Europe’s Medical Laboratory Innovators Convene in United Kingdom to Share Successes in Meeting New Healthcare Challenges, Including Big Data, Genetic Testing, and Digital Pathology

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…)

United Kingdom Doctors Call for an End to 10-Minute Office Visits and a Cap on Number of Patients They See

Aging population and funding challenges could cause doctors in United States to shorten appointment slots for patients here as well

Across the globe, health systems share a common challenge: how to meet the steady increase in the number of patients demanding access to clinical care with a workforce of physicians, nurses, and clinicians that may be shrinking due to retirements and other factors. Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will want to stay alert to these developments, because this same trend is at work within the United States.

The United Kingdom (UK) offers a good example of this problem. Claiming doctors are being “run into the ground,” general practitioners in the UK are calling for an end to the country’s standard 10-minute office visit and a decrease in the number of patients they see per week.

The British Medical Association (BMA) blames general practitioner (GP) burnout on:

• Rising demand from an aging population with multiple health needs;

• Physician and staff shortage; and

• Inadequate federal government funding for healthcare.

Those factors also are at play within the United States (US) healthcare system. The possibility exists that health system administrators might want to create a standard of 10-minute appointment intervals as a norm for primary care physicians in this country. (more…)

World’s Two Largest Whole Genome Sequencing Programs Give Pathologists and Clinical Laboratory Managers an Intriguing Look at New Diagnostic Opportunities

At Human Longevity, Inc. and the United Kingdom’s 100,000 Genome Project, knowledge gained from whole-genome sequencing is starting to be used to improve patient care

NEW ORLEANS, LAWhole-human gene sequencing is poised to provide significant contributions to improving clinical care. That was one conclusion from expert speakers at the 21st annual Executive War College on Medical Laboratory and Pathology Management that happened here this week.

How fast knowledge from whole-human gene sequencing finds its way into clinical diagnostics and healthcare can be debated. But what is unquestioned, based on these presentations, is that insights gained from the analysis of large numbers of human genomes will trigger a revolution in how pathologists and physicians diagnose, treat, and care for patients. (more…)

In the UK, Pathologists Are Watching Phase II of a Clinical Trial for a Breathalyzer System That Uses Only a Breath Specimen to Diagnose Lung Cancer

If the clinical study validates this patient-friendly, non-invasive approach to diagnosing lung cancer, it could eventually mean fewer referrals of tissue biopsies to medical laboratories

For almost a decade, pathologists have seen a regular stream of news stories about technologies that utilize a sample of human breath to diagnose a disease or health condition. Now comes news that just such a diagnostic test for lung cancer is beginning clinical trials in the United Kingdom.

The clinical trials will evaluate breathalyzer technology developed by Engineer Billy Boyle, M.S., Co-founder and President of Operations at Cambridge-based Owlstone Ltd.. The clinical trials of this new breathalyzer technology to detect lung cancer are taking place at two National Health Service (NHS) hospitals: University Hospitals of Leicester and Cambridge’s Papworth Hospital in the United Kingdom.

The reason why so much research is happening in this field will be familiar to clinical laboratory managers and pathologists. Use of volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers in breath to diagnose disease is an ideal concept because it is convenient, non-invasive, and well tolerated by patients. However, until the start of this clinical study, researchers have explored the potential of this diagnostic approach for some time, but with limited success. (more…)

Medical Laboratory Leaders Gather in the United Kingdom to Address Challenges of Shrinking Lab Budgets and Need to Upgrade Quality Assurance Performance

Nation’s healthcare system is in the midst of major clinical, organizational, and financial reforms—many of which require immediate responses by pathology laboratories

BIRMINGHAM, England—Two major challenges in laboratory medicine were front and center this week when medical laboratory, a professionals and histopathologists gathered here in the United Kingdom (UK) for the eleventh annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM).

One challenge is how to improve the quality of lab testing services and demonstrate value to payers. The other challenge is how medical laboratories in the UK  can cope with shrinking budgets for medical laboratories. (more…)

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