Clinician-friendly tactics slash unwarranted testing
January 2014—A child born recently at Broward Health Medical Center was definitively diagnosed, without testing, as having a significant genetic abnormality. A medical resident eager to put his...
View ArticleAnatomic Pathology Selected Abstracts, 1/14
January 2014—Flat pattern of nephrogenic adenoma unveiled using PAX2 and PAX8 immunohistochemistry; Managing borderline atypical ductal hyperplasia/ductal carcinoma in situ on breast needle core...
View ArticleClinical Pathology Selected Abstracts, 1/14
January 2014—Predictive factors for blood transfusion in living donor pediatric liver transplantation: Patients undergoing liver transplantation, in particular pediatric liver transplantation, may...
View ArticlePut It on the Board, 1/14
January 2014—In a sweeping set of recommendations, the Infectious Diseases Society of America says higher federal funding and an easier regulatory pathway are needed to help encourage the development...
View ArticleCoagulation analyzers: New analyzers, assays, controls, and PEP
January 2014—With the new year come fresh offerings from coagulation analyzer manufacturers, of which at least two have launched entirely new testing systems. Instrumentation Laboratory’s ACL AcuStar...
View ArticleCytopathology and More | Effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in Australia
January 2014—A school-based quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine program was introduced in Australia in April 2007 for 12- to 13-year-old girls. This program was also extended to 14- to...
View ArticleClinical Pathology Selected Abstracts, 2/14
February 2014—Comorbidity-adjusted life expectancy: a new tool to aid cancer screening strategies: Controversy surrounds how best to use cancer screening tests in the elderly and at what age to stop...
View ArticleIT drives clinical, financial gains in hospital labs
February 2014—For “quants”—people who love all things numeric or algorithmic—information technology is its own reason for being. But for those with responsibility for clinical outcomes and the bottom...
View ArticleWith AP systems, sharing (data) is caring—and a trend
February 2014—Call it the “Huh?” heard ’round the world: Just last month, Google spent $3.2 billion to acquire Nest Labs, a manufacturer of thermostats and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. As...
View ArticleHandling a reagent recall, step by strenuous step
February 2014—Recalling a reagent is about more than just removing a product from laboratory shelves. It’s about retracting test results and thus affecting diagnoses and treatment plans. It’s about...
View ArticlePut It on the Board, 2/14
February 2014—When are genomic tests useful? IOM seeks answers: Collaboration among key stakeholders to set clear evidentiary standards is needed to determine the clinical utility of genome-based...
View ArticlePowering down on excessive test use
February 2014—Utility companies can generate electricity in many ways—fossil fuel, nuclear reaction, solar panel, wind turbine. Which power source is preferable depends on the circumstances and the...
View ArticleQ & A Column, 2/14
February 2014—We are thinking about using a reference laboratory for HER2 FISH testing of breast carcinomas with an arrangement in which that lab performs the technical component and we perform the...
View ArticleTesting the test—ABP administers pilot part 3 MOC exam
February 2014—All primary and subspecialty certificates that the American Board of Pathology issues are now time limited, and diplomates must successfully participate in the ABP’s Maintenance of...
View Article2013 statement on human papillomavirus DNA test utilization
February 2014—The Cytopathology Education and Technology Consortium in 2009 issued a statement on human papillomavirus DNA test utilization that was published in multiple journals. This statement was a...
View ArticleSaving time on HLA testing’s final compatibility check
February 2014—What would you give for a little more time? Take a vital task that you do every day, every week, or every month, and do it about three times faster—with no effect on the quality of the...
View ArticleFrom the President’s Desk: Seek and you will find—CAP services, 2/14
February 2014—I wrote in recent columns about CAP Surveys, laboratory accreditation, and other laboratory improvement programs. These are core activities tied to some of our most important...
View ArticleMedicare IHC change adds to administrative burdens
February 2014—Pathologists and laboratories have found new administrative challenges following deep payment cuts and policy changes in the 2014 Medicare physician fee schedule. By the time the fee...
View ArticleDiabetes debate: HbA1c or glucose?
February 2014—If it were a boxing match, the debate over whether hemoglobin should be used to diagnose diabetes would place the odds-on favorite in the “Yes” corner. In the “No” corner would be the...
View ArticleAnatomic Pathology Selected Abstracts, 2/14
February 2014—Early stage triple-negative breast cancer treated with mastectomy without adjuvant radiotherapy; Predicting recurrence after limited resection versus lobectomy for small lung...
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