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

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?

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

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...

Outpatient Visits to Hospitals Decline Year-to-Year for First Time in 35 Years, Affecting Clinical Laboratories and Other In-hospital Services

Non-hospital-owned ambulatory care providers continue to take revenue from hospitals, as more patients choose urgent care centers and other options over emergency rooms Thanks to the popularity of urgent care clinics and other non-hospital-based ambulatory care providers, the year-over-year growth in the number of hospital outpatient visits has been on the decline for decades. Dark Daily has covered this trend in many e-briefings over the years. But now, for the first time since 1983,...

Anatomic Pathologists Who Work in Independent Reference Laboratories Can Now Provide Diagnostic Services for CLIA-Approved Hospitals without Need for Additional Credentialing and Privileging

The Joint Commission’s recent alteration to the Introduction to Leadership (LD) Standard LD.04.03.09 makes it easier for off-site and independent reference laboratories to service CLIA-hospitals and other CLIA-approved healthcare facilities Anatomic pathologists working for reference laboratories can now provide diagnostic services to hospitals, critical-access hospitals, and ambulatory care facilities in the US based on the organization’s Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)...
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