AACC Announces Webinar ‘Improving Test Utilization: The Clinical Lab’s Expanding Role
Washington, DC, September 24, 2010 The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) announces a webinar, Improving Test Utilization: The Clinical Lab’s Expanding Role, to be held October 26, 2010, at 2:00 pm Eastern. The webinar will last 90 minutes. The program is supported in part by an educational grant from Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.
In the current economic climate, hospitals’ and healthcare systems’ budgets are under pressure. They are looking to minimize their costs by reducing or eliminating unnecessary laboratory tests, imaging studies, surgical procedures, and other healthcare services while maintaining high levels of patient care and safety. In many healthcare institutions, the laboratory is being asked to work with fellow healthcare providers to develop policies and procedures to ensure that the right test is performed at the right time to save costs.
During this webinar, Geoffrey Baird, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Chemistry, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington and Director of Clinical Chemistry, Harborview Hospital, Seattle, WA, will share how his organization’s model program for reducing unnecessary or inappropriate testing works, and discuss what’s been achieved since the program was implemented. Brian Jackson, MD, MS, Medical Director of Informatics, ARUP Laboratories and Assistant Professor of Pathology (Clinical), University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, who has helped labs across the country evaluate their test ordering patterns, will discuss some of the most common tests that are over-ordered in health systems today, and outline strategies labs can use to curb overutilization. The webinar will be moderated by Michael Astion, MD, PhD, Professor and Director, Reference Laboratory Services, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
AACC invites interested journalists to participate in this timely webinar. For a complimentary registration, complete and submit a Press Registration Form. For more information about the webinar or AACC, contact Peter Patterson on either of the above phone numbers or at ppatterson@aacc.org.
AACC is a leading professional society dedicated to improving healthcare through laboratory medicine. Its 9,000 members are clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and others involved in developing tests and directing laboratory operations. AACC brings this community together with programs that advance knowledge, expertise, and innovation.
