The first opportunity was the 34th European Congress of Pathology conference in Basel, Switzerland and the second was the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) annual meeting in Chicago.
On September 5 in Switzerland, Dr. Joseph was the co-chair of a special session on patient pathologist consultations. She was invited to speak in Switzerland after a pathologist read an article about Dr. Joseph’s work and wanted to hear about her experiences and learn how other pathologists could launch a similar program.
On September 7 in Chicago, Dr. Joseph was an invited speaker and one of three panel members for a session titled, 21st Century Cures Act: Roles of Pathologists and Laboratorians in Empowering our Patients.
The 21st Century Cures Act is a law enacted by Congress. On April 5, 2021 the Cures Rule went into effect that requires healthcare providers to give patients access to all of the health information in their electronic medical records as soon as it becomes available and without charge.
This session introduced ideas on how the Act can be leveraged to develop patient pathology consult programs, improve recruitment of medical students to pathology and share available resources for those interested in developing a program.
Video courtesy of College of American Pathologists (CAP)
Nearly 200 patients have participated so far in the Lowell General Hospital Patient Consult Program. Patients who have undergone a biopsy or other laboratory testing have the opportunity to review their reports and slides with an in-person consultation held in the pathology department. We promote the program to educate patients, and will work with the patients to allay any financial hardship related to participation in this program.
Lija Joseph, MD says having these conversations with patients “puts the patient in the center and opens the door for pathologists to interact with patients.”
To learn more about the program, view the College of American Pathologists (CAP) website.
