About WPC
Established in 1977, Winfield Pathology Consultants and Winfield Laboratory Consultants encompass a group of highly trained, board certified Anatomic and Clinical Pathologists serving Northwestern Medicine. Our pathologists serve Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital as well as Northwestern Medicine HealthLab, which provides laboratory services in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Our mission is to provide high-quality pathology services to our communities as well support the development and advancement of pathology and laboratory medicine.
Patient Care
Pathologists are physicians who specialize in the study of disease including both body tissues (Anatomic Pathology) and body fluids (Clinical Pathology). They are directly responsible for the oversight and interpretation of all laboratory testing and serve as an integral part of the healthcare team by providing information critical to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Doing Our Part
Even though you may never see them, pathologists are directly involved in your care while working behind the scenes with your doctor and providing additional expertise.
ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY
Anatomic pathologists are physicians who focus on the diagnosis of disease. Subspecialities within the medical specialty of anatomic pathology include cytopathology, dermatopathology, breast pathology, gynecologic pathology, gastrointestinal and liver pathology, pulmonary pathology, neuropathology, autopsy pathology, and more. Their responsibilities include:
– Macroscopic and microscopic examination of organs and tissues.
– Using immunohistochemical stains, molecular studies, and other ancillary tests for the diagnosis and prognostication of disease to help guide decision-making and treatment.
CLINICAL PATHOLOGY
Clinical pathologists are physicians who are responsible for all laboratory testing. Clinical pathologists are often consulted by physicians 24 hours a day 7 days a week. They fulfill the role of medical direction for most medical laboratories in the United States. Subspecialities within the medical specialty of clinical pathology include hematopathology, transfusion services (blood bank), microbiology, immunology, and chemistry. Their responsibilities include:
– Selection, evaluation, and implementation of testing methodology.
– Designing protocols and establishing parameters for testing.
– Oversight of all laboratory testing to ensure results are accurate and timely.
– Microscopic examination of blood and body fluids.
– Supervision of laboratory technicians.
– Interact with medical staff regarding laboratory operational issues, quality and test availability.
– Communicate with physicians regarding unexpected or critical laboratory results.
– Assure the laboratory complies with all state, federal, Medicare, Joint Commission, and College of American Pathologist standards.
– Quality assurance of all results along with implementation of improvement measures.
What are the qualifications of a pathologist?
A pathologist is a physician (either M.D. or D.O.) who graduated from medical school and completed a pathology residency. Most pathologists have spent five to six years in training with four years of residency followed by an additional one or two years of fellowship training within one or more subspecialties.
What do pathologists do?
Pathologists use their eyes to grossly and microscopically examine tissues (including skin and solid organ biopsies and surgical resections, peripheral blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and fluid from the thorax, abdomen, or joint spaces). They also interpret the high complexity testing performed by medical laboratories including diagnostic molecular tests and protein electrophoresis, amongst other tests. Another essential role of the pathologist is that of the medical director. In order to maintain accreditation with regulatory agencies in the United States, all medical laboratories must have a qualified medical director. In short, the medical director is someone who is responsible for the lab standards and quality of service. A more detailed explanation of the role of the medical director is discussed here: Role of medical director. Pathologists receive extensive training in laboratory medicine and fulfill this required role for most medical laboratories in the United States. As such, pathologists are involved with all laboratory testing from the measurement of a complete blood count from a peripheral blood draw to the examination of a hemicolectomy specimen removed by a surgeon.
Why did I receive a bill from a pathologist?
Pathologists are physicians, like the doctor you visit in an office, who provide Anatomic and Clinical Pathology professional services. Pathologists bill separately for their professional services. The hospital or laboratory will bill separately for their technical services. This technical component charge is for the cost of the instruments, materials and hospital technical employees and may already have been paid by the government payers, managed care organizations or insurance company. In the case of laboratory testing on blood specimens, you will receive one bill from the hospital for instrument analysis of the specimen (the technical component) and one bill from the pathologists for the medical direction of the laboratory and its technical staff (the professional component). The pathologist’s charges do not duplicate any charges in the hospital’s bill. Any hospital payment received from your insurer other than Medicare Part A does not contain any amount for the pathologist’s professional services.
How do I pay my pathology bill?
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Winfield Pathology Consultants
Winfield Laboratory Consultants
I suspect I had pathology services so why did I not receive a bill from pathology?
If you don’t receive a bill, the pathologist has likely received payment for their professional services from government payors, insurance companies, managed care plan or pre-arrangement from the hospital.