Blogs

Advocate Excellence - OSHA Increases Federal Civil Penalties

By Marionette Cortez posted 02-26-2019
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Organization Origin: Implementation of the 2019 Annual Adjustment Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvement Act of 2015(www.OSHA.gov) Topic Brief: A memorandum dated January 23,2019 from the Acting director of Enforcement Programs addressed to Regional Administrators stating that effective immediately, the said memorandum revises the guidance in the Field Operations Manual(FOM),specifically Chapter 6,Penalties and Debt Collection to address penalty changes. The increase of fine is due to inflation and based on the Consumer price Index for all urban consumers(CPI-U)for the month of October 2018. You can read the full ...
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Advocate Excellence-A Six-Sigma approach for comparing diagnostic errors in healthcare—where does laboratory medicine stand?

By Tierra white posted 02-06-2019
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Organization (Website) Origin:  Annals of Translational Medicine 2018/ Column from Laboratory Medicine http://atm.amegroups.com Topic Brief: In the laboratory, clinical decisions are made every day that affect thousands of lives in both inpatient and outpatient settings. These decisions help clinicians diagnose disease states correctly and directly improve patient care. Thus, the critical role of the laboratory cannot be understated: it should report correct and appropriate results to the best of its ability so that right course of treatment can be decided later on. It is here that error reducing practices can best be implemented, many of which have come ...
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Advocate Excellence:Measures In Developing A Reporting Culture

By Marionette Cortez posted 01-21-2019
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​Organization Origin(website):http://www.jointcommission.org Topic Brief:  Safety lapses can be prevented before they occur when fully addressed and resolved in a timely manner between staff and leadership.Staff needs to be responsible for their actions and report right away safety issues occurs.Once the incident is determined,the leading officer should listen and act appropriately to prevent harm to patients. The Joint Commision's complimentary publication, Sentinel Event Alert#60.Developing A Reporting Culture:Learning from Close Calls and Hazardous Conditions ,addresses this issue at the Heart Reliability Healthcare. Four essential Measures in Developing ...
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Advocate Excellence – Project RedDE

By Stacy Walz posted 12-07-2018
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​ Organization (Website) Origin : Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) ( www.ahrq.gov ) Topic Brief : Project RedDE is a catchy acronym for “Reducing Diagnostic Errors in Primary Care Pediatrics”. It is a Toolkit for practice teams in pediatric primary care, endorsed by the American Association of Pediatrics, and funded by AHRQ. There are several subtopics within the RedDE Toolkit, “Labs” being one of them! Specifically, missed or delayed actionable labs are the target of this tool within the Toolkit. The “Labs” tool identifies five “frequent, sub-critical, actionable” laboratory test results on which pediatric primary care teams should ...
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Invitation to Point of Care SA - Monday July 30th 10 am - 11:15 am

By Stephanie Mihane posted 07-01-2018
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Greetings.....we are just a month away from the National Meeting in Chicago and I would like to take this opportunity to invite all ASCLS members interested in Point of Care to attend the Point of Care Scientific Assembly on Monday, July 30th 10:00 to 11:15 am.  I am the current Chair, serving my second year, we are looking for a 2018-19 Chair and VIce -Chair.  We would really like to get this SA more active this year and we need your help.  We will be discussing potential program topics and speakers for the 2019 National Meeting in Charlotte, NC.  With your involvement we can make this a dynamic SA as we will not have access to the fine programs provided by ...
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Advocate Excellence- Fundamentals of Working Safely in A Biological Safety Cabinet

By Marionette Cortez posted 04-28-2018
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​ Organization(Website)Origin: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention(CDC)(www.cdc.train.org) Topic Brief:       The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting a free online learning course on safety issues. The course is entitled   Fundamentals of Working Safely in a Biological cabinet . This online course is designed for clinical laboratory staff, safety professionals and person interested in safe use of biological safety cabinets  readily available at www.CDC.TRAIN.org. One objective is to describe the practices for working safely in a Biological Safety Cabinet.It is approved for 1.0 contact hours by ASCLS P.A.C.E Program.The course number ...
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Advocate Excellence - NQF's Measure Applications Partnership Recommends Measures for Federal Healthcare Programs

By Marionette Cortez posted 02-08-2018
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​Organization (Website) Origin:( www.qualityforum.org) Topic Brief:   The National Quality Forum's Measure Application Partnership has recently submitted a recommendations to the US Department of Health and Human Services about 35 Standardized performance measures for considerations for use in Federal Healthcare programs which will affect 58 millions Americans enrolled in Medicare and their healthcare providers once approved. The article mentions  the works of MAP about the meaningful measures of care quality and the importance of the outcome measures.      ​NQF will publish its final reports for hospital and post-acute settings on February 15 and its report ...
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Advocate Excellence--Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

By Catherine Otto posted 01-20-2018
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Organization (Website) Origin:  Institute for Healthcare Improvement (www.ihi.org ) Topic Brief: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement provides resources and educational tools to improve the quality of all aspects of healthcare.   One key program is the IHI Open School with Online Courses to learn patient safety competencies and quality improvement methodologies.  They have a free online "talk shows" on current topics with leaders in the field who are making an impact in the quality of the care delivered at their institution.  Individuals may also sign up for a free email newsletter.    URL: http://www.ihi.org/about/Pages/HowtoGetInvolved.aspx ...
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Advocate Excellence—Maternal Infectious Disease Requirements for Hospitals

By Karen Williams posted 01-18-2018
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Organization Website Origin:   The Joint Commission ( https://www.jointcommission.org/ ) Topic Brief:    HIV and other transmittable diseases can have serious consequences for both a woman and her baby. While some problems may be seen at birth, others may not be noticeable until days, weeks or months later.  To improve the identification of mothers upon admission to labor and delivery who are at risk for transmitting certain infectious diseases to their newborns, The Joint Commission is implementing three new elements of performance (EPs), effective July 1, 2018. The EPs are applicable to all Joint Commission accredited hospitals and critical access ...
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#IamASCLS Vathani Logendran

By Andrea Hickey posted 05-16-2017
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Name and hometown: My name is Vathani Logendran and I’m from the small college town of Corvallis, Oregon. How would you describe yourself as a person? I would describe myself as compassionate, energetic, silly, kind, dedicated, and passionate. Job title/specialization? I am currently a generalist float, which means I work during the busiest hours of the lab. I work in hematology, blood bank, and chemistry. What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? I first learned about Clinical Lab Sciences from my mom whose old coworker decided to switch careers. I became interested in microbiology during my first Bachelors degree ...
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#IamASCLS Gilma Roncancio Weemer

By Andrea Hickey posted 02-19-2017
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Name and hometown: Gilma Roncancio-Weemer, Springfield, IL How would you describe yourself as a person? Someone who values family and friends, enjoys life, gets things done when asked and is somewhat of a perfectionist. Job title/specialization? Program Director for a hospital based CLS program What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? I learned about this field during a high school career day. It seemed like the perfect fit combining my interest in a healthcare career with minimal patient contact with the fact that science courses were my favorite, especially those with a lab. ...
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#IamASCLS Cynthia Dixey

By Andrea Hickey posted 02-19-2017
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-Name and hometown: Cynthia Dixey, Sparta, New Jersey -How would you describe yourself as a person? Introverted and passionate about what I love. -Job title/specialization? Medical Laboratory Scientist/ Molecular Diagnostic Department Lead -What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? The ability to help people, both patients and co-workers, having unlimited job opportunities, and knowing that I can go beyond the bench and continue to grow professionally. -What has been the highlight of your career thus far? Being President of ASCLS-NJ -What makes you diverse? I started my career as an MLS late in life after ...
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#IamASCLS Kyle Kaiwusaier

By Andrea Hickey posted 02-19-2017
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Name: Ainiwaer Kyle Kaiwusaier Hometown: Urumqi, XinJiang Province, China Representing which State? South Dakota How would you describe yourself as person? I think I would describe myself as an easy-going, open-minded person. I love meeting different personalities and experiencing new things. I try to keep an open vision for people and cultures since I believe there is always something to learn and enjoy. Job title/Specialty: Medical laboratory science student intern at Sioux Falls Avera McKennan Hospital. What got you into the field of laboratory science? I had the goal to work as a healthcare professional since I was a kid, helping ...
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#IamASCLS Elizabeth LeFors

By Andrea Hickey posted 01-30-2017
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Name and Hometown Elizabeth Stepp LeFors from Tupelo, MS Representing which state? Colorado How would you describe yourself as person? I am dedicated, ambitious, energetic, and caring. I have an intense desire to help people however I can. Job title / specialization MLS- Generalist What got you into the field of laboratory sciences? It kind of happened by accident. I graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Microbiology but had been working as a CNA for the past 6 years. I was tired of feeling unfulfilled by my job and was looking to go back to school for a Master’s. I found a random blurb ...
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#IamASCLS Janice Conway-Klaasen

By Andrea Hickey posted 01-18-2017
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Name and Hometown: Jan Conway Klaassen – Detroit Michigan Representing which state: Minnesota How would you describe yourself as a person? Energetic, constantly wanting to do new things/getting involved in new opportunities, such as life opportunities that have opened doors - CA, MI WA, NY, NV, MN. Job Title/specialization: U of M MLS Program Director, PHD. What got you into this field? Starting out in Electrical Engineering, ...
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#IamASCLS Ninive Costa

By Andrea Hickey posted 06-29-2016
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-Name and hometown: Ninive; I've had a lot of hometowns, the latest Holland, MI. -How would you describe yourself as a person? I'm a person with a diverse background; this helps me understand the disparities and socioeconomic issues that traverse our society. I strive to aid the population towards healing. -Job title/specialization? Medical Technologist and Biomedical Photographer. I currently work in a skin bank and perform Microbiology testing. I also work on special projects dealing with image documentation and QI/research for Burn/Surgery. -What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? A Immunodiagnostics and Flow ...
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#IamASCLS Jennifer Knight

By Andrea Hickey posted 06-20-2016
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-Name and hometown: Jennifer Knight, Madison, Mississippi -How would you describe yourself as a person? Quiet, easy-going & empathetic but not a push-over. If I've learned anything as a parent, a Program Director and a Lab Manager it's this: pick your battles and stand your ground. People will respect your integrity and reliability if you do. -Job title/specialization? Laboratory Manager is my official title, but I am also the Program Director for our School of Medical Laboratory Science. -What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? I knew I wanted to be in the medical field, but not quite as close to patients as a nurse ...
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#IamASCLS Samia Abdel-Kerim

By Andrea Hickey posted 06-20-2016
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1) Name and Hometown My name is Samia Abdel-Kerim and my hometown is Minneapolis, MN 2) Representing which state? Minnesota 3) How would you describe yourself as person? I would describe myself as thoughtful, friendly, open-minded, loving mother and wife, and an active member of my community. I take initiative to do those things that are important to me. 4) Job title / specialization I am currently an MLT Faculty with a background as a medical laboratory science generalist. 5) What got you into the field of laboratory sciences? I switched majors during my sophomore year in college when I had an amazing chemistry ...
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#IamASCLS Tabitha Godwin

By Andrea Hickey posted 06-20-2016
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Name and hometown: Tabitha Godwin, Huntsville, AL -How would you describe yourself as a person? I would describe myself as outgoing, enthusiastic, and analytical -Job title/specialization? Medical Technologist, Generalist -What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? I happen to stumble upon the major, Medical Technology, while at UAB. I always wanted to have a lab background because someday when I grow up I want to further my education and become a physician. -What has been the highlight of your career thus far? So far it has been getting a thank you note from the lab director thanking my shift for doing ...
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#IamASCLS Halcyon St. Hill

By Andrea Hickey posted 04-26-2016
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Name and hometown: Halcyon St. Hill, Ed.D., M.S., MLS (ASCP) CM FASAHP Naples, Florida How would you describe yourself as a person? Hard working, confident, determined, caring, sometimes funny, and very happy. What got you into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences? - I was curious about medical sciences and had an interest in doing clinical laboratory tests; therefore, I sought to be a medical technologist (clinical laboratory scientist). What has been the highlight of your career thus far? Being a founding administrator and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) - this was the opportunity of a lifetime to build a department ...
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