Medical Laboratory Observer articles from January 2008

Medical Laboratory Observer archives from January 2008

Retirement challenge looms.(From the editor)(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... Lately, retirement has been on my mind. Not that I intend to retire for several years to come but because folk younger than me are going home for good. My philosophy is like that of Robert Orben, "Every day I get up, look through the Forbes'...

Wisdom of theragnostics, other changes.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I have read with interest the recent article of Ana Stankovic [MD, PhD, MSPH] on the merger of in vivo and in vitro diagnostics. (1) New frameworks of the health maintenance organization or HMO are rapidly developing in Western countries. In a...

Attention diverted from real issue.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... I have read with dismay at some of the comments pertaining to Dr. Harty-Golder's article in June ["Hard evidence required to bring official charges," page 38] in response to a question on bad blood-culture collections and the subsequent...

Readers add stats, support.(Readers respond)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2008... You left out some statistics from your editorial: The two biggest cash crops in the continental U.S. are Soybeans (source of trans fatty acids) and Corn (source of the ubiquitous fructose). --David Alter, MD Clinical/Chemical...

News from 20th World AIDS Day.(HIV/AIDS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... In a country where AIDS was once linked to "immoral conduct," 20th World AIDS Day celebrated on Dec. 1, 2007, saw Chinese citizens, activists, and public-health officials, along with celebrities and condom manufacturers, embarking on a "Great...

Unusual symptoms affect workers.(Rare disease outbreak)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Eleven victims of a rare disease called CIDP--chronic inflammatory demyelinating poly-neuropathy--have been identified out of 1,300 plant workers in Austin, MN. State health officials have indicated that never before have so many cases of this...

Empty homes, empty pools, invite WNV.(Infectious diseases)(west nile virus)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... What do foreclosed homes have to do with health threats? So-called "green pools." As more homes stand empty in the nation's real-estate mortgage-loan crisis, their swimming pools have been left unattended, becoming breeding grounds for millions...

G2 Reports launches new website.(News)(www.G2Reports.com )(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Washington G2 Reports--an independent news and information service company for providers of diagnostic testing and related medical services--has recently redesigned its website to better serve the specific news and resource needs of medical...

States' healthcare plans stymied.(News)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Three state governors--California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania--with hopeful plans for expanding and restructuring health insurance have run into problems over a darkening economy and political divisions over how to apportion the cost. ...

Correction.(Correction notice)
January 1, 2008... In our November 2007 issue, the article concerning Executive War College scholarship winners for last year on page 39 had Pervez A. Mirza's name misspelled as Perez Mira. We apologize to Mr. Mirza for mangling his name, and hope that he will...

Targeting HbA1c: standardization and clinical laboratory measurement.(Cover story)
January 1, 2008... CONTINUING EDUCATION To earn CEUs, see current test at www.mlo-online.com under the CE Tests tab. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this article, the reader will: 1. Be aware of the implications of diabetes in the United...

Reference labs: who, what, where, when, and how?(CLINICAL ISSUES)(Column)
January 1, 2008... The typical mid- to large-size clinical laboratory--whether in a hospital or an independent setting--performs approximately 92% to 97% of the test orders it receives. For those services they are unable to perform, for whatever reason, they look...

How to win the hand of lab-outreach clients.(LAB MANAGEMENT)
January 1, 2008... Laboratories have different approaches to servicing their outreach clients. Some have a salesperson maintain the account for at least a year and then hand it off to a service representative. Other labs have programs where, once on board, the...

Outreach sales success.(OUTREACH AND CRM)
January 1, 2008... Hospitals and medical centers continue to look for strategies to reduce costs and generate more revenues. Part of the plan for many medical centers is to implement a focused marketing approach that increases physician awareness of outpatient...

Pilcher pipes up on ARTEL, industry.(Executive snapshot)(Company overview)
January 1, 2008... Accident and opportunity. ARTEL had its roots in contract design and development of analytical systems. Although we would like to say that we arrived at our current liquid-handling position courtesy of well-executed strategy, the path we...

What you don't know really can hurt you.(EDUCATION)(Report)
January 1, 2008... Since the events of 9/11, including the anthrax mailings, how many of you ended up receiving all kinds of "specimens" for possible anthrax cultures, ranging from shoe powder to flour to small bits of styrofoam? That day our world forever...

The Lab Guy meets The Safety Lady: notes on biohazards.(BIOHAZARDS)
January 1, 2008... Do you remember the one time you did not do what you normally do to be safe? Was it something simple like not wearing your seat belt? Did you reach into a biohazard container to retrieve a tube of blood? Did you get lucky when nothing bad...

Long search for night-shift staff.(Addressing management issues)
January 1, 2008... Q Our hospital is offering a $10,000 bonus for the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. lab position, plus relocation expenses, but still no qualified techs have applied. For the last two months, we have advertised everywhere--but nothing. We are rotating the...

Improve employee feedback.(Addressing management issues)
January 1, 2008... Q How can I improve feedback from employees? A Larry Crolla points out, "You can do the simple thing and ask for feedback. If you fear your employees will not respond, you can put up a suggestion box where people can anonymously deposit...

Orders for manual differentials.(Answering your questions)
January 1, 2008... Q We have an ER doctor who orders manual differentials in her initial order regardless of knowing either the automated results or even the CBC results. We are trying to compose a letter to her and other physicians regarding the accuracy of the...

Staffing guidelines from workload.(Answering your questions)(Column)
January 1, 2008... Q How does one calculate for justification of retention the number of laboratory personnel to the patient volume and tests performed? A Unfortunately, there are not good guidelines for estimating the number of personnel needed for a lab...

Clinitest interpretation in pluses.(Answering your questions)
January 1, 2008... Q What is your interpretation of the negative, trace, trace 1+, 2+, and so forth, are conventional lab terms and other reporting formats compared to the percentage format as listed on the Clinitest package insert? Could the experts help clarify...

Catering to one physician creates test dilemma.(Liability and the lab)
January 1, 2008... Q A physician in our area orders unusual tests. Once a month, we get her request for a very esoteric test neither our lab nor our reference lab offers. Her position is: "I order the test; you figure out where to get it because I need it." The...

A review of automated slide stainers for IHC and ISH.(Product focus)
January 1, 2008... This review of automated slide stainers for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) is intended to serve as an update to a previous paper, (1) published in this journal approximately four years ago. While the focus of the...

Affordable alternative.(Product focus: Related slide-staining products)
January 1, 2008... HEMA-FAST 3-Step Hematology Stain can be used as differential stain for routine blood smears, microbes, spermatozoa, and bone marrow, and is made under FDA-registered CGMP quality assurance guidelines. Guaranteed stable for two years from...

Cataloging and storage system.(Product focus: Related slide-staining products)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... MicroSlide Files for prepared microscope slides is a cataloging and storage system that offers protection, simplified cataloging, reduction of filing errors, and easy retrieval. Each compartment is numerically indexed to a permanent chart on...

High test accuracy.(Industry spotlight)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Version2.0 software for the Rapidlab 1200 Series Blood Gas System is a required upgrade for all existing customers, and will be included on all of this company's Rapidlab 1200 systems in the future. Designed specifically for the critical-care...

Speed and comfort.(Industry spotlight)
January 1, 2008... A new 10-mL macro-volume model has been added to the Ovation BioNatural Pipette product line, significantly extending speed and comfort benefits to users with large-volume applications. Electronic operations--combined with the convenience of...

Management tool.(Industry spotlight)
January 1, 2008... LabDAQconnect laboratory information system offers consolidated and cumulative patient reports, extensive QA functions, Web-based access, and sophisticated management tools for workload, cost accounting, and resource utilization. Lab-DAQconnect...

Test selection support.(Industry spotlight)
January 1, 2008... Consult 2.0--The Physician's Guide to Laboratory Test Selection and Interpretation responds to clinicians' needs by including expanded content and more algorithms to assist in diagnosis. Users can make informed decisions using a concise test...

Direct access.(Industry spotlight)
January 1, 2008... The Harvest LIS Anatomic Pathology Module is integrated with the Harvest laboratory information system and furnishes anatomic-pathology departments all the benefits of electronic recordkeeping, rules-based decision-making, and the integration...

Assess risks.(Industry spotlight)
January 1, 2008... VIDAS B.R.A.H.S PCT is used as an automated test-measuring procalcitonin (PCT), a biomarker for bacterial infections in critically ill patients on their first day of admission to the intensive-care unit. It is for use on the VIDAS platform...

First session of 110th Congress comes to a disappointing end.(Washington report)
January 1, 2008... The calendar year began with great promise to address several issues of great importance to the clinical laboratory and healthcare community. There was hope for a substantial increase in funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program...