ADVANCE Discourse: Lab

Live From AMP

Kelly Graham — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:02:00 GMT

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...(read more)

New Virulent Strain of MRSA Resistant to Vancomycin

Kelly Graham — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:37:00 GMT

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...(read more)

EUA: Help or Hindrance?

Kelly Graham — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:02:00 GMT

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...(read more)

CAP Names Top Honoree

Jill Hoffman — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:47:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Day One at CAP Packed with Information

Jill Hoffman — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:43:00 GMT

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...(read more)

CAP Announces New Officers

Jill Hoffman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:06:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Counting Down to CAP 2009

Jill Hoffman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:59:00 GMT

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...(read more)

H1N1 Reassortant Viruses Unlikely, Research Notes

Kelly Graham — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:03:00 GMT

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...(read more)

U.S. Not Ready for Flu Season

Jill Hoffman — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:53:00 GMT

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...(read more)

The Science of Art

Kelly Graham — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:47:00 GMT

[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...(read more)

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

Kelly Graham — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:04:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Healthcare Nation?

Kelly Graham — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:30:00 GMT

[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...(read more)

EHRs Unprepared for Genetic Information

Kelly Graham — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:37:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Going Green at AACC

Kelly Graham — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:37:00 GMT

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...(read more)

On the Scene: AACC Annual Meeting

Kelly Graham — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:35:00 GMT

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...(read more)