Do you have an idea for a 2021 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting session that pushes the boundaries of laboratory medicine? If yes, submit your proposal today.

One lab professional wants to know if anyone uses separate reference ranges for serum and whole blood ionized calcium or if other labs just use the same range for both. One respondent’s lab uses different reference intervals because his lab uses different instruments for serum vs. whole blood. He added, though, that each lab will need to determine on their own whether their instruments for serum and whole blood need to be interpreted using different reference intervals, or whether the same interval can be used for both.

“How much does that test cost?” is a seemingly simple question, but in reality the answer can be bewildering depending on one’s perspective and what is meant by “cost.”