ASCLS PA Joint Annual Spring Meeting - May 7-8, 2023
 The 87th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania affiliate of American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and the Pennsylvania State Society of American Medical Technologists is being held on May 7-8, 2023. The committee working on the Annual Meeting has put a great deal of effort into planning a comprehensive program for you. You will find within these pages the best continuing education and networking opportunities in the area.
We are excited to again offer an in-person educational event. The world has become more aware of the importance of accurate, timely, and effective laboratory diagnostic testing in the midst of this global COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, ASCLS-PA and PASSAMT are dedicated to providing laboratory professionals with the continuing education they need to stay on top of our field and participate in BOC Certification Maintenance with 20 hours of PACE-approved continuing education credits through this in person meeting. We will also have a vendor hall to visit to get information about jobs, products, new instruments, and platforms they have to offer. A list of sponsors is found later in the program. A light breakfast and buffet lunch are included in your daily registration.
To stay up to date on everything ASCLS-PA, please visit us at our website, “www.ascls-pa.org.” We hope that the traditions of the past and the changes for the future will produce an enjoyable meeting for you. |
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Introducing OneLab TEST!
 Do you test or screen people for COVID-19, mpox, HIV, diabetes, or other health conditions? Whether you work or volunteer at a clinic, nursing home, school, detention facility, drive-through site, or another non-laboratory setting, we invite you to join OneLab TEST (Timely Education and Support of Testers). OneLab TEST is a new collaborative network developed to strengthen connections between the testing community and CDC to support the ever-increasing need to expand access to diagnostic testing.
OneLab TEST launches May 1 and provides support and resources to personnel who perform testing in non-laboratory settings, such as schools and drive-through sites. OneLab TEST seeks to —
- Connect the testing community and exchange lessons learned
- Train the testing community with free educational resources
- Empower testers to train and learn from one another in a community of practice
Stay tuned for more information and a link to register for OneLab TEST. In the meantime, please send questions or suggestions for training content to OneLabTEST@cdc.gov. |
 Views on Point of Care versus Core and more
CAP Today, February 2023
Point of care or core lab? An old question but a new conversation, this one between Stan Schofield, formerly of MaineHealth (until his retirement on Jan. 6), Werfen chief commercial officer Brian Durkin, and CAP TODAY publisher Bob McGonnagle (asking the questions). Here’s what they said about that and health care economics, autoimmune testing, tube supplies—and, of course, the labor shortage because it affects nearly everything in health care. “We know the labor shortage isn’t going to turn around,” Durkin said.
Read more > |
Glucometers Act as ‘Guardrail’ in Hospital’s POC testing
CAP Today, Newsbytes, December 2022
To safely and effectively extend the process of conducting point-of-care testing to staff from various hospital departments is no easy feat. That’s why four full-time employees at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles oversee POC testing, relying heavily on middleware, analytics, and exception-management tools.
The size of CHLA’s POC operations is one of its biggest challenges, says Edward Leung, PhD, core laboratory director at the hospital. CHLA has approximately 3,500 employees authorized to perform POC tests across its 401-bed hospital and six specialty care centers. And those who perform POC testing come from varied medical backgrounds and often juggle numerous responsibilities.
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Preparing Point-of-Care Testing for the Long Journey
 MLO, Dec. 2022, By Harvey W. Kaufman, MD
Driving a motor vehicle involves real-time inputs of road conditions and hazards. The same is true in healthcare: medical professionals need real-time inputs to guide decisions affecting patient outcomes. Point-of-care tests
(POCT) are an option when providing this real-time insight, helping the clinician navigate the care pathway. Like driving, POCT requires skill and attention to avoid both “potholes and accidents” and losing time on the journey.
What is point-of-care testing (POCT)?
POCT refers to ...
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 FDA Clears New Laboratory Blood Glucose Reference Analyzer from Nova Biomedical
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Nova Primary as a blood glucose reference analyzer. Nova Primary fills the need for a new glucose reference analyzer to replace the discontinued YSI STAT PLUS 2300 Glucose and L-Lactate analyzer (YSI, Inc., Yellow Springs, OH).
Manufacturers of blood glucose measuring devices and clinical diabetes researchers have relied on the YSI 2300 as a reference and correlation analyzer. However, YSI, Inc. no longer supports the analyzer, and its discontinuation has left a critical industry void. The Nova Primary analyzer fills that need. With this FDA clearance, Nova Primary is now available in the U.S. and worldwide.
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 Documenting Critical Values at the Point of Care
CLN Bench Matters: September 2022, Author: Brad S. Karon, MD, PhD, FCAP
A critical value is a laboratory value that, if not acted upon promptly, may result in patient harm. Different healthcare regulatory and accrediting organizations have developed different definitions and requirements related to critical values. Common elements include: A definition of which tests and values are defined as critical values (generally low or high abnormal results or positive qualitative results); An organized system, described in one or more policies and procedures, on how a responsible party or caregiver is notified of a critical laboratory result. The system will define which responsible parties may accept critical results; A policy and procedure on how critical results are communicated, including the steps needed to document critical value notification; An acceptable time limit for communication of critical results.
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Connectivity and data management are vital for point-of-care testing
MLO | July/August 2022 by Steven Valorz, Carol Wise MT(ASCP), Zach Fortuna, MLS, CPP, Karen Carver, MT
 As the demand for point-of-care testing (POCT) continues to grow and the testing becomes more complex, it is more important than ever to be able to track and monitor all aspects of a POCT program and get all test results into the patient record in a timely manner. The pandemic made it clear that POCT is crucial and can take place just about anywhere — retail locations, campus parking lots, physician office labs, clinics, and mobile vans. Along with expanding locations, POCT has moved far beyond just glucose and urine dipsticks.
We are now seeing devices that are usually considered ‘main lab’ moving out to these decentralized locations. No matter the location of the testing, the responsibility for the management of the testing, most often, still falls on laboratory personnel. Device connectivity and a robust data manager are imperative for a successful program by providing testing that is safe for patients and helping meet accreditation requirements.
Read more online > | Read from the MLO's digital version > |
 Jeanne Mumford, MT(ASCP) 2022 recipient of the
Point of Care Coordinator of the Year Award
The AACC CPOCT Division annually recognizes excellence demonstrated in POCT by a POC Professional. For 2022, the Division Awards Committee has recognized Jeanne Mumford, MT(ASCP) as the recipient of the Point of Care Coordinator of the Year Award!
Jeanne is a Pathology Manager for POCT for Johns Hopkins Medicine and is the President of the Keystone Point-of-Care Coordinators (KEYPOCC) in Pennsylvania. Her bio will be posted on the Division Awards page soon.
Jeanne will receive her award at the AACC Annual Meeting during CPOCT Division Membership Meeting, Tuesday, July 26th @ 6pm in the Water Tower Room at the Marriott Marquis Chicago.
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 RALS User Groups Going Back on the Road!
Face-to-face meetings are back! It's been more than 2 years since the last face-to-face RALS User Group (RUG) was held and the time has arrived to go back on the road again with all-new learning sessions! At these sessions, RALS users can meet with their colleagues for networking opportunities - Get to meet and develop relationships with your RALS peers, learn what's new and what's coming in RALS, enjoy full-day, SME led, complimentary sessions by RALS Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). In addtion, up to CEUs - 3.0 Continuing Education Units are available.
For dates and locations, click here > |
The Importance of Accurate Glucose Monitoring in Critically ill Patients
Medical Laboratory Observer, March 2022, Dennis Begos, MD
 What makes a patient “critically ill”? The term gets used often, but it can be difficult to define.
Certainly, being in an intensive care unit (ICU) should satisfy this, but, paradoxically, not every patient in the ICU is critically ill, and patients outside of the ICU setting have the potential to be considered critically ill. Very sick patients are often not in intensive care units, but throughout the hospital: emergency departments, post-anesthesia care units, operating rooms, and labor and delivery. These patients require specialized, timely, and individualized care to achieve the best outcomes.
To say that only patients residing in the ICU require this stepped-up level of care is to potentially underestimate their disease severity and overlook factors which may adversely affect outcomes. One such factor is glycemic control.
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 Lab of the Year
Medical Laboratory Observer, March 2022
Mary Greeley Medical Center Laboratory
Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO) named Mary Greeley Medical Center Laboratory Lab of the Year (LOY) for 2022. Mary Greeley Medical Center Laboratory excelled in the criteria MLO staff and its editorial advisory board judged the nominees on, which are customer service, productivity, teamwork, education and training, strategic outlook, and lab inspections.
Located in Ames, IA, Mary Greeley Medical Center is a 220-bed regional hospital that serves people in a 13-county area in Central Iowa.
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 Lab of the Year - Runner Up
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Clinical Laboratory
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) is one of the oldest and most distinguished pediatric hospitals in the United States, established in 1883. The academic pediatric acute care hospital has 634 beds.
Cincinnati Children’s clinical laboratories’ customer service efforts strive to improve child health, transform delivery of care, and achieve the best medical outcomes, experience, and value for patients.
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Validation of Point of Care Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems in Hospital Settings
 CLN JanFeb 2022 | Author: Nam K. Tran, PhD, HLCD (ABB), FAACC
Although point-of-care (POC) glucose monitoring has transformed hospital-based glycemic control programs, the use of POC glucose monitoring in critically ill populations has garnered much attention because research shows that some POC glucose meters are unsuitable for the hospital population.
Several investigations have highlighted the role of interfering substances causing inaccurate POC glucose meter measurements. Many of these interferences, such as anemia, presence of oxidizing/reducing substances, and high pO2 levels, are commonly observed in hospitalized populations,
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