Feb 10, 2017 | Digital Pathology, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
Medical laboratories to become antimicrobial stewards in the fight against antibiotic resistance
At the start of 2017, new requirements for antimicrobial stewardship programs became effective for hospitals and other providers that must accredit to the standards of Medicare Conditions of Participation (COP) and The Joint Commission. Clinical laboratories serving hospitals are already engaged in efforts to improve the use of antibiotics in ways that slow the growth of antibiotic-resistant strains of infectious agents.
Even as the nation’s hospitals embark on efforts to implement effective antimicrobial stewardship programs, researchers continue to seek solutions to the same problem. They are following several paths to combat the growing resistance certain pathogens have to antibiotics. In particular, two approaches are interesting for pathologists and medical laboratory personnel. One involves understanding the processes that lead to antibiotic resistance. The other is to identify useful biomarkers associated with specific strains of pathogens. (more…)
Feb 1, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
EarlyCDT-Lung test followed by X-rays and CT scans proves up to five times more likely to detect cancer than current standard of care
Encouraging preliminary results from a 12,000-person clinical trial into the effectiveness of a non-invasive medical laboratory blood test for the early detection of lung cancer could signal an advance that leads to creation of similar anatomic pathology screening tests for the early detection of other cancers.
Interim results of a study using the potentially life-saving blood test EarlyCDT-Lung were presented on December 6, 2016, at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria. Initial results from the trial indicated the blood test can detect lung cancer potentially up to five years before symptoms develop. (more…)
Jan 27, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
To match the supply of blood products to demand, a clever entrepreneur has created an award-winning business that may help clinical laboratories better manage the cost of blood products in their hospitals and health systems
There’s something new and exciting in the world of blood banking and medical laboratory medicine. It’s a unique approach to matching the availability of blood products to the demand for those same products and it’s catching the attention of medical laboratory directors and blood bankers in many of the nation’s hospitals.
How did an ice storm and a Super Bowl factor into the development of an innovative and disruptive technology that addresses a persistent gap in the US blood products supply chain? In February 2011, central Texas was hit by fierce weather that not only disrupted flights, snarled traffic, and threatened Super Bowl XLV, it also impacted the local and regional hospitals’ ability to access blood for patients in need. Enter a young entrepreneur who saw a critical problem and understood that the raw materials for a solution already existed. (more…)
Jan 23, 2017 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing
Many medical laboratories are working with vendors to optimize supply chain management and align it with patient outcomes
Even in today’s difficult financial environment, many local clinical laboratories and hospital lab outreach programs across the United States are prospering. Their financial stability is largely due to the fact that they have laboratory sales professionals who regularly add new clients and take market share away from their national lab company competitors. It is to honor these industrious lab sales pros that The Dark Report organized the 2016 National Lab Sales Excellence Award.
The new national sales awards were unveiled at the Executive War College in New Orleans on April 26-27. As noted in earlier Dark Daily e-briefings, our reporting on the lab industry’s top sales producers serves two worthy goals: (more…)
Jan 20, 2017 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations
The self-monitoring/self-test market is expected to swell to $19 billion by 2019, offering opportunities for pathologists and clinical laboratories to advise patients and ensure the proper use of home tests
Might the future of clinical laboratory tests be sitting on the shelf at your corner pharmacy right now? Patient self-testing and screening kits continue to garner the approvals of Consumer Reports’ medical advisors.
That’s happening because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to clear many do-it-yourself tests that traditionally were performed in medical laboratories by qualified personnel, much to the chagrin of some doctors.
Empowered healthcare consumers are checking their cholesterol, monitoring their diabetes, and more, using health screening kits that range from $8 to $175, according to a Consumer Reports on Health article, which advised consumers to use self-tests judiciously and share the results with their physicians. (more…)
Jan 16, 2017 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing
15th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) takes place in Birmingham, England, on January 31–February 1, 2017, and features pathology experts from UK, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Serbia, Canada, and the USA
Recent innovations in medical laboratory management and operations in Europe and the United Kingdom (UK) will be the subject of a major conference that takes place on January 31 through February 1, 2017, in Birmingham, England. It is the 15th annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM).
“Medical laboratories throughout Europe are confronted with multiple challenges,” stated Robert Michel, Editor-in-Chief of The Dark Report and one of the conference organizers. “Funding for lab tests is shrinking, demand for lab tests is soaring, and many national health systems are taking forceful actions to consolidate labs into regional networks. All of these topics will be discussed at FiLM.” (more…)
