Article

5 Ways You Can Synergize with Surgery to Redefine Care

Contributing Lab Leaders: Jeffrey Myers, MD, PhD and Julia Dahl, MD

Operational

Article highlights:

Pathology can enhance its contributions to care by building close relationships with surgery and the larger care team
Synergy with surgery rests on simple principles—but it all begins with a change of mindset
This not only helps surgeons, but can directly influence quality, safety, and efficiency of your pathology practice

Pathologists play a crucial role in medicine, but too often remain insulated in a laboratory setting. As a result, they miss many vital opportunities to contribute to the larger continuum of care.

One of the most important connections pathologists can make is with surgeons. When the hands-on skill of surgery is reinforced with the data insights and resources of pathology, a powerful partnership results. The trick—as with many other aspects of lab leadership—is to rethink the value you can bring and then act on it.

5 Steps to Better Synergy with Your Surgeons

Click through these slides to discover tips that can put pathology on the path to playing a larger role in successful outcomes for your organization.

Looking Forward

Jeff Myers believes that pathology stands on the threshold of a new world. "As fee-for-service fades in the rearview mirror," he says, "we've been liberated to imagine value in ways never before possible."

One of those ways rests on forging synergy not only with surgeons, but also with everyone involved in care. Widening the scope of involvement, providing in-person expertise, and simply getting to know colleagues and patients better will help pathology play an even more vital role in providing value and ensuring successful outcomes.

The best days of pathology lie ahead.