The packing up has begun. Fifteen more working days, but I have never been one to wait until the last minute. One box a day (and a lot of paper shredding) should get the office cleared out by the end of the year.
This lab office has been my home away from home longer than any previous office. I was a pathologist for more years (22) at Holy Family Hospital, but my office location changed there several times, once following a lab redesign, and then three times as my star ascended in the department hierarchy, from a scrub with a pole in the middle of my office to the Chief with “the corner office.”
I have spent 17 years at the UroPartners Lab. My office here is spacious, large enough for a decent desk, a roomy countertop for my microscope, plus a few computers, a row of file cabinets, and a small round table where I have sat with and consoled many employees having a rough day. I have collected plenty of knick-knacks for the window sill, hung more than a few pictures, certificates, and awards on the walls, and added to my collection of bobbleheads on the bookshelf. All these memories of a job (hopefully) well done will be heading home with me where I will try to find a place for at least some of the most essential bits and pieces.
While my office has been in the same place for 17 years, the world of pathology has been moving forward at a dramatic pace. Microscopes everywhere are being supplanted by video screens as digital and remote pathology are becoming the keys to surviving an impending pathologist shortage. Artificial intelligence is making inroads, and prostate biopsy pathology, the field where I spent most of my time, should be one of the first to feel its impact.
Even more stunning is the rapid progress in molecular pathology. It is now possible to analyze and assess the DNA of tumors almost as soon as they are diagnosed, allowing more accurate predictions of patient prognosis as well as the usefulness of various chemotherapeutic and immunologic agents for treatment. These molecular techniques can help put the pathologist on the frontline of patient care, working hand-in-hand with cancer-treating clinicians.
The 21st Century Cures Act has also increased pathologist-patient interaction. This federal law gives patients much greater access to their medical records and patient portals. More patients than ever are speaking directly to pathologists to gain insight into their disease process. Pathologists are learning to become communicators and educators. (I somewhat anticipated this trend with Pathwise, my pathology translation service in 1990’s.)
Pathology and all of medicine will keep changing. I will keep packing. Transitions will occur in this office. And in a few weeks I will drive off into the sunset and the future
The above is the opinion of the author and not UroPartners LLC.
Just Like Starting Over 
The digital age is upon us. Perhaps if you get lonely for work you can have a digital view of lab samples in your living room.
After my retirement, I was still writing computer programs for a client until almost age 85.
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And I know from our Scrabble games you keep your mind very, very sharp!
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Dr. Raff,
Uro-pathology has been under attack by payers for a number of years. The current reimbursement for 12 core biopsy now around $400 total is very difficult to sustain a quality pathology lab operation. We dropped urology from our marketing strategy years ago when the G codes first appeared. It has only gotten worse. We all know that CMS would love to shut down all POL’s if they could. Instead they financially starve them via reimbursement cuts each year.
Digital pathology is already causing a revolution within the profession. We have had at least six (6) startups approach us about partnering with them to install digital scanners for them with our client base. We now have 99 agreements in 32 states but the last 2 ;years have been challenging to say the least. Supply chain issues and labor shortages make installing any laboratory challenging.
We wish you the best of luck in your retirement and/or your next venture.
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Bernie–I cannot disagree with much of your assessment. And as for a next venture—as they say, “I’m not dead yet.”
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