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(Flu) Shots for All!
August 19, 2009 12:22 PM by Amanda Koehler

This morning I read a story in the New York Times about how New York is mandating flu shots for all healthcare workers, mostly out of fear of H1N1 outbreaks. A healthcare union in the state is protesting, saying: "Healthcare workers on the front lines Read More...

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Rapid Tests for H1N1
August 6, 2009 8:47 AM by Amanda Koehler

Here's a great article from The New York Times featuring the lab and H1N1 testing. The story says rapid tests for H1N1 fail to properly detect infections more than half the time. Have you been finding this is true for your laboratory? Read More...

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Stop Testing for H1N1?
July 8, 2009 11:49 AM by Amanda Koehler

An article I found on the United Press International's Web site said the WHO is getting ready to tell countries to stop testing for the H1N1 virus. Because these tests are flooding labs and making it hard for laboratorians to keep up, healthcare professionals Read More...

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Legends and Legacies
June 17, 2009 11:00 AM by Amanda Koehler

As a person who has lost a loved one to cancer, I am always interested to find out more about the advances being made to fight this horrible disease. Sometimes I forget that there are so many people behind these advances and discoveries, working tirelessly Read More...

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Sports in Your Genes?
December 2, 2008 9:37 AM by Amanda Koehler

Genetics and personalized medicine are the wave of the future. Certain genetic tests for diseases such as breast cancer have been becoming popular and will continue to be important as time goes on. But some genetic tests may be, in some people's eyes, Read More...

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Smallpox Outbreak on TV Show
November 18, 2008 3:29 PM by Amanda Koehler

This year, CBS developed a new scientific drama, Eleventh Hour . The show is about a biophysicist who investigates scientific crises and oddities. In a recent episode of the show, titled "Containment," Dr. Jacob Hood ( Rufus Sewell ) investigates a smallpox Read More...

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Healthcare and the Economy
November 4, 2008 10:15 AM by Amanda Koehler

According to a story I wrote for our November 3 issue called "Pinching Pennies," a few lab directors reported to me that the failing economy has not impacted their laboratory too greatly. But this article says the state of the economy is making Americas Read More...

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Undercover Healthcare
June 16, 2008 1:54 PM by Amanda Koehler

USA Today recently ran a story on "undercover patients"-- people who get paid to fake physical illness so they can grade a medical facility's services. The American Medical Association is considering endorsing this practice during its 5-day meeting starting Read More...

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The Celebrity Effect
May 30, 2008 11:29 AM by Amanda Koehler

It seems if a celebrity or her loved one is diagnosed with an illness, it tends to get a lot of ink or television exposure. For example, actress and comedienne Jenny McCarthy has been talking about autism-her son Evan has the disorder. She's even written Read More...

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Study Compares Clinical Symptoms Vs. Lab Tests
April 25, 2008 10:16 AM by Amanda Koehler

A recent study published in the Lancet medical journal states AIDS patients in poor countries who are observed for clinical symptoms of the disease have close to the same survival rate as those who undergo lab testing. Read the whole story. As laboratory Read More...

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