A Managed Care Organization (MCO) wants to pay providers incentives to increase early and periodic screenings, diagnostic and treatment (EPSDT) services to Medicaid patients. Payments are capitated, … [Read more...]
UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT
You Make the Call: Incentivizing MDs to Order More Early Screening Tests
December 17, 2018
PUBLIC HEALTH
FDA Watch: Agency Approves New Flu Tests and Drug
December 14, 2018
As the flu season begins, the FDA has issued significant approvals of new products for diagnosing and treating the disease. New Flu Assays On October 24, Abbott announced that the FDA has granted … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE PLANS
OIG Monthly Work Plan Review: November 2018
December 3, 2018
This month, there were six new Work Plan items, two of which have implications for at least some labs. 1. CDC's Oversight of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Funds Issue: Through the … [Read more...]
GUIDELINES
Ideal Age of Last Cervical Cancer Screening Depends on Test Type
November 26, 2018
With the adoption of cotesting—human papillomavirus (HPV) plus Pap cytology—cervical cancer screening methodology has focused primarily on the preferred frequency of combined testing. However, a new … [Read more...]
TESTING TRENDS
MSSA Screening Program Cuts Infections in NICUs
November 26, 2018
An active methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) screening and decolonization program in the neonatal intensive care (NICU) unit can lead to a sustained reduction in the incidence of clinical S. … [Read more...]
TESTING STRATEGY
Penicillin Allergy Testing Underused, Could Lead to Cost Savings
November 26, 2018
Once a patient is labeled as having a penicillin allergy, it is rarely revisited. The label sticks and increases the patient's risk of receiving subsequent suboptimal, alternative antibiotic therapy, … [Read more...]
TESTING STRATEGY
FDA Enabling New Point-of-Care Tests for Ebola Outbreak, Flu Season
November 26, 2018
Several recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actions are bringing point-of-care (POC) infectious disease tests closer to patient care. These recent regulatory wins are enabling more rapid … [Read more...]
TESTING TRENDS
Multiplex, Point-of-Care Test for STIs Could Offer Public Health Benefits
November 12, 2018
Point-of-care (POC) testing that could simultaneously identify multiple sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could be a valuable addition to sexual health clinics, according to a U.K. study … [Read more...]
TESTING STRATEGY
Evidence Suggests Need for Expanded HCV Testing, Particularly Coupled With Opioid Screening in Young People
November 5, 2018
Current hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening strategies may not be adequate in the face of the opioid epidemic. Previous screening guidelines have focused on reaching the estimated 2.7 million persons … [Read more...]
FUTURELAB
Mindset Shift Moves Labs from Transactions to Insights
October 25, 2018
How do you plan for the future in a rapidly changing environment? That is the big task that laboratories are being asked to do. There is no roadmap, yet their financial livelihood is dependent upon … [Read more...]
