Doctors' Newsletter - Autumn 2008 - Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology

Pathology Industry Consolidation
Dr Colin Goldschmidt
Chief Executive Officer
You may be aware that, after a
protracted takeover battle, Primary
Healthcare has emerged as the new
owner of Symbion Health. Primary
Healthcare is the owner of SDS
Pathology in Sydney, but it is perhaps
better known for its medical centre
operations under its founder, Ed
Bateman. Symbion Health operates
Symbion Laverty Pathology in NSW
and other pathology companies
around Australia – all of these will
now come under the control of
Primary Healthcare. It is expected
that a physical merger of the SDS
laboratory and Symbion Laverty
Pathology will take place in the
coming months.
Corporatisation and consolidation
of Australian pathology gathered
momentum through the nineties and
was principally driven by the need
to achieve economies of scale and
improved efficiencies in the face of
declining fee levels.
In order to avoid the potentially
negative impacts of corporatisation
and consolidation, Sonic Healthcare
(the parent company of both
Douglass Hanly Moir and Barratt &
Smith Pathology) adopted a `Medical
Leadership’ model to guide our
progression in this new environment
and to preserve our professional
image and personalised service to
you. It was this fervent desire for
us to remain a Specialist Medical
Practice – notwithstanding increasing
size or corporate structure – which
led me to relinquish my role as
a histopathologist in favour of a
management position in 1993!
Our Medical Leadership model
is formally characterised by a set
of `Foundation Principles’, which
specifically guide our behaviour and
service to you, our referring doctors.
They are depicted below for your
interest.
Our Foundation Principles
These Foundation Principles reflect
the essential medical core of the
company and express features which
are specifically appropriate for a
healthcare company – and which we
believe are most important to you and
your patients. They are:
• Technical excellence in our medical
testing and reporting
• Delivering localised and
personalised services to you
• The showcasing and sharing of our
highly specialised medical
knowledge
• Providing our patients with the best
possible service.
The integral involvement of
pathologists and other experienced
medical professionals in this
leadership model is essential.
The CEO of Douglass Hanly Moir
Pathology, Barratt & Smith Pathology
and Sonic Healthcare is a pathologist!
And the CEOs of almost all our other
pathology practices are pathologists
too.
Our Medical Leadership model
has served to differentiate us from
competitors. I believe that we are
generally well-recognised for our
medically focussed culture and values
and, if there is a `DHM difference’ or
a `Barratt & Smith difference’, then
it surely resides most fundamentally
at this level. This difference is
essentially a commitment to involve
our pathologists at every level of our
operations, so that the best interests
of our referring clinicians are served.
In the setting of pathology sector
consolidation, we believe that a
healthy future for Australian pathology
will be ensured under such a
medical model.
So, despite the significant industry
changes inherent in the Primary/
Symbion consolidation, you can
expect no change to our operations,
style or vision at DHM or at Barratt
& Smith Pathology. In particular, our
Medical Leadership model, which
sits proudly at the very heart of our
organisation, remains steadfast.
With my warm regards,
Technical
and
Operational
Excellence
Medical Practice
Medical Leadership
Personalised
Service for
Doctors
Professional
and
Academic
Expertise
Satisfying
Patient
Needs
Dr Colin Goldschmidt
MB BCh, FRCPA
CEO Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology/
Barratt & Smith Pathology
CEO Sonic Healthcare
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