Aug 23, 2013 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Management & Operations
Elements of Obamacare specifically support employer programs designed to improve the health of employees
Who would have believed that, after passage of the Affordable Care Act back in 2010, a fast-growing trend would be that of employers spending more money to develop employee wellness programs and offer medical clinics within corporate facilities? At a minimum, this development creates new opportunities for clinical laboratories to be direct providers of medical laboratory testing services to corporations.
Employee Wellness Programs Incorporate Medical Laboratory Testing
There is a simple reason why employers are jumping on the employee wellness bandwagon. Evidence demonstrates that incentivizing employees to live a healthier lifestyle can help reduce the cost of providing health insurance. It can also contribute to less absenteeism and increased employee productivity, both of which are important benefits to employers.
New data affirming this trend can be found in the 2013 Health Care Survey conducted annually by AON. AON is a global re-insurer that provides risk management services, insurance, and human resources solutions. About half of all U.S. employers now offer employee wellness programs, according to a recent study by Rand Corp., an independent think tank based in Santa Monica, California.
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Sep 9, 2011 | Instruments & Equipment, Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment, Laboratory News, Laboratory Operations, Laboratory Pathology
Recent advances in breath analyzer technologies may give pathologists new diagnostic tools
Does breath analysis have a promising future in pathology and clinical laboratory testing? That day may not be far off. Scientists in multiple research laboratories are developing cost-effective, non-invasive diagnostic test technologies based on breath specimens from patients.
Researchers say that breath analysis can provide critical information in real time and deliver numerous advantages over fluid and image-based testing. In fact, glucose testing via breath specimen may be just around the corner!
On May 31, 2011, Xhale, Inc. was issued a patent for its system and method for non-invasive monitoring of glucose concentrations in blood to provide critical information in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. The Xhale system consists of a small handheld device that analyzes exhaled breath condensate. (more…)
Apr 29, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Officials in Mexico were criticized as being slow to respond to the spread of A/H1N1 swine flu on Tuesday, April 28. Mexico was reported to have failed to deliver medicine to the families of the dead, two weeks after the first confirmed death from the flu, the Associated Press reported. Also, the government had not determined where the outbreak began or how it spread, the AP said. In Mexico, 159 people may have died of swine flu, but only seven of these deaths have been verified as A/H1N1 by laboratory tests, the New York Times reported today (April 29).
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