Harvard Medical School Study Finds ‘Staggering’ Amounts of Genetic Diversity in Human Microbiome; Might Be Useful in Diagnostics and Precision Medicine
Half of the genes identified were found to be singletons, unique to specific individuals, offering the possibility of developing precision medicine therapies targeted to specific patients, as well as clinical laboratory tests Microbiologists and other medical...
Canadian Scientists and Medical Researchers Urge Health Canada to Regulate Laboratory-developed Tests
Lack of regulations and quality management jeopardizes the quality and safety of LDTs, claim experts in clinical laboratory medicine in a commentary to Canadian policymakers Health Canada is the latest government healthcare organization under pressure to enact...
New CRISPR Gene-editing Approach Under Development at Broad Institute Could Lead to Improved Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics for Genetic Diseases
‘Prime editing’ is what researchers are calling the proof-of-concept research that promises improved diagnostics and more effective treatments for patients with genetic defects What if it were possible to edit genetic code and literally remove a person’s risk for...
Nebula Genomics Offers Anonymous Sequencing to Increase Privacy and Transparency in Genetic Testing
By offering a way for customers to have their DNA sequenced without any fear of being identified, Nebula Genomics hopes to revive interest in personal genetics Nebula Genomics is introducing a new model for genetic sequencing that emphasizes privacy and consumer...
As Accreditation Inspections of Clinical Laboratories Become Tougher, Innovative Labs Use Internal Audits and Continuous Quality Improvements to Help Prevent Deficiencies
Savvy medical laboratory managers conduct internal audits of processes involved in deficiency citations so they can uncover how deficiencies occur and help eliminate recurrences One trend that places clinical laboratories at risk involves increased regulation of lab...
UK’s NHS Will Use Amazon Alexa to Deliver Official Health Advice to Patients in the United Kingdom
Since Alexa is now programed to be compliant with HIPAA privacy rules, it’s likely similar voice assistance technologies will soon become available in US healthcare as well Shortages of physicians and other types of caregivers—including histopathologists and pathology...
As Primary Care Providers and Health Insurers Embrace Telehealth, How Will Clinical Laboratories Provide Medical Lab Testing Services?
When patients use telehealth, how do they choose medical laboratories for lab test orders their virtual doctors have authorized? Doctors On Demand is expanding the nation’s primary care services by launching a virtual care telehealth platform for health insurers and...
Maze Therapeutics Uses CRISPR to Identify Genetic Modifiers That Could Lead to Precision Medicine Companion Diagnostics for Clinical Laboratories
With $191 million in startup capital, the genomics startup will draw on existing genetic databases to create personalized medicine therapies for chronic diseases Why do some people get sick while others do not? That’s what genetic researchers at Maze Therapeutics want...
Binary Fountain Survey Finds 70% of Millennials Share Their Healthcare Experiences Online and 70% of Americans Say Online Reviews Influence Their Healthcare Choices
Online reputation management is increasingly becoming a critical function that all providers, including clinical laboratories, must address or risk losing revenue Recent surveys cite growing evidence that Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and online review sites such as Yelp...
Medicare’s Independence at Home Program Saves Federal Government Millions While Paying Millions to Health Providers That Meet Quality Benchmarks
This CMS pilot program is another opportunity for clinical laboratories to provide medical lab test services and collect specimens outside of traditional sites of healthcare services Clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups are once again reminded to...
Could Biases in Artificial Intelligence Databases Present Health Risks to Patients and Financial Risks to Healthcare Providers, including Medical Laboratories?
Clinical laboratories working with AI should be aware of ethical challenges being pointed out by industry experts and legal authorities Experts are voicing concerns that using artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare could present ethical challenges that need to be...
Recently published White Paper provides laboratory professionals with indispensable insights regarding the challenges associated with installing, converting, and interfacing an LIS
Because all labs are now routinely being asked to do more with less, independent and hospital laboratories are urgently compelled to invest resources in a major laboratory information implementation or upgrade. A recent market report shows that this demand for a...
Are Recent Predictions Regarding the Future of Healthcare Positive or Negative for Clinical Laboratories?
Medical laboratories that develop appropriate clinical strategies may find opportunities to leverage several new technologies expected to have a big impact on providers Industry experts often speculate how developing technologies will impact healthcare. However,...
Preparing Clinical Laboratories for Invasive Federal Enforcement of Fraud and Abuse Laws, Increased Scrutiny by Private Payers, New Education Audits, and More
Medical laboratory leaders need to take opportunities to stay abreast of government and payer activity, particularly as payer audits become tougher, say legal experts Even compliant clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups are reporting tougher audits and...
17 Former Employees Accuse Orig3n of Clinical Laboratory Test Inaccuracies, Contamination, and Fabricated Test Results
This is not the first time genetic-testing company Orig3n has been scrutinized by state and federal investigators over its business practices It’s not often that multiple employees of a clinical laboratory company go public with criticism about the quality of their...
Medical Tourism Lowers Healthcare Costs for Companies and Their Employees, But Is It Good Medicine for Patients and Can Clinical Laboratories Participate?
Some companies save so much in healthcare cost they pay their employees to participate in medical tourism programs Medical tourism is not new, but it’s changing, and clinical laboratories have a role to play in the models employers use to save money on their...
Two New Definitive Healthcare Surveys Show Use of Inpatient Telehealth is Outpacing Outpatient Telehealth Services
Medical laboratories may find opportunities guiding hospital telehealth service physicians in how clinical lab tests are ordered and how the test results are used to select the best therapies Telehealth is usually thought of as a way for patients in remote settings to...
FREE SPECIAL EDITION WHITE PAPER | Clinical Laboratory Information System Implementation Brief: What You Need to Know About LIS Installations, Conversions, and Interface Projects
A recent LIS market report shows that demand for a modern LIS is driven by a number of factors: acceleration of laboratory automation, the need for improved lab efficiency, advances in integrated functionality, importance of compliance with regulatory requirements, and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases.
Indeed, because all laboratories are now routinely being asked to do more with less, these and numerous other urgent reasons are compelling independent and hospital laboratories to invest resources in a major laboratory information implementation or upgrade.
Pathologist, Neurosurgeon, and Critical Care Specialist Face Criminal Charges in the Deaths of Dozens of Patients
Could local and federal prosecutors ask clinical laboratories to disclose information on their client physicians’ test-ordering activities when investigating medical errors? Are physicians facing greater risk of criminal indictments when one of their patients dies,...
New Player in Market for Laboratory Information System Products Acquires Orchard Software
Sale of respected laboratory information system company may be an early sign that investors believe clinical laboratories and pathology groups are ready to upgrade their LISs and add needed capabilities In the past 10 years there has been little disruption to the...
Wellcome Sanger Institute Study Discovers New Strain of C. Difficile That Targets Sugar in Hospital Foods and Resists Standard Disinfectants
Researchers believe new findings about genetic changes in C. difficile are a sign that it is becoming more difficult to eradicate Hospital infection control teams, microbiologists, and clinical laboratory professionals soon may be battling a strain of Clostridium...
As the Public Becomes More Aware of the Large Variability in how Clinical Laboratories Price Their Tests, All Labs Need Strategy for Complying with CMS’ Pricing Transparency Requirements
Journalists, researchers, and a growing number of consumers now recognize the often huge variability in the prices different medical laboratories charge for the same lab tests One step at a time, the Medicare program, private health insurers, and employers are putting...
Veritas Genetics Drops Its Price for Clinical-Grade Whole-Genome Sequencing to $599, as Gene Sequencing Costs Continue to Fall
Low prices to encourage consumers to order its WGS service is one way Veritas co-founder and genetics pioneer George Church hopes to sequence 150,000 genomes by 2021 By announcing an annotated whole-genome sequencing (WGS) service to consumers for just $599, Veritas...
EBRC Report Offers a 20-Year Synthetic Biology Roadmap That Could Lead to New Diagnostic Technologies for Clinical Laboratories, Pathologists
The 80 scientists and engineers that comprise the consortium believe synthetic biology can address key challenges in health and medicine, but technical hurdles remain Synthetic biology now has a 20-year development roadmap. Many predict this fast-moving field of...
CMS Releases Revision to State Operations Manual Special Procedures for Laboratories
Presenters at the 13th Annual Lab Quality Confab 2019 discussed the negative impact of disparities between medical laboratory processes and SOPs ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2019—Several weeks ago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quietly released...
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