Costco Begins Selling an At-Home Self-Collection COVID-19 Test Kit; One of 12 Kits That Have Received FDA Emergency Use Authorization

Nov 16, 2020 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

It’s the latest example of how the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is making it possible for new competitors to enter the clinical laboratory marketplace In response to increasing demand for COVID-19 testing, warehouse retailer Costco (NASDAQ:COST) is seizing the opportunity to sell at-home saliva self-collection test kits to its customers. It makes Costco the latest company to enter the market for SARS-CoV-2 testing and compete against clinical laboratories. And these non-invasive tests—which are...

Travel Restrictions Spur Four US Airlines to Get Into COVID-19 Testing, But Will Clinical Laboratories Get this Testing Business?

Nov 13, 2020 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations

United Airlines creates pilot program for on-site rapid PCR tests, as other airlines facilitate at-home specimen collection for rapid coronavirus testing Four US airlines attempting to recover lost business due to the COVID-19 pandemic are partnering with developers of rapid RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests to facilitate testing of passengers either at airports before they board their flights, at drive-through testing sites, or at-home in advance of scheduled...

McKinsey and Company Says the COVID-19 Pandemic is Accelerating Six Critical Trends in Healthcare, at Least One Which Would Benefit Anatomic Pathologists

Nov 9, 2020 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Instruments & Equipment, International Laboratory News, International Laboratory News, Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Sales and Marketing, Laboratory Testing, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily, Precision Medicine

Clinical laboratory and pathology groups that support ambulatory and virtual care, and urgent care and retail clinics may experience growth Global management consulting company McKinsey and Company’s report, “The Great Acceleration In Healthcare: Six Trends to Heed,” identifies six trends in healthcare that are accelerating due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical laboratory managers and pathology practice administrators should consider how these trends may affect their business and...

Three Federal Agencies Warn Healthcare Providers of Pending Ransomware Attacks; Clinical Laboratories Advised to Assess Their Cyberdefenses

Nov 6, 2020 | Compliance, Legal, and Malpractice, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily

Sophisticated cyberattacks have already hit hospitals and healthcare networks in Oregon, California, New York, Vermont, and other states Attention medical laboratory managers and pathology group administrators: It’s time to ramp up your cyberdefenses. The FBI, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint advisory (AA20-302A) warning US hospitals, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare...

Researchers at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital Develop a Non-Invasive Liquid Biopsy Blood Test to Detect and Monitor Common Brain Tumors in Adults

Nov 4, 2020 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily

Breakthrough assay a ‘tenfold improvement over any prior assay for TERT mutations in the blood for brain tumors,’ MGH says in an affirmation of a diagnostic technology clinical labs might soon use In recent years, investors have poured tens of millions of dollars into companies that promised to create non-invasive cancer tests which use liquid biopsy technology. Medical laboratory scientists even watched some of these companies hype their particular liquid biopsy tests before clinical studies...

Clinical Laboratories Need Creative Staffing Strategies to Keep and Attract Hard-to-Find Medical Technologists, as Demand for COVID-19 Testing Increases

Nov 2, 2020 | Laboratory Hiring & Human Resources, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Laboratory Testing, Management & Operations, News From Dark Daily

Critical shortages in medical laboratory workers and supplies are yet to be offset by new applicants and improved supply chains. But there is cause for hope. Medical laboratory scientists (aka, medical technologists) can be hard to find and retain under normal circumstances. During the current coronavirus pandemic, that’s becoming even more challenging. As demand for COVID-19 tests increases, clinical laboratories need more technologists and lab scientists with certifications, skills, and...