Evolving delivery systems for clinical laboratories: the Albany Medical Center Regional Laboratory Network

The Albany Medical Center is a not-for-profit institution consisting of the Albany Medical College and the Albany Medical Center Hospital. Before 1989, the college's pathology department was not affiliated with the clinical laboratories of the hospital and no regional laboratory program existed. Subsequent to 1989, with the recruitment of a new chairman of the department of pathology, the department and the clinical laboratories of the hospital merged to create the Department of Pathology and laboratory Medicine. The strategic plan for the redesign included goals to respond to new opportunities and seek new contracts in the community, to enhance the efficiency within the clinical laboratories, and to increase the volume of anatomic pathology specimens. The newly formed department decided to explore the opportunities to work with hospitals, physician groups, and insurers in the area to create a regional laboratory network. This article describes how changes were implemented, including some of the problems that were encountered. An assessment of the result evaluates the success of the network and discusses its future direction.