The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a three-to 10-month national shortage of Aplisol (Par Pharmaceuticals; Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.), one of two purified-protein derivative … [Read more...]
PUBLIC HEALTH
CDC Announces Shortage of TB Skin Test Antigen, New TB Testing Guidelines
August 12, 2019
COMPLIANCE PLANS
OIG Monthly Work Plan Review: July 2019
July 29, 2019
This month there is only one new Work Plan item. Although it doesn't directly impact laboratory operations, it may be of interest to some labs. Quality of Maternal Healthcare in Indian Health Service … [Read more...]
INDUSTRY BUZZ
Google This: Labs Partner with Tech Giant
July 28, 2019
In recent months, several diagnostic companies have announced alliances with Google, and all involve Google Cloud Platform. Here is how four companies are using Google's … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE PLANS
OIG Monthly Work Plan Review: June 2019
July 22, 2019
This month, there were seven new Work Plan items. Two of these, detailed below, may have implications for some labs. Opioid Use in Medicare Part D in 2018 Issue: The opioid crisis remains a public … [Read more...]
TESTING TRENDS
Raising Urinary Tract Infection Threshold Cuts Unnecessary Antibiotic Use, Without Harming Patients
July 8, 2019
Raising the laboratory threshold for identifying potential urinary tract infections (UTIs) may prevent unnecessary antibiotic treatment in nearly a third of asymptomatic bacteriuria and candiduria … [Read more...]
FOCUS ON
New Project Aims to Provide Legal Guidance Needed to Do Business in Genomics
July 1, 2019
Technology changes faster than the laws designed to regulate it. Thus, while DNA testing has changed medicine and fueled growth in the lab industry, it has also created new legal challenges that few … [Read more...]
NEWS
FDA Watch: Agency Okays Marketing of Zika Test for First Time
June 24, 2019
Over the past several years, the FDA has issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for over a dozen different tests for Zika. But on May 23, 2019, the FDA did something it had never done before: It … [Read more...]
PUBLIC HEALTH
HCV Testing Uptake “Limited” Even Among Baby Boomers
June 24, 2019
Only one in six baby boomers report having been tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV)< despite recommendations for universal screening, according to a brief report published in the April issue of … [Read more...]
PUBLIC HEALTH
Partnerships, IT Solutions Improve Infectious Disease Diagnostic Stewardship
June 10, 2019
Appropriate use of testing is becoming a greater challenge, given the growing number of available diagnostic tests and their increasing complexity. While unnecessary or inappropriate testing can lead … [Read more...]
EMERGING TESTS
Improved Accuracy of Point-of-Care HbA1c Tests May Expand Access to Testing
May 28, 2019
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared POC Afinion HbA1c Dx test (Alere Technologies a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories) is accurate and precise for diagnosing diabetes using both fingerstick … [Read more...]
