<![CDATA[TEXAS ASSOCIATION FOR CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE - Blog]]>Sun, 31 Mar 2024 20:39:40 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Molecular diagnostics in the medical laboratory in real time]]>Fri, 09 Jul 2021 14:51:38 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/molecular-diagnostics-in-the-medical-laboratory-in-real-time- Ericka C. Hendrix, PH.D. and Rodney E. Rohde, PH.D.

Dr. Rodney E. Rohde is a contributing author for the American Society for Microbiology. In this article, Dr. Rohde and Dr. Hendrix discuss the role of Molecular Diagnostics in our profession. 

asm.org/Articles/2021/July/Molecular-Diagnostics-in-the-Medical-Laboratory-in

Feel free to share with colleagues, students, and alumni.]]><![CDATA[how the internet can be used to promote the profession]]>Thu, 22 Apr 2021 01:37:20 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/how-the-internet-can-be-used-to-promote-the-professionby Joanna F. Miranda, MLS(ASCP)CM and Byanca Narro, MLS(ASCP)CM
Provided by ASCLS Today: We are the Future Vol. 35 Number 2, April 2021

Who would have thought that a little over six months after our graduation from Texas State University, a pandemic would ensue and change the course of the rest of our lives? Due to SARS-CoV-2, we’ve now become instrumental in the testing for COVID-19 and have received a lot of praise for the work we do on the frontlines. But does the public really understand who we are and what we do? It’s debatable.

Many of the friends and family that we speak to assume we just collect specimens, push buttons, and print out results. What many don’t understand is that we actually analyze each specimen that comes into the laboratory, critically think about the results that the instruments give us, and then interpret these results to other healthcare professionals. Due to the pandemic, medical laboratory professionals have received more visibility as compared to previous years. The public is beginning to realize who we are, what we do, and how vital our roles are to patient care.

Now that we have received some recognition in the world, it’s time for laboratory professionals to speak up! We need to promote our profession. When kids are asked what they want to be, they often respond with nurse, surgeon, or pharmacist. As important as those healthcare professions are, those jobs simply cannot be done without the laboratory. We believe that we speak for all laboratorians when we say that our biggest pet peeve is when we tell somebody we work in a lab, and they automatically think and respond, “Oh, so you draw blood?” Of course, as medical lab scientists and technicians, our area of expertise is so much more than that. We need more appreciation and recognition of who we are on the healthcare team.

Many of us lab nerds tend to be introverted or reserved and accept the short end of the stick in the medical world. Many of our colleagues don’t even know that we have to obtain a degree before joining this profession. During the pandemic, we’ve been pushed to the forefront of patient care and been given some of the limelight that nurses, doctors, and other health professionals receive. There is no doubt that our workload has significantly increased, especially with the additional testing and precautions providers have set in place for our patients. So here is the question: how can we better raise awareness of our profession?

It has become increasingly difficult to recruit students to our profession, mainly because we work behind the scenes and aren’t as well known in the medical community. Nursing tends to have an army of recruiters because when you or a loved one needs medical attention, most interactions are with a nurse. Nurses are very strong advocates for what they do and had to fight for their recognition, too. It’s time for us laboratorians to get creative.

We need to reach out to young people, explain to them what we do, and demonstrate why we are so important. In pre-pandemic times, the answer would be as simple as having presentations at the local high school, attending conferences, or having recruitment stands at your university. Now that we live with strict precautions and guidelines, we need to find new ways to spread the gospel of the lab. Something that might help us achieve that is the almighty internet.

Thanks to the internet, we can now have live Zoom conferences with local high school health science clubs, conduct short interviews, and talk to local news outlets about who we are. We can also host live meetings with other students and young professionals across the nation. Through the power of social media, we can record our Zoom meetings and share them so that other young and aspiring professionals can have the chance to hear and see what our lives are like pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. And for the people that are not big fans of Zoom, YouTube is also a great tool. If our community can encourage some individuals or groups to start a YouTube channel, there is hope to reach out to the high school crowds. After all, social media is where young people find inspiration for many things.

If we band together as a profession, virtual Q&As can also be conducted at various times during the day for anyone to log on and attend. If we make the effort to start promoting the profession early on, such as attending middle/high school events or career days and having a bigger platform in college degree brochures, then we can save the trajectory of laboratory professionals in this country.

Currently, many facilities are losing laboratory professionals due to the pandemic, better paying facilities, changing of professions, or retirement. The future of medical laboratory scientists relies on us making more of an effort, especially since we will soon be on the rise to becoming a profession that everyone will know and respect for their healthcare needs.

Joanna Miranda is a Medical Laboratory Scientist at a major area hospital in downtown Austin, Texas.
Byanca Narro is a Medical Laboratory Scientist in a major area hospital in Kyle, Texas.
Both professionals graduated from Texas State University in August 2019.


]]><![CDATA[Clinical Laboratory Science graduate runs laboratory in New York City hospital]]>Sun, 10 Jan 2021 19:03:18 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/clinical-laboratory-science-graduate-runs-laboratory-in-new-york-city-hospital- Julie Cooper, Texas State University Alumni Impact

WADE WINCHELL (B.S. ’14) EARNED HIS DEGREE FROM TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY IN CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE. TODAY, HE IS THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION IN THE LABORATORY OF THE BROOKLYN HOSPITAL CENTER, A 500-BED HOSPITAL IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. WE EMAILED WINCHELL AND ASKED HIM TO COMMENT ON HIS WORK AND EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT THE LABORATORY AND COVID-19. HERE ARE HIS RESPONSES. 
 
How long have you worked in the field? 
 
I have been working in the laboratory industry for six years. I worked as a medical laboratory scientist for three years, and later took an opportunity to become supervisor of lab systems. I became assistant director a year and a half later. I was officially promoted to director just days after the COVID-19 outbreak. I am responsible for the systems and operation of the entire lab and oversee 90 employees.

Can you describe what your work entails in the fight against COVID-19?
 
There are a couple of key phrases that come to mind from our industry that really ring true in this situation: No. 1 – “70% of diagnoses are made from laboratory values”; No. 2 –“Without the laboratory, you are only guessing.” 
 
We are a team of physicians, medical laboratory scientists/medical technologists, laboratory technicians and lab assistants – each with unique roles. 
 
What COVID-19 meant for our lab: It seems to have hit communities at different times. The last date I remember was March 4, 2020. On that day we happened to be getting inspected by one of our accrediting/regulatory bodies known as the College of American Pathologists. 
 
At the end of that day I went home exhausted and fell asleep around 8 p.m. Later that night, my emergency hospital phone was ringing. Our first presumptive coronavirus case was in the emergency department. 
 
New York City now has thousands of confirmed cases. As volumes increased, we ran into turnaround time issues sending the test out. That is when our leadership knew something had to change. We had to figure out a way to test for this in our own lab.
 
In this scenario, a novel disease has limited options. Since a virus contains nucleic acid (RNA), the best bet at the time is a method known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After amplifying the RNA of COVID-19, it binds to fluorescent probes that will “glow” if someone is positive. This glow can be detected by a special diode that marks a spike on a graph. 
 
My team and I put in about four months of work into a few days to reconfigure one of our existing analyzers to perform SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR. 
 
We also had to repurpose our tuberculosis (TB) testing area because it was the safest area to work with this type of pathogen. The TB room has constant negative pressure and is equipped with a Class II Biosafety Cabinet (or hood). We went live on Saturday, March 28, and have been in-house testing since. We batch the specimens because the process is highly complex and takes about eight hours to run. We are able to get results out daily on up to 90 patients. 
 
PCR is something that was developed in the 1980s, and we are extremely lucky to have this kind of technology available. In other times, such as the Spanish flu epidemic, clinical presentation – or guessing based off of symptoms – was the only reliance. 

What safety precautions do you take during testing?

​We never truly know what diseases are present in laboratory specimens. That is why we rely on what are known as “standard precautions” – assuming that everything is infectious – and protecting ourselves with personal protective equipment (PPE). We wrote a risk assessment for every part of the process to keep our staff safe during any step where they may be in contact with the virus. 
 
Performing the test, we wear an N95 mask, a plastic disposable gown over a lab coat, double gloves and a face shield. Any further transport of specimens within the lab is done in a sealed biohazard box.
 
The COVID-19 specimens are heated at about 60 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, which our vendor tells us should denature the virus. It’s been long debated if viruses are “living things” as they are missing one key thing: energy metabolism. I don’t think many living things could live at 60 C (140 F) for 30 mins, but the studies are limited in terms of what actually kills this virus other than EPA-regulated chemicals. Hence, the ever-important need of PPE.
 
Results: Lab is a lot more than positive or negative, its data. I believe data is king. In this situation, the lab’s contribution to care is tremendous beyond the result. I also supervise our laboratory information system and I have flags in place that generate reports that will email and interface “ad-hoc” to infection control, pharmacy, quality assurance, the DOH, our patient result coordinators and bed-board.
 
The ability to disseminate this information quickly has an impact: They can isolate the patient more effectively, change treatment and submit our findings to the state and federal databases so our political leaders have a foundation on how to address the public. 
 
The goal is to “flatten the curve.” Without laboratory data, none of that insight is possible.
 
What would you want to say to the general public about testing?  
 
For now, I think it is important that we reserve testing for those who are critically ill. Viral media and swabs have been incredibly difficult to obtain. Our supply of swabs became dangerously low at one point. If supplies run short again, we would have to resort to assembling our own viral media kits. Until there can be mass distribution of swabs, increased funding for laboratory operations and recruiting of qualified candidates, there aren’t enough resources for the general public to be tested at the present time unless they need to be admitted to a hospital.
 
How can people help?
 
The laboratory also oversees blood transfusion services – we type patients (ABO +/-) and cross-match the blood that is used for medical emergencies within the hospital. Because of social distancing, blood donation is also facing challenges; we have been informed that there may be shortages at some point, which would change our approach to the emergency.
  
I think blood donation facilities need assistance from our public health leaders in order to continue to safely collect blood from donors. Any unit of blood right now is almost guaranteed to help save a life. I think that people who are willing to donate at this time are heroes. 
 
Our blood bank has also begun facilitating transfusion of plasma from COVID-19 survivors to patients who are critically ill. The thought is that this plasma is rich in antibodies against COVID-19 and may show promise as a treatment. This is all still under investigation and requires consent and FDA clearance per patient. This treatment is, at the time, reserved only for those who may not make it by other means.]]><![CDATA[Check out some of 2020's highlight articles at the local, state, and national level.]]>Sun, 10 Jan 2021 18:38:30 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/check-out-some-of-2020s-covid-19-highlight-articles-at-the-local-state-and-national-levelhttps://theconversation.com/who-is-doing-all-those-covid-19-tests-why-you-should-care-about-medical-laboratory-professionals-151725 - by Dr. Rodney Rohde

https://www.ascls.org/communication/ascls-today/343-ascls-today-volume-34-number-2/647-best-blogs-from-the-patient-safety-community - by Sarah Beatty, MHSA, MLS(ASCP)CM, and Doryan Redding, ASCLS Patient Safety Committee Members

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/nyregion/coronavirus-brooklyn-hospital-workers.html - Featuring Wade Winchell, Laboratory Administrative Director at Brooklyn Hospital Center in NY.

]]><![CDATA[Lab Tests Online]]>Sat, 14 Nov 2020 19:56:40 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/lab-tests-online"Lab Tests Online is an award-winning health information web resource designed to help patients and caregivers understand the many lab tests that are a vital part of medical care. The site is produced by AACC, a not-for-profit organization; proceeds from health-related advertising help support the website's mission."

Please use this website to learn more about laboratory tests. This website provides information on what the test is, what it is used for, and how to prepare for it.

​https://labtestsonline.org/]]><![CDATA[STATE OF TEXAS PROCLAMATION - MEDICAL LABORATORY PROFESSIONALS WEEK APRIL 19-25, 2020]]>Sat, 14 Nov 2020 19:52:51 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/state-of-texas-proclamation-medical-laboratory-professionals-week-april-19-25-2020
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]]><![CDATA[Tacls 2020 postponed to 2021]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2020 02:37:20 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/tacls-2020-postponed-to-october-26-29-2020Attention TACLS members and students!

​As the pandemic of COVID-19 has been developing worldwide, the TACLS Board has been closely tracking its impact within the community. Over the past several days, TACLS has received notices from vendors and speakers who have been placed on travel bans and meeting restrictions from their employers. Additionally, many Universities have travel bans which would also impact our student attendance. Due to all these related factors, we are no longer able to hold the TACLS 2020 in Galveston on April 14-17 as planned. We will be postponing our meeting to March 29 - April 1, 2021  So please put these new dates on your Calendar.

We gave the situation deep consideration and want to provide all attendees ample opportunity and time to manage hotel reservations and personal schedules. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these rapidly changing circumstances.
Hope to see you in the Fall!

Sincerely,

Debbie Faubion
TACLS President

OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:
Please note that the meeting March 29-April 1, 2021 will be a Monday thru Thursday. With the Student Bowl to begin on Monday, March 29, 2021 at 3pm.
With the postponement of the meeting, what are the next steps:

1. Hotel Reservations – If you have already booked your hotel at the Hilton please call and move the reservation to the new dates in March.

2. Meeting Registration -If you have already registered and paid, we hope you will still attend the meeting in March 2021. And you would not need to register again in the fall. If you are unable to attend or need a refund, please email contact_us@tacls.org. Registrants will be emailed directly over the next few days with more specific information.

3. TACLS Business Meeting – we will be scheduling our Spring Business Meeting via ZOOM in late April.]]><![CDATA[Beyond Transformative Learning in African-American Adult Education]]>Sun, 09 Feb 2020 07:15:59 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/beyond-transformative-learning-in-african-american-adult-educationPlease join us in congratulating Dr. Gerald Redwine, from Texas State University CLS Program, on his recent publication! Educators are encourage to add this book to their college library. Find it on Amazon and Routledge.

Description:
"By exploring how the religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, and social surroundings of African-American sufferers of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) impacts their understanding of the condition, this book develops a new model of effective adult learning.

Presenting the findings of rigorous qualitative research undertaken with five individuals with T2DM, this volume considers how individuals’ educational background, their personal experiences, and their relationship with African-American theism have impacted on their efforts to understand and manage the disease. Identification of the social and spiritual dynamics which govern adults’ acceptance of a chronic condition such as diabetes, and their ability to manage the illness according to modern medical principles, informs the development of a new theory of adult learning known as permeated learning. This model, which extends beyond transformative learning to recognize the influence of social constructs specific to African-American communities, will have broad application to adult education and the management of chronic diseases.
​
This scholarly text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, and policymakers in the field of adult education, African-American education, transformative learning, lifelong learning, and multicultural education."

- Dr. Gerald Redwine


]]><![CDATA[Pama/Lab Act Update]]>Sun, 12 Jan 2020 15:45:53 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/pamalab-act-updateCongress passed and the President signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 (HR1865), which funded the U.S. Government through the end of the fiscal year in 2020 and included a large number of other bills, including the Laboratory Access for Beneficiaries (LAB) Act.

ASCLS is part of a coalition that was working to pass this legislation.

Passage of the LAB Act paves the way for additional reforms to the 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) by delaying the upcoming data reporting period by one year and commissioning a study on how to improve data collection and rate setting to better reflect Congress' original intent of a market-based fee schedule for clinical laboratory services.

In response, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has officially announced the delay for Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule reporting that was to begin January 1, 2020 on actual data from 2019.

According to CMS or Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Tests (CDLTs) that are not Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory Tests (ADLTs), the data reporting is delayed by one year. CDLT data that was supposed to be reported between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020, will be scheduled to report between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2021. Labs will report data from the original data collection period of January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019.

Unfortunately, the statutory cuts to individual test fees will continue, but will be based on older, and presumably, higher baseline rates. For 2020, the rates for CDLTs that are not ADLTs or new CLDTs may not be reduced by more than 10% of the rates for 2019. The current law will allow a 15 percent reduction cap for each of 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Here is the current statutory schedule:
CDLT Rates                                Based on Reporting Period                                        Reduction Cap

2020                                        January 1, 2017 – May 30, 2017                                           10%
2021                                        January 1, 2017 – May 30, 2017                                           15%
2022                                      January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021                                          15%
2023                                      January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021                                          15%

We expect to brief attendees to the Laboratory Legislative Symposium in March with next steps the coalition will be advocating.
Please let me know if you have any questions,

Jim

------------------------------
Jim Flanigan, CAE
Executive Vice President
American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)
1861 International Drive, #200 McLean, VA 22102
o: 571-748-3746 | m: 708-359-5721
jimf@ascls.org | @jimflanigancae]]><![CDATA[Preventing diagnostic errors by uniting the clinical laboratory with direct patient care]]>Fri, 25 Oct 2019 15:02:46 GMThttp://tacls.org/blog/preventing-diagnostic-errors-by-uniting-the-clinical-laboratory-with-direct-patient-careBy Michael Laposata, MD, PhD  and Rodney E. Rohde, PhD

​https://www.elsevier.com/connect/preventing-diagnostic-errors-by-uniting-the-clinical-laboratory-with-direct-patient-care​

Diagnostic errors affect all of us often with severe consequences. Diagnostic management teams that focus on recommendation of appropriate tests result in quicker and more accurate diagnoses – and a dramatic cost savings to obtain a diagnosis. The concept of using such teams has been endorsed by the National Academy of Medicine. There is a shortage of diagnostic management team leaders among pathologists and PhD laboratory directors. These are highly qualified individuals, but there are too few of them. Clinical and medical laboratory scientists willing to move beyond the performance of tests at the bench, learn in detail the diagnostic requirements for disorders within a clinical category, and become available at all times like other clinicians will reduce diagnostic error and the costs associated with it. It is now timely for these individuals to take their place as leaders among us in the clinical laboratories.]]>