Lujan Giovanni, Quigley Jennifer C, Hartman Douglas, Parwani Anil, Roehmholdt Brian, Meter Bryan Van, Ardon Orly, Hanna Matthew G, Kelly Dan, Sowards Chelsea, Montalto Michael, Bui Marilyn, Zarella Mark D, LaRosa Victoria, Slootweg Gerard, Retamero Juan Antonio, Lloyd Mark C, Madory James, Bowman Doug
Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
LabCorp Oncology, Burlington, NC, USA.
J Pathol Inform. 2021 Apr 7;12:17. doi: 10.4103/jpi.jpi_67_20. eCollection 2021.
We believe the switch to a digital pathology (DP) workflow is imminent and it is essential to understand the economic implications of conversion. Many aspects of the adoption of DP will be disruptive and have a direct financial impact, both in short term costs, such as investment in equipment and personnel, and long term revenue potential, such as improved productivity and novel tests. The focus of this whitepaper is to educate pathologists, laboratorians and other stakeholders about the business and monetary considerations of converting to a digital pathology workflow. The components of a DP business plan will be thoroughly summarized, and guidance will be provided on how to build a case for adoption and implementation as well as a roadmap for transitioning from an analog to a digital pathology workflow in various laboratory settings. It is important to clarify that this publication is not intended to list prices although some financials will be mentioned as examples. The authors encourage readers who are evaluating conversion to a DP workflow to use this paper as a foundational guide for conducting a thorough and complete assessment while incorporating in current market pricing. Contributors to this paper analyzed peer-reviewed literature and data collected from various institutions, some of which are mentioned. Digital pathology will change the way we practice through facilitating patient access to expert pathology services and enabling image analysis tools and assays to aid in diagnosis, prognosis, risk stratification and therapeutic selection. Together, they will result in the delivery of valuable information from which to make better decisions and improve the health of patients.
我们认为，向数字病理（DP）工作流程的转变迫在眉睫，了解转换的经济影响至关重要。采用DP的许多方面将具有颠覆性，并产生直接的财务影响，无论是短期成本，如设备和人员投资，还是长期收入潜力，如提高生产力和开展新型检测。本白皮书的重点是让病理学家、检验人员和其他利益相关者了解转向数字病理工作流程的业务和财务考量。将全面总结DP商业计划的组成部分，并就如何构建采用和实施方案以及在各种实验室环境中从传统病理工作流程过渡到数字病理工作流程的路线图提供指导。需要明确的是，本出版物无意列出价格，尽管会提及一些财务数据作为示例。作者鼓励正在评估向DP工作流程转换的读者将本文用作基础指南，以便在纳入当前市场定价的同时进行全面和完整的评估。本文的撰稿人分析了同行评审文献以及从各个机构收集的数据，其中一些已被提及。数字病理将改变我们的实践方式，通过方便患者获得专家病理服务，并启用图像分析工具和检测方法来辅助诊断、预后、风险分层和治疗选择。它们共同作用，将带来有价值的信息，从而做出更好的决策并改善患者健康。
