative, this trend will continue. It may not be pretty, but it is reality.
This month at the Annual Meeting, CAP is hosting a 90-minute session on September 28 to specifically discuss "Transformation" - Join us in Chicago!
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