How to Keep Up With the Latest Trends in Lab Medicine

For clinical laboratory scientists, keeping up with what's new in science, technology, management, and regulatory affairs comes with the territory. That's why AACC continues to add new educational programming to its calendar all year long! Here's what we've just added to our fall lineup of webinars.

IQCP and Reimbursement

Throughout 2013, Clinical Laboratory News has featured stories on the Individualized Quality Control Plan (IQCP), a new QC alternative based on risk management principles that was recently launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). On November 14, during the webinar, "CMS, Customized QC, and the Clinical Lab," CLIA Administrator Judy Yost, MA, MT(ASCP), will discuss the advantages of using the IQCP and provide information on how CMS plans to survey labs that choose to use the new QC alternative.

Reimbursement for laboratory testing has also been in the news lately. To provide the most recent information on this issue, and to examine what other factors are likely to affect laboratory test reimbursement next year, AACC has added "Reimbursement 2014: Survival Strategies for Today's Lab" to its fall webinar lineup. The program, featuring reimbursement experts Charles Root, PhD, and Peter Kazon, is slated for December 4.

Managing Costs, QC, and POCT

With laboratory test reimbursement a constant target for payers who want to cut their costs, the challenge of managing shrinking budgets continues to plague laboratory managers. The December 12 webinar, "Curbing the Cost of Reference Lab Testing," will help labs make the most of their send-out test budgets. Yan Zhang, PhD, is the featured presenter.

Reducing pre-analytical errors is also a good way for labs to control costs, and Ken Blick, PhD, will provide advice on "Getting Specimens Labeled Correctly…Every Time" during his November 5 webinar.

Another fall webinar, "Achieving Concordance Between POC Test Results and Central Lab Test Results," focuses on quality assurance issues and features Brad Karon, MD, PhD. Clinicians expect laboratory test results to be reliable, regardless of whether the test is performed in the central laboratory or at the point of care (POC). During this webinar, Karon will discuss common sources of error affecting POC test results and how these contribute to discordance between central laboratory and POC methods. He will also provide guidance on when it is clinically important to achieve concordance between the results of a POC assay and its central laboratory counterpart (and when it is not), and will identify strategies for overcoming the challenges labs face when attempting to achieve concordance between test methods. The webinar, which is co-sponsored by AACC and Seattle Children's Hospital, takes place November 21, and will be moderated by Michael Astion, MD, PhD.

Astion will also be moderating an October 15 webinar, "Modern Approaches to Quality Control: Moving Averages and Beyond." The speaker, Mark Cervinski, PhD, will describe how labs can use patient samples to improve their QC processes and is also co-sponsored by AACC and Seattle Children's Hospital. Educational grants from Randox Laboratories U.S. Limited and Bio-Rad Laboratories fund the program.

The Latest in Lab Science

AACC's fall lineup of webinars provides access to newsmakers in several areas of lab science. Our new Biomarkers of Acute Cardiovascular Diseases Division is co-sponsoring a November 19th webinar, "hs-cTn and the Changing Algorithm for Rapid Rule-Out of AMI," that explores whether absolute high-sensitivity troponin measurements can be used to streamline the assessment of chest pain patients in the emergency department. The division leadership selected world-renowned cardiologist Tobias Reichlin, MD, as the speaker for the program.

On November 26, AACC is offering the webinar, "Current Issues in Prenatal Screening." During the webinar, Christopher Robinson, PhD, will provide information on current best practices in prenatal screening, and will also explore exciting new tests that are quickly coming into clinical use.

Other new technologies to be explored in upcoming webinars include multiplex testing for respiratory viruses, new sepsis diagnostics testing algorithms, and the changing role of hepatitis C virus testing (supported by a grant from Roche Diagnostics).

Register Today!

For a comprehensive list of AACC's fall webinars and to register, please visit the AACC website.