In This Issue:



• Previewing our 2026 laboratory workforce webinar on October 7
• Unpacking the final approved changes to qualifications for New York Lab and Technical Directors
• Examining an issue with FNA code reimbursement for Pennsylvania Medicaid
• September candidate spotlight
• Case study and Q&A with Brown University Health
• And more

Upcoming Webinar: 2026 Laboratory Workforce Outlook: What Lab Professionals Are Saying About Pay, Staffing, & Morale

How does overall morale in your laboratory compare against industry standards? Are compensation rates competitive with organizations hiring in your area?

Join us on Wednesday, October 7, from noon–1 p.m. EDT, for our 2026 Laboratory Workforce Outlook. Joseph Kessler, Executive Director of Recruiting and Staffing Services, will unpack findings from more than 500 respondents to our annual Wage and Morale Survey and discuss what they mean for career decisions, recruiting, retention, and the overall state of staffing industrywide.

Whether you work at the bench, lead a laboratory team, or are responsible for staffing decisions, this session will help you gain perspective directly from the workforce and offer practical insights to help plan your next hiring or career steps.

Who should attend: Laboratory owners, Bench-level laboratory professionals, Laboratory managers and supervisors, Laboratory Directors, Leadership responsible for hiring in the laboratory, Executives interested in a broad look at the hiring landscape

REGISTER HERE

New York Formally Adopts Changes to Laboratory/Technical Director Qualifications

On September 2, NYSDOH’s Wadsworth Center formally adopted amendments to Subpart 58-1, creating an important new framework for Laboratory Director and Technical Director qualifications. 

One of the most significant changes is the separation of New York’s Certificate of Qualification structure into two distinct roles:

• Laboratory Director CQ — qualifies an individual to serve as the overall director of the laboratory
• Technical Director CQ — qualifies an individual to provide technical oversight for specific testing categories

The distinction matters: holding a Laboratory Director CQ alone does not authorize someone to provide technical oversight for every testing category. An individual providing category-specific oversight must also hold the appropriate Technical Director CQ. One person may qualify for both. 

There is also an important transition deadline. If a current Laboratory Director whose CQ expires after September 2026 does not meet the new Subpart 58-6 requirements, the laboratory must transition to a qualified Laboratory Director by January 1, 2027. Existing Assistant Directors/Technical Directors have separate transition provisions under the new framework.

For laboratories operating in New York, now is the time to determine

who will serve as your overall Laboratory Director and who is qualified to provide Technical Director oversight for each category on your permit?

We’ll continue monitoring Wadsworth guidance as the new CQ framework is implemented and share updates that laboratories need to know.

Opinion: How Payers Turned Coverage Restrictions into Moral High Ground

When did an insurer’s decision not to pay for a laboratory test become evidence that the test shouldn’t be performed?

Medical necessity plays an essential role in determining how limited insurance resources are used. But a coverage standard and a clinical judgment are not necessarily the same thing.

In our latest thought leadership piece, Lighthouse Founder Jon Harol examines how medical necessity acquired a moral dimension and why consumer-directed healthcare is forcing us to reconsider who should decide what information people can obtain about their own health.

Read the full article HERE>

Celebrating 23 Years of Lighthouse

This month, Lighthouse Lab Services is celebrating 23 years of helping laboratories and the teams that support them perform at their best.

Since our founding on September 1, 2003, we have grown from solving laboratory staffing challenges to helping organizations of all sizes build, operate, optimize, and grow high-performing laboratory programs. Through it all, our commitment to supporting laboratory professionals and advancing high-quality patient care has remained constant.

Thank you to our employees, clients, partners, and colleagues across the laboratory community for being part of our journey. We’re proud of what we have accomplished together and excited about what comes next.

The Lighthouse "Candidate Corner" is a recurring monthly spotlight featuring some of the great lab professionals our recruiters work with each day. Check out a quick preview of one individual below, then click over to our blog to see all five candidates for September.

If you'd like to learn more about anyone listed in this section or inquire about their ability to relocate, email us directly here!

Candidate: Molecular Laboratory Supervisor

• Education: 
• Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine

• Certification:
• MB (ASCP)

• Preferred Location:
• Open to relocation

View all candidates HERE>

Pennsylvania Medicaid Approves Addition of FNA Codes Following Advocacy Effort

Sometimes, improving pathology reimbursement starts with challenging a gap in the fee schedule itself.

That’s what our RCM Consulting Team did when three codes for fine needle aspiration (FNA) pathology services were missing from Pennsylvania Medicaid’s outpatient fee schedule. The gap created a reimbursement barrier for pathologists evaluating specimens to help diagnose cancer and other diseases.

Check out our recent case study below to see how we resolved the issue and pushed for the codes to be formally adopted in the fee schedule.

Full article HERE>

Brown University Health operates a complex, high-volume laboratory enterprise. The laboratory performs more than 20 million billable tests each year and accounts for roughly 38% of the health system’s contribution margin, with an operating margin of approximately 14%.

Even so, the laboratory was often viewed internally primarily as a cost center, making it essential for laboratory leadership to demonstrate both operational efficiency and financial performance.

The challenge was visibility. Brown University did not have a complete internal framework for auditing laboratory billing, testing whether charges accurately reflected the work performed, or identifying where revenue might be missed. Brown engaged Lighthouse Lab Services for a laboratory-specific revenue cycle review that could translate complex billing workflows into practical recommendations for laboratory, compliance, revenue cycle, and finance leaders.

Read the full case study HERE>

Texas Pain Society 18th Annual Scientific Conference

• Oct. 23-25, 2026
• Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center
• Learn more here

This email is brought to you as a service from Lighthouse Lab Services to provide quality and timely information that can improve your laboratory operations. We strive to maintain our position as the leading laboratory services platform and support your success.

The Lab Insighter is a monthly publication for Laboratory Owners and Decision Makers.