CAPcast from the College of American Pathologists

The digital transformation of pathology is underway, and laboratories increasingly need equipment and software that enables the use of innovative diagnostic tools such as machine learning/artificial intelligence. To implement any of these diagnostic tools, laboratory leadership must take several pre-analytic considerations into account. Matthew Hanna, MD, FCAP, authored a new case on this topic for the Informatics Essentials for Pathologists Program. In this episode, he shares insights on the prerequisites necessary for a successful digital pathology system implementation. Link to the case: https://education.cap.org/content/2023-icbe-b-pre-analytic-best-practices-successful-digital-pathology-implementation-0

This month we’ll discuss efforts to improve Medicare payments for pathologists, advocacy wins with UnitedHealthcare, name changes for cytotechnologist. We also sat down with Pam Wright, Senior Director for Economic and Regulatory Affairs at the CAP, to discuss this year's Practice Expense Survey and go in depth on what the survey is, why it’s important and how it’s results can help pathology practices.

Artificial intelligence is an exciting technology impacting the practice of pathology. When applied to the area of precision medicine, especially to treat oncologic disease, even more frontiers open for providing better patient care. This episode, a joint effort between the CAP’s Personalized Health Care Committee and its Digital and Computational Pathology Committee, features Dr. Marilyn Bui and Dr. Eric Walk discussing machine learning developments and the future of AI in precision medicine. Visit the CAP’s Precision Medicine Resource Center for more resources, including Dr. Walk’s article on the use of machine learning to predict patient outcomes and the best course of treatment: https://www.cap.org/member-resources/precision-medicine

Srividya Sathiyamoorthy, MD, MS, FCAP, shares her personal journey to wellness after dealing with years of musculoskeletal pain and offers advice to other pathologists about the importance of seeking help and advocating for yourself. Dr. Sathiyamoorthy is also a member of the CAP's Wellness Project team, which will be hosting a Wellness Lounge at the upcoming CAP23 Annual Meeting. Stop by to get a preview of a Heartfulness Meditation and upper body workout session, geared specifically towards pathologists.

CAP's Biorepository Committee member Nalin Leelatian, MD, PhD, joins the podcast to talk about neuro biorepositories and how the CAP's Biorepository Accreditation Program (BAP) improves the quality and consistency of biobanks. For more information about BAP, visit https://www.cap.org/laboratory-improvement/accreditation/biorepository-accreditation-program

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In this CAPcast, Mary Edgerton, MD sits down with pediatric cancer experts to talk about their work as it relates to the updated Pediatric Cancer Protocols released in September 2023. More information about the CAP Cancer Protocols: https://www.cap.org/protocols-and-guidelines/cancer-reporting-tools/cancer-protocols. For questions, please email us at [email protected].

This month we’ll examine advocacy to prioritize Medicare payment reform in Congress, efforts to strengthen enforcements of payment decisions under the No surprises act, the critical research done by the CAP to study pandemic-era laboratory supply shortages, and more. We'll also speak with Dr. Glenn Ramsey of Northwestern medicine about the importance sickle cell disease awareness and the fight to ensure adequate treatment and care for all those impacted with the condition.

Retirement may be years away, but it's never too early to start planning and saving. Abdul Abid, MD, a member of the New-in-Practice Committee talks with Brian Truscott, a certified financial planner and wealth management advisor who shared his tips on retirement plans, debt repayment, and investment considerations for early career pathologists.

We asked three real-life forensic pathologists to watch “Autopsy Turvy,” an episode of the TV show “Psych” (season 6, episode 14) and fact-check the truth from the fiction. Featuring Michelle Aurelius, MD, FCAP, Anna Tart, MD, FCAP, and Natasha Grandhi, MD, FCAP, of the CAP’s Forensic Pathology Committee, this is the second installment in a series of CAPcasts where pathologists react to how forensic scientists are portrayed in TV and film.

August is Appendix Cancer Awareness Month. In this CAPcast, Mary Edgerton, MD sits down with Katie Hagen, MD to talk about appendiceal carcinomas and how the Cancer Protocols support patient care and treatment when it comes to GI tumors. More information about the CAP Cancer Protocols: https://www.cap.org/protocols-and-guidelines/cancer-reporting-tools/cancer-protocols. For questions, please email us at [email protected].