Oct 10, 2014 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Management & Operations
Some changes in red blood cells that occur within current 42-day use guidelines may not be apparent to the human eye, but offer a new way to measure the amount of oxygen that the cells can carry
At the University of Illinois (UI), researchers have developed a new method to assess the freshness and clinical effectiveness of whole blood. As these findings are validated, pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists who manage hospital blood banks may need to establish new guidelines for the use of such blood products.
Researchers at the UI campus in Urbana-Champaign stated that their findings indicate that blood stored in the laboratory or at the community blood bank may not be as fresh as it appears. They also said that the longer blood is stored, the less effective it can be in carrying oxygen into the body’s tiny microcapillaries, according to a news release issued by the UI. (more…)
Mar 7, 2014 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Pathologists and blood bankers in many hospitals are finding it easier to manage costs because, for a variety of reasons, utilization of blood and blood products has declined in recent years
Demand for blood products is declining across the nation. This is a positive trend for pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals who manage blood banks in hospitals and health systems throughout the United States.
In recent decades, blood banks regularly worried about blood shortages, particularly in light of the aging population. However, a host of new medical technologies and clinical advances has dramatically reduced the utilization of blood products. (more…)
Dec 5, 2011 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology, Managed Care Contracts & Payer Reimbursement, Management & Operations
New report determines in-home patient care can save an average of 22% over inpatient care for six different health conditions
Momentum continues to build in favor of the “Hospital in the Home”, known by the acronym HITH. For certain health conditions, this care model allows the patient to remain in his or her home, instead of staying in a hospital. Caregivers, including specialist physicians, come to the residence with almost the same frequency as occurs for hospital inpatients.
Wider adoption of this model of patient care would directly affect pathologists and clinical laboratory managers who work in hospital laboratories. Over time, it could mean fewer inpatient admissions and thus, less medical laboratory test volumes for inpatient services. On the other hand, more HITH patients would increase the need to collect specimens in patient’s homes and get them to a local clinical laboratory for testing. Hospital-based medical laboratories—because they are central to the communities they serve—would be well-positioned to provide this diagnostic testing.
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