The AACC is urging laboratory professionals to contact their members of Congress and request that they support H.R.1248, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, which would preserve recent advances in state newborn screening programs. Earlier legislation contributed to a dramatic expansion in newborn screening for treatable ...

ADVANCE Discourse: Lab Knowing Let’s forget about money for a second. I know that can be difficult – what, with all of those pesky adult responsibilities and everything, but bare with me.  If money wasn’t an object, and your physician wanted to order a test that you knew wouldn’t be covered under your insurance, would you get ...

As clinical laboratorians we are taught the importance of the information we provide for clinical decision making.  Technology has made it possible to use small sample sizes to generate ''numbers'' in a very short period of time. Sometimes physicians (and laboratorians) get so seduced by the speed that we forget that numbers are only ...

Today, December 1, is World AIDS Day. This is the 25th annual observance of the day originally organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise the awareness of HIV/AIDS and garner support for research, understanding, education and allocation of resources. We have come a long way in our understanding, treatment and ...

One of the most frustrating   issues for clinical laboratorians is that clinicians continue to misuse laboratory testing. Laboratory utilization is a hot potato because of increased concerns with cost (to the laboratory and payer), extended length of stay  abnormal test gets worked up) and patient concerns (Am I sick? What does this ...

If you could have your genome sequenced and unlock all of the secrets your DNA holds, would you? I asked that question of Dr. Robert Daber, technical director of Clinical Genomics at the Center for Personalized Diagnostics, and Dr. Jennifer Morrissette, scientific director of the Cytogenics Lab and director of the Center for Personalized ...

On a student site I read this: ... many tests and procedures are becoming more simplified and can be conducted by physicians and even the patients themselves, thus reducing the need for clinical lab technicians and assistants in some areas of health care. An administrator once said, “The trend is toward home testing. Patients will run their ...

As a new tech working evenings I was confronted by a physician’s assistant who questioned a negative pregnancy test. She demanded that I repeat the test, and as she watched over my shoulder said, “Are you sure? Those clumps mean she is pregnant!” Our urine pregnancy test used a reverse latex agglutination method, so no agglutination meant a ...

I just saw the blockbuster movie Contagion and must say I was pretty impressed. When I watch a medical-themed movie, I always look at it with a critical eye. How factual is it? Is it authentic in terms of scenarios, equipment, procedures and vocabulary?I look for how realistically roles are portrayed. For example I tend to roll my eyes and become ...

First, it was San Francisco banning Happy Meal toys. And now it looks like New York wants to follow suit. A time.com article recently stated: ''New York City Council member Leroy G. Comrie, Jr., of Queens is leading the charge to ban kid-friendly toys from any fast-food meal that doesn't meet certain nutritional standards, arguing that the plastic ...