XIFIN Partners with QualityStar to Provide Quality Assurance Solution to Help Reduce Interpretive Diagnostic Errors in Anatomic Pathology
Partnership Helps Pathologists Implement New CAP Guidelines
SAN DIEGO, Calif.– XIFIN, Inc., the healthcare cloud computing company revolutionizing the business of healthcare diagnostics from patient to payment, today announced an agreement with QualityStar®, a leading provider of anatomic pathology quality assurance services, to market its cloud-based case review service to help reduce interpretive diagnostic errors and improve patient care.
XIFIN will offer QualityStar’s anatomic pathology case review service as an app on the XIFIN ProNet™ physician collaboration portal of its Health Economics Optimization platform to facilitate the confidential, HIPAA-compliant and secure exchange of cases for QA review by QualityStar’s national network of NIH/NCI-designated cancer centers and sub-specialty pathologists. XIFIN ProNet is a leading online exchange providing pathologists crucial capabilities that are transforming pathology services and patient treatment by allowing pathologists to collaborate, consult and communicate to improve health outcomes.
“Offering our anatomic pathology customers convenient access to QA services advances our ability to provide the cloud-based exchange of images and case data needed to support collaboration and reduce misdiagnosis to improve clinical quality and economic performance,” stated Chrystal Adams, AVP of product line management at XIFIN.
Cases of delayed, missed and incorrect patient diagnosis is a growing concern. In the U.S., the rate of diagnostic error is estimated to be between 10 to 20 percent of all cases, accounting for 40,000 – 80,000 deaths per year. Research by Johns Hopkins indicates that over the past 25 years of malpractice claims studied, diagnostic errors accounted for nearly 29 percent of insurance claims at a cost of almost $40 billion. Second opinions are often suggested as a potential intervention to reduce misdiagnosis, estimated in some studies to change diagnosis 15 percent of the time and treatment 37 percent.
“The CAP/ADASP expert panel findings on target case reviews report a median 18 percent discrepancy rate and 6.3 percent major discrepancy rate for surgical pathology diagnosis,” stated Monique Spence, president, QualityStar. “We believe our collaboration with XIFIN will help bring a significant improvement in the quality of diagnostics by enabling implementation of the new CAP guidelines for QA to help reduce interpretive diagnostic errors.”
About QualityStar, LLC
QualityStar is a quality analytics and case review subscription service for Anatomic Pathology offering confidential third party quality assurance review with metrics to measure and continuously improve diagnostic proficiency. Approved by the American Board of Pathology (ABP) as a QA program for Part IV Maintenance of Certification, QualityStar draws on a national network of sub-specialists and serves as a low cost and impartial alternative to in-house quality assurance. QualityStar goes beyond the standard peer review concept – ultimately to help pathology practices reduce diagnostic interpretive errors and improve patient care. For more information, visit www.qualitystar.net or follow QualityStar on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About XIFIN, Inc.
XIFIN is an innovative software and services company dedicated to optimizing the economics of healthcare. XIFIN’s technology solutions, business intelligence, and HEO platform are used by a broad range of the nation’s largest and most complex diagnostic service providers, including providers in the clinical lab, pathology, pain management/toxicology, hospital outreach, molecular diagnostics, and radiology segments. The company links healthcare stakeholders in the delivery and reimbursement of care, optimizing both business and patient outcomes and providing informed, streamlined diagnostic and business decision-making. To learn more, visit www.XIFIN.com or follow XIFIN on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Source: XIFIN
