The COVID-19 outbreak caught the country and the world totally off guard. And even as the pandemic intensifies, the lessons from those first crucial months hold the key to managing not only … [Read more...]
Testing Trends
Report Analyzes Federal Health Programs’ COVID-19 Testing Efforts in First Months of Pandemic
February 11, 2021
DTC
Research Supports Viability of Using Health Data from Consumer Wearables to Diagnose COVID-19
November 24, 2020
That Fitbit, smartwatch or other device that many of us wear around our wrist to count our steps, calories burned and other fitness metrics on a daily basis may prove to be an ideal tool for … [Read more...]
Inside the Lab Industry
Equity Fund Acquires Controlling Stake in Ancestry.com as Demand for At-Home Genetic Testing Fades
November 2, 2020
Many believe that the boom for direct to consumer genetic testing had passed even before the pandemic began. Still, the sector is abuzz with strategic activity. In August, private equity firm … [Read more...]
Data
Genomic Testing Utilization Is Low & Geographically Inconsistent but Not Just Due to Payor Coverage
October 8, 2020
Genomic testing is inconsistently utilized in the U.S., even in states with favorable coverage policies. Those are the findings of a report from the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) released in … [Read more...]
DATA
UK Antibodies Prevalence Study Suggests that Minorities Contract COVID-19 at Disproportionately Higher Rates
September 3, 2020
Many have suggested that minority populations have suffered adverse effects from COVID-19 disproportionate numbers. An August study from the United Kingdom provides powerful evidence to support this … [Read more...]
Precision Medicine
New ACOG Guidelines Recommend cfDNA-Based NIPT for All Pregnancies, Not Just Risky Ones
August 29, 2020
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has revised its position on noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and is now recommending prenatal aneuploidy screening for all pregnant … [Read more...]
Market Trends
COVID-19 Fuels Massive & Sustainable Growth in Molecular Diagnostics
August 7, 2020
While it may be decimating demand for most lab tests, COVID-19 is driving incredible growth in molecular testing. The global market for molecular diagnostics will top $13 billion in 2020, about $5 … [Read more...]
Compliance Briefing
How to Comply with the New HHS COVID-19 Test Data Reporting Rules
July 3, 2020
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has ordered labs that perform COVID-19 testing to report test data to state and local public health agencies by August 1, 2020. What makes the … [Read more...]
GAO Report
Federal COVID-19 Testing Data Collection Effort Has Been Ineffective
July 3, 2020
The federal government has done a poor job of collecting and reporting COVID-19 testing data to the CDC since the pandemic began. That’s the conclusion of a U.S. Government and Accountability Office … [Read more...]
New Laws
HHS Requires Labs to Report Extensive & Unprecedented COVID-19 Testing Data by August 1
June 17, 2020
Three months into the pandemic, HHS has decided that it would be a good idea for labs that perform COVID-19 testing to report not only test results but other real-time data that labs generally don’t … [Read more...]
