Clinical Laboratory Systems

Clinical laboratory tests play an integral role in helping physicians diagnose and treat patients. New developments in laboratory technology offer the prospect of improvements in diagnosis and care, but will place an increased burden on the payment system. Medicare, the federal program providing coverage of health-care services for the elderly and disabled, is the largest payer of clinical laboratory services. Originally designed in the early 1980s, Medicare's payment policy methodology for outpatient laboratory services has not evolved to take into account technology, market, and regulatory changes, and is now outdated. This report examines the current Medicare payment methodology for outpatient clinical laboratory services in the context of environmental and technological trends, evaluates payment policy alternatives, and makes recommendations to improve the system.

This totally revised second edition is a comprehensive volume presenting authoritative information on the management challenges facing today's clinical laboratories. Provides thorough coverage of management topics such as managerial leadership, personnel, business planning, information management, regulatory management, reimbursement, generation of revenue, and more. Includes valuable administrative resources, including checklists, worksheets, forms, and online resources. Serves as an essential resource for all clinical laboratories, from the physician's office to hospital clinical labs to the largest commercial reference laboratories, providing practical information in the fields of medicine and healthcare, clinical pathology, and clinical laboratory management, for practitioners, managers, and individuals training to enter these fields.

Achieving, maintaining and improving accuracy, timeliness and reliability are major challenges for health laboratories. Countries worldwide committed themselves to build national capacities for the detection of, and response to, public health events of international concern when they decided to engage in the International Health Regulations implementation process. Only sound management of quality in health laboratories will enable countries to produce test results that the international community will trust in cases of international emergency. This handbook was developed through collaboration between the WHO Lyon Office for National Epidemic Preparedness and Response, the United States of America Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Laboratory Systems, and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). It is based on training sessions and modules provided by the CDC and WHO in more than 25 countries, and on guidelines for implementation of ISO 15189 in diagnostic laboratories, developed by CLSI. This handbook is intended to provide a comprehensive reference on Laboratory Quality Management System for all stakeholders in health laboratory processes, from management, to administration, to bench-work laboratorians. This handbook covers topics that are essential for quality management of a public health or clinical laboratory. They are based on both ISO 15189 and CLSI GP26-A3 documents. Each topic is discussed in a separate chapter. The chapters follow the framework developed by CLSI and are organized as the "12 Quality System Essentials".

This book is the first comprehensive text on utilization management in the clinical laboratory and other ancillary services. It provides a detailed overview on how to establish a successful utilization management program, focusing on such issues as leadership, governance, informatics, and application of utilization management tools. The volume also describes ways to establish utilization management programs for multiple specialties, including anatomic pathology and cytology, hematology, radiology, clinical chemistry, and genetic testing among other specialties. Numerous examples of specific utilization management initiatives are also described that can be imported to other heath care organizations. A chapter on utilization management in Canada is also included. Edited by an established national leader in utilization management, Utilization Management in the Clinical Laboratory and Other Ancillary Services is a valuable resource for physicians, pathologists, laboratory directors, hospital administrators, and medical insurance professionals looking to implement a utilization management program.

Accurate Results in the Clinical Laboratory: A Guide to Error Detection and Correction, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive review of the factors leading to errors in all areas of clinical laboratory testing. This trusted guide addresses interference issues in all laboratory tests, including patient epigenetics, processes of specimen collection, enzymes and biomarkers. Clinicians and laboratory scientists will both benefit from this reference that applies discussions to both accurate specimen analysis and optimal patient care. Hence, this is the perfect reference for clinical laboratorians, from trainees, to experienced pathologists and directors. Provides comprehensive coverage across endocrine, oncology, hematology, immunohistochemistry, immunology, serology, microbiology, and molecular testing Includes new case studies that highlight clinical relevance and errors to avoid Highlights the best titles published within a variety of medical specialties Reviewed by medical librarians and content specialists, with key selections compiled in their annual list

This is a meticulously detailed chronological record of significant events in the history of medical informatics and their impact on direct patient care and clinical research, offering a representative sampling of published contributions to the field. The History of Medical Informatics in the United States has been restructured within this new edition, reflecting the transformation medical informatics has undergone in the years since 1990. The systems that were once exclusively institutionally driven – hospital, multihospital, and outpatient information systems – are today joined by systems that are driven by clinical subspecialties, nursing, pathology, clinical laboratory, pharmacy, imaging, and more. At the core is the person – not the clinician, not the institution – whose health all these systems are designed to serve. A group of world-renowned authors have joined forces with Dr Marion Ball to bring Dr Collen’s incredible work to press. These recognized leaders in medical informatics, many of whom are recipients of the Morris F. Collen Award in Medical Informatics and were friends of or mentored by Dr Collen, carefully reviewed, editing and updating his draft chapters. This has resulted in the most thorough history of the subject imaginable, and also provides readers with a roadmap for the subject well into later in the century.