May 2012 - Posts

Osteoarthritis Biomarker
May 31, 2012 2:31 PM by Kerri Penno

More than 27 million adults currently suffer from osteoarthritis, which is the most common form of arthritis. In the past, doctors have been unable to diagnose patients with arthritis until they begin to show symptoms, which include joint pain and stiffness. Read More...

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Payday for NGS Draws Closer as AMP Preps CPT Coding Framework
May 29, 2012 8:25 AM by Valerie Newitt

As technology leaps forward, payment plans seem to drag slowly behind, holding up the works. So it's good to hear that the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) said this week that it is close to finalizing a framework proposal for CPT coding of Next Read More...

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Descending from Slaves Carries Health Risks
May 25, 2012 11:02 AM by Valerie Newitt

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is offering a new slant on health conferences -- the first major international conference devoted to examining the health of the descendants of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, July 5 to 8 at the Baltimore Read More...

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Boomer With HCV
May 24, 2012 1:42 PM by Kerri Penno

In honor of the first ever National Hepatitis Testing Day (May 19), the CDC issued draft guidelines proposing that all U.S. baby boomers get a one-time test for the hepatitis C virus. According to a CDC release, one in 30 baby boomers--the generation Read More...

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Thinking of Donating Used Lab Equipment?
May 23, 2012 8:04 AM by Lynn

The following is a guest blog from Jennifer Daugherty, a Business Development Coordinator for The Remi Group, LLC. Many clinical diagnosticians are now donating laboratory equipment to other healthcare organizations, research facilities, charities or Read More...

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A Lab Test for Niceness? It Could Happen
May 22, 2012 10:07 AM by Valerie Newitt

Imagine this: You're single and you finally find Mr. Right.... Or so you think. He seems nice, but is he for real? You've been there before - on the brink of romance, ready to commit, only to realize that Mr. Nice Guy is a two-timing louse. Can you trust Read More...

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Kill 'em With Kindness
May 18, 2012 2:37 PM by Kelly Bocich

Editor's note: This is a guest blog from Don Newton, healthcare consultant. To submit your own guest blog, email kbocich@advanceweb.com . As a clinical healthcare consultant, I travel all over this great country of ours (about 225,000 miles a year) working Read More...

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ASCP and ASC Sign Memorandum
May 17, 2012 2:51 PM by Kerri Penno

The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner on education, scientific discovery, and advocacy initiatives that will mutually benefit the pathologists, Read More...

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HIV Testing: From POC to In-Home?
May 14, 2012 2:29 PM by Valerie Newitt

Who's Positive, a national HIV awareness organization, says consumers want at-home HIV tests. Results from a year-long online survey measuring support for over-the-counter HIV testing will be presented today to the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee. Read More...

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Facebook Feedback: Advice for Grads
May 14, 2012 1:29 PM by Kelly Bocich

We love the conversations and feedback we get on our Facebook page ! Graduation season is upon us, so last week, we asked about the best advice you received when you graduated, or the advice you would give a new grad. Here are a few unedited responses. Read More...

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Uncertainty in Healthcare
May 9, 2012 11:42 AM by Lynn

It’s hard enough to work in an environment where there’s some uncertainty—perhaps regarding job security, technology implementations and effects and the like. Today, however, there’s monumental vagueness or doubts on a host of issues directly impacting Read More...

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Keg Parties Out, Oligonucleotide Primers In
May 8, 2012 3:11 PM by Valerie Newitt

Back in my undergrad days, many students "majored" in social life, devoting hours to hanging out, going out, and even passing out (do keg parties ring a bell?). Of course, this was the pre-cell phone, pre-Facebook, even pre-email era. And there sure as Read More...

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Protect and Check: Melanoma Monday
May 7, 2012 1:56 PM by Kelly Bocich

Have you heard? It's Melanoma Monday--the first Monday in May, as designated by the American Academy of Dermatology. The goal of Melanoma Monday? To raise awareness of melanoma and other skin cancer, and encourage self-exams to increase the likelihood Read More...

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Pick a Winner: Genetic Testing for Race Horses
May 4, 2012 12:46 PM by Valerie Newitt

Will Kentucky Derby favorite Union Rags win the iconic run for the roses Saturday? A genetic test might hold the answer. ThoroughGen, founded by Steven Tammariello, associate professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, State University Read More...

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Preventing HAIs
May 3, 2012 4:39 PM by Kerri Penno

According to a survey released by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), greater collaboration between lab professionals and infection preventionists may hold the Read More...

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Flipping the Genomic Sequencing Coin
May 1, 2012 7:17 AM by Valerie Newitt

An observer such as myself can get pretty excited when talking to experts about genomic sequencing and the secrets it potentially may unlock to individualized expectations of health or disease risk. What was once the realm of science fiction seems to Read More...

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