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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Anatomic Pathology in China Is a Booming Growth Industry

Shortage of pathologists only adds to the challenges of providing high quality anatomic pathology testing services

DATELINE: Hangzhou, China—More than 1,200 Chinese pathologists and medical laboratory scientists assembled this weekend in a city marked by 1,500 years of history. The occasion was the first-ever combined meeting of the Chinese Society of Pathology and the Pathology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association.

Across the globe, pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals regularly hear about the rapid economic growth in China. This country is modernizing at an astounding rate and the evidence is easy to see in its major cities. That is certainly true here in Hanghzou, which has a population of 8.7 million people and is the anchor city for Zhejiang Province, with a population of approximately 54.4 million. It has many new buildings in its downtown and construction cranes are visible in every direction.
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In Montreal, Clinical Pathology Laboratory Managers Urged to “Communicate Quality”

Workshop focuses on communication requirements of ISO 15189 Medical Laboratories

DATELINE: MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA—This week, microbiologists, pathologists, and clinical laboratory scientists from across Canada are gathered for the annual conference known as AMMI Canada-CACMID. Reflecting the growing attention given to quality management systems (QMS), there is a dedicated workshop on this topic.

“Communicating Quality” is the title of this special workshop, which was organized and led by Michael R. Noble, M.D., FRCPC., who heads the Program Office for Laboratory and Quality Management at the University of British Columbia. Your Dark Daily Editor, Robert L. Michel, was one of the featured speakers at this workshop.

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Medical Laboratories in Egypt Are Earning ISO 15189 Accreditation

Agreement with Germany’s INSTAND will include developing clinical lab proficiency testing program in Egypt

DATELINE: CAIRO, EGYPT—Here in Egypt’s capital city, the Egyptian Society of Laboratory Medicine (ESLM) is conducting its 22nd Annual Conference. One of Wednesday’s main sessions during this gathering of pathologists and clinical laboratory scientists centered on the topic of ISO 15189, as well as Lean and Six Sigma methods.

Your Dark Daily Editor, Robert Michel, is here in Cairo and delivered two presentations during this session. One presentation addressed growing global acceptance of ISO 15189. The second presentation discussed the adoption and use of Lean and Six Sigma by medical laboratories throughout the world. There is keen interest in ISO 15189 among Egyptian pathologists because the nation is incorporating ISO 15189 into its national program for accreditation of clinical pathology laboratories. (more…)

Clinical Pathology Laboratories Have Opportunity to Learn More about ISO 15189

A2LA, CAP, and QMP-LS to Participate in an Informational Event on January 20th

 

 

ISO 15189 is gaining a foothold among laboratories in the United States. Since the first clinical pathology laboratory in the U.S. earned accreditation to “ISO 15189:2007 Medical Laboratories” in 2008, there has been a steady increase in the number of clinical laboratories that have embarked on their own path to accreditation.

This fall, The Dark Report and Dark Daily invited all three of the organizations in North America that offer accreditation services for ISO 15189 to speak at the fourth annual Lab Quality Confab, which took place in San Antonio, Texas, on November 2-3, 2010. It marked the first time that all three of these ISO-accrediting organizations spoke in public at one time and in one place. (more…)

Clinical Pathology Laboratories Use Lean to Design “Ideal” Blood Draw Sites and Workflow

Goal is for medical laboratories to enhance patient’s phlebotomy experience


DATELINE: San Antonio, Texas—Here in the Alamo City this week, many of the nation’s most innovative clinical laboratories, pathology groups, and in vitro diagnostics manufacturers came together to share their successes in the use of Lean, Six Sigma, and similar process improvement techniques.

The occasion was the Fourth Annual Lab Quality Confab and Performance Improvement Institute. This high-energy event was notable for several reasons. First, despite a lackluster economy, attendance was up more than 20% over last year. When asked about their participation, many attendees said that their parent hospital or health system sent them to the Lab Quality Confab specifically to bring back ideas for quality improvement projects that would advance clinical care while taking costs out of laboratory operations.

More Medical Laboratories Now Use Lean and Six Sigma Methods

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