We
believe that the clinical and pathology laboratory testing industry will continue to
experience growth in testing volume due to the following factors:
- Aging of the population of the United States;
- Patient awareness of the value of laboratory tests;
- Decrease in the cost of tests;
- Development of sophisticated and specialized tests for early detection of disease and disease management;
- Diagnosis and monitoring of infectious diseases, such as AIDS and Hepatitis C;
- Increased recognition of early detection and prevention as a means of reducing healthcare costs;
- Emergence of employer-sponsored wellness programs; and
- Additional research and development in genomics.