Medical Laboratory Observer articles from April 2006

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from April 2006

Twinkletoes performs in "the art of the draw".(From the editor)(patient care quality)(Editorial)
April 1, 2006... Last month, we addressed medical errors here. We looked at P4P in February. In January, we toasted lab workers from Katrina. All of these, in their fashion, dealt with quality--a topic that seems to have captured my mind and imagination lately....

Readers respond: impact of P4P.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I just read your editorial, "The P4P-nuttiest," [MLO, February 2006, p. 4], and I could not move on without writing you. In my world--the laboratory of a 300+ bed hospital that is part of a 23-facility corporation--P4P is not really possible. I...

Readers respond: on cord blood labeling.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Amen and amen, Dr. Baer, for your response concerning an accreditation inspector's role [MLO, Tips from the clinical experts, "Blood cord labeling," February 2006, p. 39]. We are a very small lab, so our procedures are routine and...

Readers respond: important phlebotomy techniques.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... After reading the article "The art of professional blood collecting" [MLO, February 2006, p. 32], I say, 'Bravo!' As a med tech since 1984, I have tried to keep myself updated in my field. I also try to share what I have learned but have found...

Readers respond: CLS: how did we get here?(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... In May, I will have been a med tech for 16 years, mostly at one hospital. I have a broad prospective of our profession from exposure to national meetings and from reading articles in our journals. Having qualified, let me now say that the...

Infectious disease.(The Observatory)(avian influenza)
April 1, 2006... Bird flu updates. In early March, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff warned that migratory birds could soon carry the avian flu virus to U.S. shores: "I can't predict, but I certainly have to say that we should be prepared for the...

News.(The Observatory)
April 1, 2006... Invitation to comment on proposal. Representatives of the Board of Governors of the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP BOR) met with those from the Board of Directors of the National Credentialing Agency for...

News.(The Observatory)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... According to HealthDay News, capsaicin--the component that gives jalapeno peppers their heat--may also kill prostate-cancer cells, a new study suggests. Initial experiments in cancer cells and mice show that capsaicin causes prostate-cancer...

Conferences.
April 1, 2006... Executive War College 2006 in Miami. The 11th annual EWC on Laboratory and Pathology Management, May 3-4, will be held in Miami instead of its usual venue in New Orleans. Themes include breakthroughs in middleware for laboratory information...

Education.(The Observatory)
April 1, 2006... What's on the horizon for clinical labs? AACC, ACLA, and ASCLS present an audio-conference on "Patient Safety and Health IT: What's on the Horizon for Clinical Labs," April 12, 2006, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., EST, focusing on * how...

The laboratory's role in the universal electronic health record.(COVER STORY)(includes related articles "Continuing Education", " 'Terms-of-the-Trade' Glossary", "CE test on The Laboratory's Role in the Universal Electronic Health Record")(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... Whether located in the hospital, physician office, or ambulatory setting, the clinical laboratory has an important role to play in the migration to electronic medical records (EMRs). When measured by sheer volume of clinical data, laboratory...

Under the blue top: part II fine-tune your ISIs.(CLINICAL ISSUES)(International Sensitivity Index)
April 1, 2006... The annual ritual of changing to a new thromboplastin lot can involve considerable time and effort. The new lot of reagent should be run concurrently with the old lot to determine how much difference, if any, there will be with patient protime...

A world-class lab accommodates worldwide service: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology lab is chosen as MLO's 2006 winner.(LAB MANAGEMENT)(United States)(Medical Laboratory Observer/includes Panel of Judges listing)
April 1, 2006... Each year, MLO sponsors a friendly competition among laboratories in conjunction with National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. A three-judge panel selects a winner, a first runner-up, and a second runner-up from among the nominees. Our...

Ron Andrews on Clarient's collaboration.(Executive snapshot)
April 1, 2006... New trend in lab services: Our new approach focuses on serving the community pathologist with a collaborative method to cancer assessment and characterization. Community pathologists are facing external predatory pressures from the national...

Addressing management issues.(Management Q&A)(biomedical laboratory personnel)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Personal cell phones at work Q We are having a problem with personal cell phones in the lab. Whenever I, as the assistant lab manager, need to talk to any of our staff members, it seems they are using a cell phone. Our lab policy on...

Answering your questions: incubator controls.(Tips from the clinical experts)(biomedical laboratory personnel)(questions and answers)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Q I run a CLIA-waived lab in a small suburban clinic. To perform controls on our incubator for strep cultures, I use 5% sheep's blood agar (SBA) plates, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus pyogenes swabs to inoculate, and bacitracin...

Answering your questions: drawing blood without a test order.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Q Our multisite laboratory has STAT labs at most of its facilities and a large reference "core lab" at a single site. We recently experienced problems with physicians requesting "draw reserve blood for test 1, test 2, test 3, and so forth."...

Answering your questions: EDTA "pink top" tube for blood bank.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Q I recently read in my immunohematology textbook, Immunohematology principles and practice, 2nd ed., by Eva D. Quinley, and have heard in a recent lecture that the preferred specimen for ABO and Rh typing is non-anticoagulated specimen, or one...

Faulty time clock prompts tardiness policy review.(Liability and the lab)(questions and answers)(Column)
April 1, 2006... Q Our hospital time clock went through a period of inaccuracy - compared to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)--running up to five minutes fast. The timekeepers fixed the problem by installing a program that corrects the...

Genetic image analysis.(Genomics/Proteomics)(Ariol SL-50 system)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The Ariol SL-50 system quantifies genetic markers and protein expression through automated image analysis, which characterizes labeled cells through color and morphometric analysis. The system features Ariol software and the SL-50 slide loader,...

Molecular diagnostic assays.(Genomics/Proteomics)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... Starfruit GeneTell laboratory information management system (LIMS) features software and database for molecular pathology labs and genetic clinical labs. The system allows labs to manage database of clinics, hospitals, physicians, samples,...

Hybrid capture technology.(Genomics/Proteomics)(Hybrid Capture 2 DNA Test by Digene Corp.)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The hc2 High-Risk HPV DNA Test is an FDA-approved HPV test for primary screening with the DNAwithPap test for cervical cancer and its precursors in women age 30+. Approved for HPV testing as a follow-up for abnormal Paps in women of all ages,...

Accurate breast cancer predictor.(Genomics/Proteomics)(OncoVue-BRE by InterGenetics)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... OncoVue-BRE, a genetic breast-cancer risk-assessment test, predicts a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, giving her the option to pursue preventive solutions years before the disease appears. The product analyzes algorithms of multiple...

Gastritis/peptic ulcer test.(Industry spotlight)(Biomerica)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The GAP-IgA simple, easy-to-use ELISA test kit detects IgA antibodies to Helicobacter pylori and can be used for monitoring treatment and determining active infection. Fully compatible for manual or full microplate automation, it requires less...

Lab equipment catalog.(Industry spotlight)(Torrey Pines Scientific Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A new 16-page, four-color 2006 catalog of heating and chilling lab equipment includes DigiLog Hybrid Hot Plates, Stirrers, and Stirring Hot Plates, as well as a comprehensive range of accessory sample blocks for centrifuge tubes, PCR tubes,...

Test platelet function.(Industry spotlight)(PAP-BE by Bio/Data Corp.)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The PAP-8E (Platelet Aggregation Profiler) hematological instrument used for testing platelet function now features Prism software, an ultraviolet LED light source, and a built-in control database to enhance diagnosis of various stages of...

SOB symptom panel.(Industry spotlight)(Triage Profiler Shortness of Breath Panel by Biosite)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The Triage Profiler Shortness of Breath Panel distinguishes among SOB causes: myocardial infarction, severity of congestive heart failure, and suspected disseminated intravascular coagulation, including pulmonary embolism. In 15 minutes, levels...

Glassware cleaning agents.(Industry spotlight)(Deconex Laboratory Cleaning Agents by Technotrade International)(biomedical laboratories)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The full line of residue-free, environmentally safe Deconex Laboratory Cleaning Agents are offered in 16 formulations as concentrated liquids and powders that correspond to specific laboratory requirements and cleaning methods. An effective...

Ergonomic and portable.(Industry spotlight)(Portable Pipet-Aid XL by Drummond Scientific)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... The new Portable Pipet-Aid XL has a longer lightweight handle to reduce shoulder and neck strain, particularly when working under a hood. The ergonomic design includes adjustable hand rest and removable stand. Quieter, more efficient pump cuts...

Extended sample storage.(Industry spotlight)(ESR-Vacuum Tubes by Streck)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... ESR-Vacuum Tubes allow 72-hour refrigerated storage of patient specimens without compromising sample integrity. Tubes are available in 1.2-mL and 2.0-mL vacuum draw configurations, and are designed for use with the company's ESR-100 and...

Economical urinalysis strips.(Industry spotlight)(LW Scientific)(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2006... Easy-to-use, economical 10-parameter urine reagent strips are indicated for leukocytes, pH, glucose, protein, ketone, biliburin, blood, nitrite, urobilinogen, and specific gravity. Each vial contains 100 test strips and color chart. Strips can...

An "official" salute to MLO readers.(Washington report)(Medical Laboratory Observer)
April 1, 2006... John W. Sherer, MT(AMT) Compliance Officer, CompuNet Clinical Labs (joint venture of Quest Diagnostics) "During my career of 45 years, I have worked in hospital, clinic, and reference lab settings. I enjoyed the clinic setting most...