Breast cancer answers, short and long
February 2014—When it comes to breast cancer, medical oncologists have two “wish lists” for their pathologist colleagues. Here’s the short list of test results they need when they sit down with a...
View ArticleNewsbytes, 2/14
February 2014—Orchard Software collaborates with Memorial Sloan-Kettering: Orchard Software has entered into a long-term agreement with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center under which Orchard will...
View ArticleWith lab informatics, better to give than to receive
March 2014—If you had a colleague who was brilliant, experienced, and insightful, but who for some reason didn’t volunteer helpful information, you might agree with the assessment of Michael Laposata,...
View ArticleIn urinalysis, automated microscopy making the difference
March 2014—Traditional urinalysis is messy. It’s tedious. It’s prone to variability. It’s nicknamed the “ugly stepchild” of the laboratory. Many are quick to note that it’s just a screening tool—with...
View ArticlePut It on the Board, 3/14
March 2014—Patient-access rule creates opportunities, costs for labs: A long-awaited Department of Health and Human Services rule that requires laboratories to provide completed test reports to...
View ArticleGuidance aims for safer use of lab data in EHRs
March 2014—A wide-ranging set of recommended health information technology safety practices recently issued by the Department of Health and Human Services is likely to accentuate the essential role...
View ArticleQ&A Column, 3/14
March 2014—Q. What are the actionable mutations in melanoma that warrant routine molecular testing? Who should be tested, and what specimen should be tested? Is there a role for stat BRAF testing and...
View ArticleHow high-tech approach may reshape the autopsy
March 2014—Boosters of so-called virtual autopsy say it has the potential to revolutionize the practice of forensic pathology and could help increase the share of U.S. deaths subject to medical...
View ArticleFrom the President’s Desk: Turning data into care—lead the way, 3/14
March 2014—Implementation of meaningful use and related federal regulations has spurred widespread adoption of the electronic health record, and that’s a game-changer. Every one of us will need to have...
View ArticleMicroRNA markers show staying power
March 2014—Not many components of human cell biology have been discovered and immediately dubbed “junk.” But micro-RNAs, small noncoding RNA molecules first identified in 1993, fall into that category....
View ArticleAnatomic Pathology Selected Abstracts, 3/14
March 2014—Use of morphological parameters of LN in stereotactic 11-gauge vacuum-assisted needle core biopsy: Management of lobular in situ neoplasia when diagnosed on core biopsy remains...
View ArticleHow a Maryland lab met fixed-budget test
March 2014—Maryland may be one of the smallest states in the nation, but its new effort to reduce spending on hospital services could have a big impact on patient care and health care costs. In...
View ArticleNo ifs, ands, or buts on IHC assay validation
March 2014—Like Gypsy Rose Lee, tests and their true nature reveal themselves bit by bit. For immunohistochemistry, this unhurried disclosure has meant evolving ideas of whether these tests must indeed...
View ArticleLaboratory automation possibilities give lift to labs
March 2014—Tracks, modules, rules, consolidations, connections. Marketers of lab automation systems and workcells are busy turning out and fine-tuning what labs of all sizes need in the face of staff...
View ArticleNewsbytes, 3/14
March 2014—Digital imaging going strong but weaknesses persist: In his CAP ’13 presentation on digital imaging last fall, John H. Sinard, MD, PhD, asked attendees if they use digital still photography...
View ArticleClinical Pathology Selected Abstracts, 3/14
March 2014—Transfusion-associated hyperkalemic cardiac arrest in pediatric patients: Hyperkalemic cardiac arrest is a potential complication in pediatric patients undergoing rapid massive transfusion....
View ArticleAnatomic Pathology Selected Abstracts, 4/14
April 2014—Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma: diagnosis and immunohistochemical profile: Clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma is a recently recognized renal neoplasm composed of cells with...
View ArticleClinical Pathology Selected Abstracts, 4/14
April 2014—Intervention to improve timing of vancomycin levels: Samples drawn for therapeutic drug monitoring are sometimes drawn too early, which can cause inaccurate results that lead to a potential...
View ArticleNewsbytes, 4/14
April 2014—CommonWell executing pilot phase of interoperability project: Competition is considered a positive force in business, but when patients are the consumers, cooperation sometimes trumps...
View ArticleQ & A Column, 4/14
April 2014—I have a question about the meaning of the word “guideline” versus “procedure.” Checklist requirement ANP. 11670 Specimen—Gross Examination says the following: “Documented instructions or...
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