Italian Scientists Train Dogs to Detect Presence or Absence of COVID-19 in Humans with Remarkable Accuracy

Dogs’ acute sense of smell can even surpass effectiveness of some clinical laboratory testing in detecting certain diseases in humans When it comes to COVID-19 testing, a recent Italian study demonstrates that trained dogs can detect SARS-CoV-2 with accuracy comparable to rapid molecular tests used in clinical laboratories. The researchers wanted to determine if dogs could be more effective at screening people for COVID-19 at airports, schools, and other high-traffic environments as a way to...

US Hospitals Continue to Be Squeezed by Shortage of Nurses, Rising Salaries

It is more than a shortage of nurses, as most clinical laboratories report the same shortages of medical technologists and increased labor costs Just as hospital-based clinical laboratories are unable to hire and retain adequate numbers of medical technologists (MTs) and clinical laboratory scientists (CLSs), the nursing shortage is also acute. Compounding the challenge of staffing nurses is the rapid rise in the salaries of nurses because hospitals need nurses to keep their emergency...

Walgreens Continues Expansion into Primary Care as VillageMD Acquires Starling Physicians Group with 30 Locations in Connecticut

Expect there to be more clinical laboratory testing at pharmacies as retail pharmacy chains expand their primary care offerings Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) of Deerfield, Illinois, continues to expand its primary care footprint with VillageMD’s latest acquisition of Starling Physicians, a multi-specialty physicians group with 30 locations in Connecticut, according to a VillageMD news release. Walgreens is the majority owner of VillageMD, which now has more than 700 medical centers,...

Orlando Health’s New Hospital-in-the-Home Program Brings Quality Healthcare to Patients in the Comfort of their Homes

New federal funds likely to spark additional growth in hospital-at-home programs across the US while creating need for clinical laboratories to serve these homebound patients In one of the latest examples of health systems’ providing acute care to patients outside of traditional hospital settings, Orlando Health announced its launch of the Orlando Health Hospital Care at Home program serving central Florida. Clinical laboratory testing is included in the program, which is currently being...

Military’s Fifth Health System Market Cuts Costs by Keeping Pathology Services ‘On-base’

Even US military clinical laboratories strive to cut costs, protect quality, and improve outcomes Defense Health Agency (DHA), a part of the federal Department of Defense (DOD), recently launched a plan to consolidate healthcare facilities within certain geographical regions and to unify and integrate the military’s clinical laboratory operations in those areas. The goal is to streamline efficiencies and lower costs while maintaining quality lab testing services.  The DOD operates a nationwide...
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