News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel

News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

Hosted by Robert Michel
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Most Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups are Under Pressure to Cut Costs and Deal with Shrinking Budgets for 2015

The challenge facing medical lab managers and pathologists is to intelligently cut costs in their labs without laying off med techs, histotechs, and other lab scientists

By any measure, this year’s budget season is a tough one for the nation’s clinical laboratories and pathology groups. Most labs are scrambling to adjust to reduced reimbursement and directives from their parent hospitals and health systems to shrink their lab budgets for 2015.

It’s why smart cost-cutting tops the list of challenges at all medical laboratory managers and pathologists. Lab leaders need effective approaches to trim spending in their lab without the need to lay off skilled medical technologists and other experienced lab scientists. (more…)

American Esoteric Laboratories Partners with the Department of Defense to Help Military Medical Laboratory Technicians Find Civilian Jobs

Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers can tap into this highly skilled pool of medical lab technicians as servicemen and women reenter the U.S. workforce

Returning veterans who are experienced medical lab technicians are having trouble finding employers that recognize and credit their military training and experience. Clinical laboratories now actively recruiting lab technicians will want to learn more about the availability of these qualified candidates in their communities.

One medical laboratory company already partners with a Department of Defense (DoD) program to help match skilled veteran jobseekers with private sector employers. That is American Esoteric Laboratories, a division of Sonic Healthcare USA. The existence of this program means that pathologists and clinical laboratory managers may be overlooking a ready source of highly skilled laboratory workers.

Combat Medics and Military Lab Technicians (more…)

Medical Laboratory Technician Makes the 2013 Ten Least Stressful Jobs List

Medical laboratory technicians, as well as pathologists, clinical laboratory managers and medical technologists, may disagree that MLT is a low-risk, low-stress job

Medical laboratory technicians, rejoice. Your vocation has been officially proclaimed one of the least stressful jobs for 2013. Do you agree?

According to online career site, CareerCast.com, medical laboratory technician ranked number 5 on the list of the 10 least stressful jobs for this year. Forbes.com reported the story.

Difference between Medical Laboratory Technicians, MTs, and CLSs

Before going further, it is helpful for DarkDaily.com readers to be reminded that news reporters and journalists often fail to make the distinction that there are significant differences in the education and competencies of medical technologists (MT) and clinical laboratory scientists (CLS), as compared to medical laboratory technicians. For that reason, readers should extend some forbearance to the authors of the CareerCast.com list of least stressful jobs for 2013.

Medical laboratory personnel might be amused to learn that MLTs are in good—or at least eclectic—company. Sharing top honors for least anxiety-producing métiers are university professor, tailor, librarian and drill press operator.

med-tech low stress best jobs

Many clinical laboratory professionals may not agree that the position of medical laboratory technician is stress-free enough to included on CareerCast.com’s list of the top ten stress-free jobs for 2013. (Photo by MedicalLaboratoryTechnicianHub.com)

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Seven Emerging Life Science Clusters in the United States May Provide Business Opportunities for Clinical Pathology Laboratories

Local medical laboratories and pathology groups can often contract to provide certain services to nearby biotechnology firms

Clinical laboratories and pathology groups lucky enough to be located near one of the nation’s recognized “life science clusters” have an opportunity to create useful business relationships with the pharmaceutical firms, biotechnology companies, and medical device businesses that operate within these clusters.

Biotech firms located in these life science clusters often need some of the medical laboratory testing services commonly offered by local clinical laboratories. Relationships developed for these reasons can often open the door for medical laboratories—particularly in academic centers—to play other roles in helping develop new in vitro diagnostic (IVD) technologies for clinical applications. (more…)

Mobile Medical Laboratory Brings High-Complexity Infectious Disease Testing to South Africa’s Remote Regions

Immediate access to TB and HIV testing means faster diagnosis and treatment for patients in remote areas

Use of a new mobile medical laboratory is boosting access to quality diagnostic testing for patients in remote areas of South Africa, while slashing turnaround times and courier costs. This German-built mobile clinical laboratory performs high complexity testing and may provide a new model for diagnostic testing for other developing countries.

Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT) in Saarland, Germany, built the $2 million mobile medical laboratory in collaboration with the government of the Western Cape, a province in southwest South Africa.

The clinical lab-on-wheels operates as an extension of the Caledon Hospital. This is a 75-bed community hospital located in the Overberg district, about 62 miles east of Cape Town. Specimens are sent to the mobile laboratory from health facilities in the surrounding area.

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