ADVANCE Discourse: Lab

Live From AMP

2009-11-20T16:02:00Z

Christmas decorations next to palm trees are a fun treat for your Philadelphia-based reporter at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Kissimmee, FL, where opening remarks for the 15th Annual Meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology just wrapped up. Tim O'Leary, MD, PhD, chair of the Program Committee, welcomed attendees to the meeting before AMP President Dr. Jan Nowak awarded the AMP Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics to Kay Davies, PhD, for her work in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy....(read more)

New Virulent Strain of MRSA Resistant to Vancomycin

2009-11-05T19:37:00Z

The recent meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America featured a study from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit assessing a new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The strain, called USA600, is associated with poorer outcomes than other strains of MRSA and is associated with vancomycin resistance—the drug primarily used to treat MRSA. According to the study, the strain typically appears in older, sicker patients with comorbidities and frequently occurs in...(read more)

EUA: Help or Hindrance?

2009-10-30T14:02:00Z

This week, the FDA issued another emergency use authorization (EUA), this time allowing Focus Diagnostics to market and offer its Simplexa™ Influenza A H1N1 (2009) test for use on the 3M™ Integrated Cycler from 3M to CLIA high-complexity laboratories for the duration of the recently-declared national emergency. For new viruses and in rapidly developing situations, EUAs may be necessary to give laboratorians the tools to monitor and identify infections, but there are concerns that safety and quality...(read more)

CAP Names Top Honoree

2009-10-11T23:47:00Z

CAP’s annual meeting is off like a shot at the Gaylord National Resort, and the College named Kevin B. Dole, MD, FCAP, as the 2009 Pathologist of the Year during a ceremony Sunday night. Dr. Dole is medical director at Caritas Medical Laboratories, and director of Pathology and Laboratory at Carney Hospital, both in Boston. He is also the laboratory director at Dedham Medical Associates in Dedham, MA, an associate clinical professor of Pathology at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, and...(read more)

Day One at CAP Packed with Information

2009-10-11T23:43:00Z

The sun was shining just outside of Washington, D.C., as CAP ’09 kicked off its first official day at the Gaylord National Resort. Attendees funneled through registration and on to their first educational courses. Bright and early, in the 8 am “Embracing the Future: An Introduction to Virtual Microscopy and Telemedicine,” Ronald S. Weinstein, MD, FCAP, former chair of Pathology, University of Arizona, and director, Arizona Telemedicine Program, and Keith J. Kaplan, MD, FCAP, associate professor of...(read more)

CAP Announces New Officers

2009-10-06T15:06:00Z

CAP Announces Election Results CAP officials have released the names of winners of this summer’s ballot. Winners are: President: Stephen N. Bauer, MD, FCAP Secretary-Treasurer: Gene N. Herbek, MD, FCAP Governor: M. Elizabeth H. Hammond, MD, FCAP; George F. Kwass, MD, FCAP; Gail Habegger Vance, MD, FCAP; and R. Bruce Williams, MD, FCAP. Results will be officially announced and winners will be sworn in Oct. 10 at the CAP Business Meeting (in conjunction with the House of Delegates meeting) prior to...(read more)

Counting Down to CAP 2009

2009-10-06T13:59:00Z

In just a few days, the ADVANCE team will be among the 1,000-plus attendees making their way around the CAP ’09 meeting site at the lovely waterfront Gaylord National Resort, just outside of the nation’s capitol. We look forward to attending sessions led by some of the country’s leaders in pathology and seeing what new technology is on the market or will be in the not-too-distant future. We’ll keep you posted on news from the show. We’ve begun our online coverage-- click here for an exclusive interview...(read more)

H1N1 Reassortant Viruses Unlikely, Research Notes

2009-09-08T15:03:00Z

This press release from the National Institutes of Health clarifies that while the current strain of H1N1 will predominate in the upcoming influenza season, there doesn’t seem to be biological pressure for the virus to re-combine with other circulating viruses. Some scientists have speculated such reassortant viruses would be more virulent or transmissible than either 2009 H1N1 or seasonal flu viruses alone. The research, conducted by Daniel Perez, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Maryland,...(read more)

U.S. Not Ready for Flu Season

2009-08-07T13:53:00Z

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) concludes in a July 29 report that the country has much more work to do to prepare for flu season. Several high-priority areas that need immediate attention include: clarification, testing and exercising of leadership roles/responsibilities for influenza pandemics, and better utilization of existing mechanisms to improve coordination between federal, state and local governments and the private sector; more complete information to assist countries at the greatest...(read more)

The Science of Art

2009-08-06T16:47:00Z

[Guest entry from Amanda Koehler, associate editor of ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals ] Many people say there is a strong correlation between science and art. One person who wholeheartedly agrees with this statement is Darlene Katz, an oil painter who started out as an immunologist. ART SAMPLING: Darlene Katz's painting "Garcon." ADVANCE thanks Darlene Katz Starting Out For Katz, who was born and raised in Syracuse, NY, art and science were intertwined right from the get-go. "I was always...(read more)

Treatment Resistant Swine Flu ID’ed in U.S.

2009-08-05T18:04:00Z

Drug resistance strikes again. U.S. health officials have detected Tamiflu-resistant cases of H1N1 along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to this AFP article , experts gathered in La Jolla, CA, at the Pan-American Health Organization office and warned that resistant strains were developing due to overuse of antivirals. Healthcare providers of all walks are familiar with drug resistance, particularly antibiotic resistance in superbugs like Staphylococcus aureus , enterovirus and Clostridium difficile...(read more)

Healthcare Nation?

2009-07-27T14:30:00Z

[Guest commentary by Cheryl McEvoy, from the ADVANCE for Health Information Professionals blog, " ADVANCE Perspective: HIM "] Theory: healthcare is going the way of the fast food industry. A bit counter-intuitive, I know, given the usual wars between those factions over nutrition facts, whole grains and "lighter" meal options. But I'm talking about the business model. More and more often, I've seen news of quickie clinics popping up to serve a patient's healthcare needs in a convenient one stop shop....(read more)

EHRs Unprepared for Genetic Information

2009-07-24T18:37:00Z

Challenges for the use an implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) are well documented, but this study in the journal Genetics in Medicine discusses another notable aspect—EHRs will need vast improvements to meet the needs of genetics and genomic medicine. The study notes that EHRs will need improved structure, standardization and functionality to house the genetic information that is slowly changing patient care. Most EHRs—even state-of-the-art ones—lack the ability to systematically record...(read more)

Going Green at AACC

2009-07-20T23:37:00Z

It may be true that the term “going green” has turned into quite the trite cliché, but that doesn’t make environmentally aware practices any less important. For an event as huge as the AACC Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo, eliminating waste and being environmentally conscious can be a challenge—but small efforts can have major impacts. This year, conference program and exhibit guides, CLN Convention Dailies and promotional materials are all printed on 30 percent recycled paper, and the conference...(read more)

On the Scene: AACC Annual Meeting

2009-07-20T19:35:00Z

Your ADVANCE reporters are arriving on scene to the AACC Annual Meeting in Chicago, and the McCormick Place Convention Center is bustling with attendees eager to check out a variety of sessions before the exhibit hall opens tomorrow. The conference is also the time that important leaders in the field of clinical laboratory medicine are recognized. This year's award recipients are: The Wallace H. Coulter Lectureship Award - Jerome E. Groopman, MD , the Dina and Raphael Recanati Chair of Medicine at...(read more)