Lab Leaders Say COVID-19 Tests Needed in 2021

How long into the future will clinical laboratories need to offerĀ COVID-19 tests on a large scale? That is the number one question confrontingĀ labs in every region of the United States.

Last week, three nationally-known lab CEOs answered that questionĀ during the general session of the Virtual Executive War College. It was a panelĀ discussion moderated by Robert L. Michel, Publisher of The Dark Report.

The three panelists were:

• Rick L. Panning, MBA, MLS (ASCP) CM, retired as of Oct. 2 from theĀ position of Senior Administrative Director of Laboratory Services forĀ HealthPartners and Park Nicollet in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

• David Dexter, President and CEO of Sonora Quest Laboratories, LLC, aĀ joint venture between Quest Diagnostics and Banner Health in Tempe,Ā Arizona and President and CEO for Laboratory Sciences of Arizona, LLC.

• Stan Schofield, President of NorDx, a regional laboratory corporation thatĀ supports an integrated delivery system at MaineHealth in Portland, Maine.

Panning’s Comments: ā€œ…our planning points to an ongoing demand forĀ COVID-19 testing. Influenza season is arriving and the pandemic is accelerating.Ā Given that evidence and the guidance from state and federal officials,Ā we expect our clinical laboratory will be providing significant numbers ofĀ COVID-19 tests for the balance of this year and probably far into 2021.ā€

Dexter’s comments: ā€œWe are budgeting to support an increase in COVID-19 PCR testing in both November and December. Arizona state officialsĀ believe that COVID-19 cases will peak at the end of January and we’ll startĀ seeing the downside in February of 2021. … if a vaccine becomes available, weĀ think there will be a significant increase in antibody testing, probably startingĀ in second quarter and continuing for the balance of 2021.ā€

Schofield’s comments: ā€œAdministration of the health system and our clinicalĀ laboratory think that the COVID-19 test volume and demand for theseĀ tests will be tough on our lab for another 12 months. This will be particularlyĀ true for COVID-19 molecular tests.ā€

These three predictions will be invaluable as your lab or pathologyĀ group does its budget planning and projections for the balance of 2020 andĀ into 2021.

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