By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XX No. 3 - March 4, 2013 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Probably the most challenging infections for hospitals to control and reduce are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff). The laboratory at one New York hospital introduced algorithms to screen for the presence of each infection. In the past five years, the hospital not only cut costs by almost $3 million
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XXI No. 15 - November 3, 2014 issue
In response to the Ebola outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for the use of two rapid tests to detect Ebola. The tests are manufactured by BioFire Defense LLC, a division of BioMerieux. The BioFire Defense FilmArray NGDS BT-E Assay is authorized for use by laboratories designated by the Department of
By Joseph Burns, from the Volume XX No. 8 - June 17, 2013 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Motivated by the goal of delivering more value to clinicians and client hospitals, the lab team at TriCore Reference Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is proactively introducing new services. One such initiative is to travel to hospitals to participate in rounds and consult with physicians regularly. Another initiative improved the accuracy of C.
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XVI No. 16 - November 23, 2009 issue
IT WAS 1979 WHEN VICTOR KIAM jump-started sales of Remington electric razors with his classic, witty ad campaign, “I liked the product so much, I bought the company!” Now the same thing is happening with a benchtop-sized automated system for molecular PCR testing.
In this case, it is Becton Dickenson and Company (BD) which liked HandyLab,
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XVI No. 14 October 12, 2009 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Although GlaxoSmithKline PLC is several years away from having a deliverable product from its Antigen Specific Cancer Immunoassay (ASCI) Program, it has a development deal with Abbott Laboratories to produce a companion diagnostic test for ASCI-based products. The interesting twist in this arrangement is that the resulting companion diagnostic assay will be designed
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XVI No. 8 - June 8, 2009 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Viracor Laboratories is preparing to handle expanded volumes of influenza testing prior to the start of the next flu season. It will use added instrumentation and expanded working hours to expand capacity. Another strategy is to use influenza A testing as a way to reduce the overall number of influenza specimens that might
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XVI No. 4 - March 16, 2009 issue
CEO SUMMARY: One of the hottest market segments in in vitro diagnostics (IVD) is rapid testing. However, because labs now often have multiple choices when selecting a rapid test, IVD manufacturers recognize the need to differentiate their products by adding additional features and benefits. In the case of 3M’s new rapid test for influenza, the
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No. 5 - April 2, 2007 issue
CEO SUMMARY: In reporting on a suspected outbreak of whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis), a national newspaper suggested administrators at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center had placed too much faith in molecular testing. In this exclusive interview, Dartmouth’s Director of Molecular Pathology comments on how the media misunderstood the story, and why molecular testing remains the preferred
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XII No. 5 - March 28, 2005 issue
CEO SUMMARY: It was a case of a well-liked lab worker acting in rogue fashion to steal and use the identity of a patient to commit financial fraud. Within laboratories, employees in phlebotomy, accessioning, data entry, coding, billing, and collections often have access to sensitive patient information. In positions with low hourly wages and high
By Robert Michel, from the Volume X No. 7 - May 27, 2003 issue
EARLIER THIS MONTH, Focus Technologies reference laboratories of Cypress, California announced the development of a “first-generation, real-time PCR test” designed to detect the presence of the coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
“Focus developed this test based on the methodology developed by the Bernhard-Nocht Institute of Hamburg, Germany,” stated Mary Kay Mosch, Vice President of
