May 11, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Uncategorized
CIOs across America are concerned that their hospitals might not make the 2015 meaningful use deadline
For all the excitement about hospital and physician adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems, many CIOs of the nation’s leading health systems and hospitals are pessimistic about their organization’s ability to meet “meaningful use” (MU) requirements by the year 2015.
This is probably not news to most pathologists and clinical laboratory managers working in hospital laboratories. Generally, members of their medical laboratory team are usually part of every hospital’s EHR implementation task force, since clinical laboratory test data makes up a significant portion of the typical patient health record.
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Jan 14, 2011 | Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Significant Number of Hospitals Participated in Effort to Improved Patient Outcomes
Long-awaited data demonstrates that hospitals can significantly reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAI). A newly-released report validates efforts by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve patient outcomes and increase transparency in provider performance, while containing the cost of care. Clinical laboratory testing played a role in helping participating hospitals reduce the number of HAIs.
This news is contained in a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Titled “The First State-Specific HAI Summary Data Report,” it assesses the progress achieved in a program where dozens of hospitals reported a significant decrease in the number of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in 2009. (more…)
Dec 9, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
There’s a green bonus: GenVault’s new storage systems can reduce a clinical laboratory’s carbon footprint
Innovative laboratory technologies continue to disrupt the status quo as new products and services enter the marketplace. Among them is new dry-storage technology from Carlsbad, California-based GenVault Corp. that allows biological specimens to be stored at room temperature. It is a technology that has applications for medical laboratories and pathology groups.
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Jul 8, 2009 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Clinical labs continue see higher-than-normal flu activity in what is typically the off-season
New cases of A/novel H1N1 continue to show up in the United States and worldwide. It means that influenza activity at clinical laboratories is higher than normal for this time of year. These continuing influenza cases affirm why public health officials expect a busy flu season this fall and winter.
In fact, data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that overall influenza activity decreased in the United States in recent weeks compared to late April and early May. At the same time, the novel A/H1N1 flu has spawned a second flu season this year, extending into the summer months of 2009.
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Jun 15, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Public health lab training professionals expanding educational offerings for lab industry
It was inspired timing last week that brought together the nation’s public health laboratory training professionals in Orlando, Florida, just as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its decision on Thursday to declare influenza A/H1N1 as the first influenza pandemic in 41 years.
This conference was organized by the National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN), in association with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). Approximately 100 public laboratory professionals from across the United States were in attendance.
The first keynote speaker was May C. Chu, Ph.D., who works in the Directors Office of the World Health Organization and is involved in laboratory testing activities that include epidemic and pandemic alert and response. Chu discussed the Global Outbreak and Response Network that WHO established on a voluntary basis in 2000. It has 120 participating institutions. She described how improved collaboration among health authorities around the world is helping to accelerate the identification of outbreaks like SARS (in 2003) and influenza A/H1N1 (in 2009).
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