Upcoming Webinar: 2025 Medical Lab Workforce Update - Exploring Pay, Burnout, and Pathways to Improve Staffing

We’re pulling back the curtain on the state of the medical laboratory workforce! Join us at noon EDT, Wednesday, July 30, as we reveal the results of our fourth annual Medical Lab Wage & Morale Survey, offering you a front-row seat to view the data, stories, and strategies shaping our industry in 2025.

Whether you’re on the bench or in the C-suite, you’ll learn:

✅ The latest national wage and morale trends, direct from over 800 lab professionals

✅ Real-world solutions to tackle ongoing staffing shortages

✅ How labs are using automation, AI, and digital pathology to support (not replace) skilled teams

✅ The legal and regulatory considerations you need to know as labs explore these new strategies

✅ Fresh ideas for recruiting, retention, and reaching the next generation

Reserve your spot now using the links below! Even if you can't attend live, all registrants will receive a recording directly to their inboxes.

REGISTER HERE

CMS Modifies Lab Director Requirements Under New Memo

On June 23, CMS released a memo announcing enforcement discretion for some CLIA personnel regulations, making it easier for labs to meet director qualification requirements while rolling back some other recent changes.

Here’s what’s new:

Non-pathologist physician directors of moderate complexity labs now have two options to qualify:

• EITHER one year of experience directing or supervising nonwaived lab testing
• OR 20 Continuing Education (CE) credit hours in laboratory director responsibilities.
• You are not required to have both at this time!

The 20 CEU course requirement for non-pathologist laboratory directors of moderate and high complexity labs has also been rolled back, meaning it’s no longer required to complete this extra training to remain qualified.

Other key clarifications:

• Research projects for lab director qualifications don’t have to be on human subjects (animal model research counts).
• High complexity lab directors need only 2 years (not 4) of lab training or experience.
• Technical supervisors can now qualify as directors for dermatopathology testing.

CMS will address these changes more formally in upcoming rulemaking, but for now, these updates offer new flexibility for labs navigating compliance and staffing. Feel free to reach out to us directly if you need clarifications on these new rules.

Checklist: Considerations for Selecting Medical Laboratory Supplies and Equipment

Before you start shopping for supplies and instruments, it’s essential to gain a clear understanding of your lab’s unique operational requirements. Every laboratory’s needs will differ based on the types of testing performed, test volumes, regulatory considerations, and future goals. As laboratory testing becomes increasingly complex and supply chain disruptions continue to pose new challenges, staying informed is more important than ever.

This guide offers practical advice and considerations to help you make informed, cost-effective choices when purchasing laboratory supplies and equipment.

Read more, or listen to the full guide, HERE>

New Federal Spending Bill Signed

Earlier this month, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was officially signed into law by President Trump after narrowly clearing the House and Senate. Here are some key provisions, according to analysis from the College of American Pathologists:

• Nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid in coming years.
• New $50 billion fund for rural hospitals.
• Striking a provision to tie future Medicare physician payments to inflation and adding a one-time 2.5% pay bump for 2026.

Let us know if you have concerns about any of these developments and want to better understand what they mean for the future of your lab!

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 July.

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

Medical Laboratory Scientist, Generalist, Microbiology, Molecular

• Education: 
• M.S. Medical Technology

• Certification:
• MLS(ASCP)
• FL Generalist License

• Preferred Location:
• Mobile, AL.

View all candidates HERE>

Register Now: What's Your Lab Really Worth? Examining Current Market Forces & Legal Considerations

With deal activity heating up again in the medical laboratory and diagnostics space, especially as health systems reconsider outreach programs and mid-market labs weigh their options, there’s never been a more important time to get ahead of M&A trends and due diligence best practices.

Join us at noon EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 20, as we welcome healthcare M&A attorneys Danielle Tangorre and Leslie Levinson to explore what lab owners and healthcare executives need to know about preparing for a sale, merger, or joint venture in today’s challenging, risk-averse market. We'll discuss what's driving sale activity in 2025, including health systems re-evaluating outreach programs, and why mid-sized and specialty labs remain resilient despite slowdowns with larger deals.

We'll discuss:

• Current M&A and investment trends shaping the laboratory sector in 2025
• How to maximize the value of your lab (whether you’re a large hospital system, mid-sized operation, or a specialty diagnostic lab)
• Regulatory and compliance pitfalls that can derail a transaction
• Practical steps to prepare your business for a sale or joint venture, even if you’re not ready to sell today!

Don’t miss your chance to hear directly from several leading voices in healthcare M&A space. Register today to secure your spot and get the insights you need to navigate the evolving landscape and increase the value of your laboratory.

REGISTER HERE>

New Partnership: Lighthouse Lab Services & Cellarian

We’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with Cellarian, a healthtech industry leader in automating medical necessity documentation for reimbursement, compliance, and audit defense.

Through this collaboration, Lighthouse clients will now have access to Cellarian’s transformative solution and tools designed to take the headache out of medical necessity documentation requests, prior authorization, and successfully defending audits and denied claim appeals. With Cellarian, labs can:

• Maximize revenue capture with documented medical necessity-backed prior auth approvals, and recover payments on claims that were previously unreachable.

• Stay compliant and audit-ready with automated, up-to-date medical necessity, prior auth, and appeal documentation.

• Reduce administrative burden by eliminating the back-and-forth with physician offices for patient documentation that is rarely sufficient to support reimbursement.

• Free up your sales team to focus on growing your business instead of chasing paperwork.

We’re proud to offer our clients innovative solutions that make lab operations more efficient, profitable, and compliant. Reach out to us today to learn more!

Each month, we recognize an employee who embodies one of our company's core values with The Light Award. This month, we're recognizing Holly Wolford, a Lead Coding Specialist with our RCM Solutions Team. Holly is one of the longest tenured members of her team and draws on her deep industry knowledge each day to help clients compliantly navigate coding concerns.

Congratulations, Holly! Thanks for helping make our team great.