Medical Laboratory Observer articles from February 2006

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from February 2006

The P4P-nuttiest.(pay for performance)(From the editor)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Latest on the management menu is pay for performance--better known as P4P. It is different from what The Corporate Curmudgeon (www.dauten.com/dalescolumns.html) terms the "Peanut Butter Method," whereby raises are spread around evenly. "The...

Readers respond: further insight on amylase and lipase.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... In your October 2005 feature (p. 38) on "Tips from the clinical experts," there was a question raised regarding the test-ordering patterns for amylase and lipase in cases of suspected acute pancreatitis. Dr. Louis Buettner responded, "Amylase...

Readers respond: praise for phlebotomists.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... Please forgive me, but I am tardy in reading back trade publications. I just read your column in the October 2005 MLO and thought that it was just wonderful. Phlebotomists are a difficult group of professionals to keep motivated and...

SARS post-mortem study.(Global diseases)(severe acute respiratory syndrome)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... SARS post-mortem study. Researchers from Hong Kong and Toronto--both hit by the 2003 SARS outbreak--joined forces for a large, detailed study of the organs of 32 patients who had died from SARS. The results, reported in the international...

Bird flu victims increasing in Turkey.(Global diseases)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Bird flu victims increasing in Turkey. World Health Organization (WHO) experts, along with others from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Commission, arrived in Turkey in early January to evaluate possible...

False positives mean changes to HIV test.(New methods of HIV test by federal health authorities-San Francisco Chronicle)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... False positives mean changes to HIV test. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, federal health authorities plan to issue new guidelines on how to use the fast-acting screen Oraquick Advance (an oral HIV test) after clinics in two major...

Report card on U.S. emergency care.(News)(American College of Emergency Physicians)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Report card on U.S. emergency care. According to a study conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and released on Jan. 10, emergency care in the United States is only at the C- level, the average of grade for all 50...

Conferences.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... March 3. A "Rapid Response Team (RRT) Retreat" sponsored by HCPro brings together three of the nation's foremost RRT experts at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, to teach facilities in just one day how to build RRT teams and implement this...

Serum tumor markers: Part II practical considerations and limitations of testing.
February 1, 2006... Part I of this review (1) [MLO, December 2005 Clinical Issues, p. 20] summarized the utility of serum tumor markers in highest usage; the analytes included [alpha]-fetoprotein (AFP), CA 125, CA 15-3, CA 27.29, CA 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen...

Occult hepatits C virus persistence: identification and characteristics.(CLINICAL ISSUES)
February 1, 2006... Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family that replicates by making the so-called "negative" strand. The virus infects at least 180 million people worldwide, and up to 85% of the inflicted become carriers...

Design a Lean laboratory layout.(laboratory management)
February 1, 2006... The Lean principles that revolutionized manufacturing are now bringing dramatic changes to the service sector, including healthcare. Laboratories considering significant renovations or construction of a new facility have an exceptional...

Passion drives Kimball Genetics.(Executive snapshot)
February 1, 2006... The future of genetic testing: Our focus is testing for common genetic disorders that are preventable or can be treated, and we are passionate about helping patients. The last 12 years have seen discovery of gene variants involved in venous...

The art of professional blood collecting.(information about Nancy E. Erickson laboratory professional)(Column)
February 1, 2006... Getting my education in phlebotomy was interesting, challenging, scary--and a very good idea. My school--at Henry Ford Hospital in Wyandotte, MI--was state-licensed and followed the standards set forth by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards...

Pediatric autopsy registry studies infant mortality.(Premature birth, low birth weight are the number one cause of infant death)
February 1, 2006... Premature birth, low birth weight, and congenital anomalies are the number one cause of infant death in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the second leading...

Addressing management issues.(Management Q&A)(Panel Discussion)
February 1, 2006... Failure to back up PCs Q As the laboratory director, I have asked each manager and supervisor with a personal computer (PC) to back up his files every day. All of them have been instructed on how to use lab-provided thumb drives to do...

Answering your questions.(Tips from the clinical experts)(Panel Discussion)
February 1, 2006... Significant urine colony counts Q What is your opinion on the appropriate colony count for working up a positive urine culture? Our hospital presently works up all urine with a colony count greater than 10,000. Several other local hospitals...

Knowing when to re-read pathology reports is crucial.(Liability and the lab)
February 1, 2006... Q In my residency and fellowship training, any patient who came to the clinic with pathology related to the problem for which he was seeking evaluation/treatment had his pathology re-read by the clinic's pathologists. We were taught that the...

Lab services and lab testing: serum (1[right arrow]3)-[beta]-D-Glucan detection.(Product focus)
February 1, 2006... A fully CLIA-certified, specialist reference laboratory service for serum (1[right arrow]3)-[beta]-D-Glucan detection and quantitation using the FDA-cleared Fungitell assay. This assay utilizes the highly sensitive and specific reactivity of...

Lab services and lab testing: pediatric testing specialty.(Product focus)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Children's needs are very different than those of adults when it comes to laboratory testing. At Columbus Children's Hospital, more than 1,000 different clinical lab and surgical pathology pediatric tests are available. Tests and processes are...

Lab services and lab testing: outreach services.(Product focus)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Thirty years in the business of refinement of existing diagnostic tests, and research and development of new assays, is one part of this reference lab's profile. Its Laboratory Outreach & Network Support Services offers executive-level...

Lab services and lab testing: Beryllium Surveillance testing.(Product focus)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... As part of the global healthcare community, this laboratory's clients include local, regional, and national laboratories, public health institutions, physician practices, clinical trials organizations, and pharmaceutical and biotechnical...

Lab services and lab testing: molecular diagnostics testing.(Product focus)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A national research and specialty clinical lab founded in 1983 provides a wide range of tests and services in the area of allergy, clinical immunology, and molecular biology. The molecular diagnostic testing laboratory is continually expanding...

Tape cover slipper.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2006... The new fast and efficient CM 1260 Coverslipper covers 1,440 slides per hour (24 slides per minute). Features touch-screen operation, optical infrared scanner for QC, a fixed shelf-sharpening knife, and an integrated slide dryer. To schedule a...

Void-free filtration solutions.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A new family of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes for clinical/diagnostic applications is available. A collection of polyethersulfone and regenerated cellulose UF membranes can collect and concentrate extremely small particles and dissolved...

Two kits, one sample.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The recently FDA-cleared Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg Microwell ELISA kits (a complete line of anti-thyroid microwell products) both utilize the same procedure, as well as the same sample dilution. Both kits have 96 micro-wells and perform in...

Six tumor markers.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2006... The Elecsys PreciControl Tumor Marker provides lab professionals with the same control for six different tumor-marker tests. With recent FDA-clearance, this control adds to a growing tumor-marker portfolio that includes PSA, free PSA,...

Cardiac marker control.(Industry spotlight)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Liquichek Cardiac Markers Plus Control and Liquichek Cardiac Markers Plus Control LT (with its lower troponin targets, with fourth lower lever) aid in monitoring a wide range of cardiac-assessment testing. Both have same analyte menu including...

Seating catalog.(BioFit Engineered Products introduces catalog)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The new 36-page Engineered Seating for Productivity catalog features hundreds of chairs, stools, and footrests for labs. Descriptions reveal standard features/options of each solution. A quick-ship program and a basic formula to determine the...

Biomaterial storage.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2006... Labs can now have 24/7 access to long-term stored clinical trial samples, serum, and plasma samples with Web ISISS, a new Web-based specimen-management/logistics-tracking system. With a secure link, labs can view from any PC a complete list of...

Verification application.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2006... The company has added vision verification to its automation platform, the BioCube System. The Vision Verification System consists of a labware camera and a tip camera for a variety of diagnostic/nucleic-acid purification applications, such as...

Three-part DIFF autoanalyzer.(Industry spotlight)
February 1, 2006... The new Micros im hematology analyzer (in four color-styles) is packaged with an information-management middleware system on a compact, zero-footprint platform integrating computer/keyboard into one module. This combo analyzer/info manager...

The government wants to know.(Compelling to report blood-sugar-test )
February 1, 2006... In July 2005, Sue A. Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom, wrote an essay as editor of its Health Freedom Watch: "For the first time in our nation's history, a local health department has proposed compelling medical...