Pathologists as Clinical Consultants: For the Patient and With the Patient

Pathologists often provide extensive consultative services to other physicians beyond establishing a diagnosis or providing laboratory test results, but they are typically not financially compensated for these services. Another relatively new role for pathologists in the United States is as a consultant who works directly with patients.

To review how pathologists provide detailed consultation to other physicians, how pathologists can be financially compensated for this critical service, and how pathologists are increasingly serving as a consultant directly with patients and their families.

Sources were peer-reviewed medical literature and the author's personal experience.

In recognition of the extensive consultative services provided by both clinical and anatomic pathologists to other physicians, procedural codes recently approved and valued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services now provide a compensation mechanism for these services for government-insured and potentially privately insured patients. Pathologists are also increasingly providing consultative services directly to patients, resulting in significant patient satisfaction and providing important support for patients and their physicians.