The corporatization of dermatopathology

Abstract

The corporatization of dermatopathology has long preceded that of dermatology and has been driven by federal legislation and economic influences. Although the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments and the Stark Law limited physician-owned laboratories, loopholes via the Safe Harbor Exemptions outlined in the Anti-Kickback Statute allowed corporate laboratories to flourish through relationships built by health information technology donations. The rise of corporatization has had widespread effects on the fields of dermatopathology and dermatology, resulting in reduced numbers of dermatology-trained dermatopathologists and decreased caseloads in academic institutions, potentially compromising dermatology residency education. Although there have been efforts to counteract these effects, more global changes will be required to alter the direction of this subspecialty.