Historical Background “Direct to consumer laboratory testing also known as direct access testing (DAT), permits consumers to order laboratory tests directly from a laboratory without necessarily having to work with their healthcare provider” (AACC, 2015). As early as the 1950s the public was introduced to the concept of being directly involved in their healthcare, and this was accomplished with the availability of over the counter (OTC) urine glucose and ketone tests. Healthcare has shifted from being physician-focused to being consumer-focused, DAT is one manifestation of this shift and it has been steadily growing since its establishment in the 1950s. “The market for direct-to-consumer (DTC) health services continues to grow rapidly with …show more content…
It allows individuals to take charge of their health by directly corresponding with laboratories and removing physicians as the medium for this correspondence. ASCLS has generously provided certain criteria that must be met for the services offered by DAT and these include simple, easily understood and interpreted tests that do not require the go ahead from a physician. While the tests are usually waived and of screening and monitory purposes, it does not exclude them from legal consequences in the event of a negative outcome. Disclosures supplying adequate information will provide legal protection for the laboratories and its employees while simultaneously, enabling informed decisions to be made by consumers. The possibility of misinterpretation of results and subsequent anxiety and misdiagnosis is regrettably high; the benefits are, however, not outweighed, offering privacy, convenience, cost effectiveness and timely generation of results for consumers. It may appear as though physicians are being pushed into the shadows while laboratory professionals enter the spotlight but physicians should not disregard the possible opportunities offered, like collaboration with laboratories. The subject of accreditation undoubtedly becomes a main focus for laboratories, with the consideration that consumers will inevitably place their trust in a laboratory that has been deemed to meet international standards. Although accreditation is important and not to be lightly esteemed, the generation of quality service and accurate results is ultimately dependent on the medical technologist and the training received. The principle by which DAT operates introduces additional roles for the medical technologist and forces the implementation of exceptional training. Consistency and quality control become the rules
Lyles, Adam. “Direct Marketing of Pharmaceuticals to Consumers.” Annual Review of Public Health, volume 23. 2002. Print.
First, this text will discuss some background on Labcorp to form a better understanding of the business, and the practices used. Labcorp is one of the largest clinical Laboratories in the world, which includes many wholly owned subsidiaries. The Laboratory Corporation of America (2013) website LabCorp has over 220,000 clients and process over 400,000 samples per day. LabCorp uses an innovative clinical laboratory processing, referral, and specimen testing information systems to create fluent, and easy to use specimen processing and testing. This process has developed through time, and LabCorp has grown into a robust multi- laboratory testing facilities through the buyout, and absorption of numerous specialty laboratories. As the buyout of subsidiaries has been a large part of the growth of this business, information technology had to grow along side, as the connection between all sites became critical for survival, to keep the stance of a premier multifunctional Laboratory tycoon (Laboratory Corporation of America, 2013).
since the FDA allowed companies to advertise directly to consumers we saw an increase in
The merits of certifications in the health care field is a necessity. Certifications in the clinical laboratory aids with picking qualified candidates to handle certain conditions. A certification is a process that acknowledges, whether you have the competency with meeting predetermined standards in a specialized field. Many organizations determine the standards for certification in the healthcare field. MLT certifications standards are set and determined by a board called, American Society of Clinical Pathologist (ASCP). This board is the officiator of determining board standards throughout the country. Gaining the credentials from this board, declares that you meet the competency and the standards in the clinical laboratory. The only set
... Berger, eds. 2008. Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Saunders Elsevier.
LabCorp clients include physicians, patients and consumers, biopharmaceutical companies, government agencies, managed care organization, hospitals, and clinical lab (LabCorp, 2015). To put it in another way, LabCorp provides 70% of innovative, high-quality and timely medical laboratory tests and services towards helping physician with patient health care decisions. Some of the service labcorp provides beside the basic labs that we all get once a year, they also provide allergy, anatomic pathology, cardiovascular disease and cell line authentication to name a
This innovation is similar to practices used in clinical settings that are similar with the same result. At my place of work diabetes patients who are admitted for uncontrolled diabetes their HgA1C are checked at admission. Upon discharge these individuals are schedule a follow up appointments with their primary care providers to get repeated HgA1C and blood sugar levels. If the patients labs are not within normal limits the primary care provider will then keep following up on patients HgA1C and blood sugars until it is better control. This practices is similar to the innovation of the diabetes
Barbara J. McKenna, M. (n.d.). University of Michigan American Society for Clinical Pathology President . Retrieved Jan 14, 2014, from The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Workforce Shortage: an Impending Perfect Storm : http://www.pathology.ecu.edu/Public/graduate/SEAPC.pdf
Office, U. A. (2002). Prescription drugs: FDA oversight of direct-to-consumeradvertising has limitations (GAO-3-177). Washington, D.C.
We live in a world where being medicated has become a societal norm. Modern health care practices have set the stage for the proliferation of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Some of these practices include the emergence of managed care organizations (MCOs), the legalization of DTCA of prescription drugs, the emergence of the Internet as an alternative promotional channel, the increased desire by patients to become more involved in their own health care decisions, the disillusionment with traditional medicine, and the rise of ‘alternative’ medicine, to name a few. There is an ongoing debate as to the ultimate harm or benefit of this relatively recent practice of pharmaceutical manufacturers to direct their promotional efforts away from the physician and towards the consumer.
There are many different reasons to get lab work done before a medication is given. For example, it is important to do a WBC when suspecting a bacterial infection in order to know which medication will be effective (Touhy, 2012). Also, when giving blood thinners such as heparin, it is important to know the prothombin time which determines whether or not to give the medication (Touhy, 2012). In patients with dia...
Handbook of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications (3rd edition). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.
A most noteworthy and ground-breaking progress in the field of medicine has been development of point-of-care testing. Consistent with () POCT is described as patient samples examination at or close to the patient carrying the supposition that test outcomes will be obtainable instantaneously or within an extremely short timeframe thereby helping caregivers in the instantaneous diagnosis and medical intervention( )] .Point-of-care testing is performed away from the traditional central laboratory setting , and has created easier self-management as individuals can examine themselves and react to the outcomes as counseled by their doctors. POC testing machinery is vital to the accomplishment of life-saving and disaster management undertakings as assessments can be conducted in intensive care units or in an ambulance where judgments are time-susceptible.
Westgard, J. O. (2013). Perspectives on Quality Control, Risk Management, and Analytical Quality Management. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, 33(1), 1-14.
How big’s the in vitro diagnostics market and how fast is it growing, emerging markets demand and the ageing population? This includes research analysis and statistics from other markets and reputable organizations. This article helps me gather statistics in support of my argument. Mitchell, Dakota, and Lee Heroun. Introduction to Health Care.