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Cardinal Health sponsors continuing
medical educational events for healthcare professionals across the
country. You can register for upcoming sessions here, or watch archived
webinar recordings at any time, from anywhere. These Cardinal Health sponsored events are presented by esteemed professionals in the world of
healthcare and research, and managed by Whitehat Communications to
ensure a professional environment. Attend these basic level webinars at no cost - all
offer one
P.A.C.E.®
Continuing Education contact hour for up to six months
after the live event. Simply fill out the evaluation after
viewing the webinar, and you will receive a follow-up
certificate via email. Be sure to check back often for new event
postings. For
information on Cardinal Health laboratory products, please
visit our website here.
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The New Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute Final Rules:
Implications and Considerations for Laboratories
Live Event: Wednesday, February 17, 2021 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
P.A.C.E.®
Credit available until August 17, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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In late November 2020, the Department of Health and Human
Services published final rules relating to the federal
Self-Referral (Stark) Law and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute
(AKS). The intention of both rules is to update the two legal
frameworks in a way that gives providers greater flexibility to
implement delivery of care structures that embrace care
coordination and value-based programs.
Labs remain under intense scrutiny from government authorities.
This was highlighted by the fact that clinical laboratories were
expressly excluded from certain exceptions and safe harbors in
the new final rules. This scrutiny is unlikely to change in the
near future. Implementation of new and more innovative
structures between healthcare providers will likely only
increase investigation and audit activities by government
regulators and government payors. Fraud, waste, and abuse
initiatives are also expected to increase as a result of the
multiple COVID-19 relief programs that have been rolled out over
the past nine months.
This presentation is designed to provide an overview of the
federal Stark and AKS frameworks and highlight the updates that
are likely to impact clinical laboratories. Participants will
have an overarching understanding of the federal Stark and AKS
rules and regulations and will learn the new exceptions and safe
harbors applicable to clinical laboratories. This presentation
will also highlight some of the well-publicized exceptions and
safe harbors from which clinical laboratories are excluded. This
will allow participants to help identify proposals and
opportunities that may not be acceptable under the updated laws,
even if they are acceptable between other providers.
This webinar will:
- Discuss the basic
regulatory framework for federal Stark and AKS laws
and the areas where the laws most often impact
clinical laboratories
- Review the changes to Stark and AKS as a result
of the new final rules that are applicable to
clinical laboratories
- Identify potential Stark and AKS considerations
in new opportunities and proposals
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Presenters:
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Elizabeth Sullivan, Esq., Co-Chair, National
Healthcare Practice Group, McDonald Hopkins LLC
Elizabeth is Co-Chair of the National Healthcare
Practice at McDonald Hopkins LLC. She has experience
providing regulatory, licensing, compliance,
reimbursement, contractual, and corporate guidance to
healthcare providers, including clinical laboratories
and pathology groups. |
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Courtney Tito, Esq., Member, National
Healthcare Practice Group, McDonald Hopkins LLC
Courtney is a member of the Health Law group at McDonald
Hopkins LLC and is in its West Palm Beach office. She
counsels and represents clients in a variety of health
law areas, including federal and private payor audits
and disputes, reimbursement, contract, and more. |
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Emily Johnson, Esq., Member, National
Healthcare Practice Group, McDonald Hopkins LLC
Emily is a member of the Health Law group at McDonald
Hopkins LLC and is in its Chicago office. She provides
regulatory and compliance assistance on both a federal
and state level. |
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Lab Payment and Policy Update & Outlook in the Age of
COVID-19
Live Event: Wednesday, January 27, 2021 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
P.A.C.E.®
Credit available until July 27, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust
clinical laboratory testing into the national spotlight and
created unprecedented financial and policy challenges and
opportunities for the laboratory industry. This webinar will
explain how labs are impacted by critical reimbursement and
regulatory changes and trends under both government and
commercial payers. The speaker will also highlight the
healthcare and political dynamics at play for the new
Administration and how they inform the Medicare payment and
policy outlook for labs in 2021.
This webinar will:
- Assess key lessons for policymakers & clinical
labs in implementing a diagnostic testing strategy
for the COVID-19 pandemic
- Describe how COVID-19 affected the financial
health and government policies for labs
- Discuss how scheduled PAMA reimbursement cuts
and reporting requirements for labs have been
delayed by COVID-19 policy mandates
- Examine how a new Administration and Congress
will influence policy changes for labs in 2021
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Presenter:
Dennis Weissman
President, Dennis Weissman & Associates LLC

Dennis Weissman has been an independent consultant for the past
decade with expertise in Medicare, health care reform and
federal regulatory policies affecting clinical and anatomic
laboratories and related health interests. He previously founded
and served as publisher of Washington G-2 Reports (now G2
Intelligence), an information company that covers the U.S.
laboratory industry via newsletters, research reports and
conferences. |
2020 CAP Accreditation Checklist Updates: Changes that
Matter
Live Event: Wednesday, December 16, 2020 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
P.A.C.E.®
Credit available until June 16, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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This webinar is intended to provide insight on the changes made
to the June 4, 2020 edition of the CAP Accreditation Program
Checklists. It will help laboratories identify relevant
checklist changes and implement strategies to ensure compliance
for their next on-site CAP inspection.
Along with the presentation of the checklist changes, the
presentation will also include commonly encountered compliance
scenarios, as well as answers to frequently asked questions to
help participants gain a better understanding of the checklist
requirements.
This webinar will:
- Describe key changes and the rationale for the
changes in the 2020 version of the CAP Accreditation
program requirements
- Use CAP resources to identify changes
- Implement any necessary changes to ensure
compliance with new accreditation requirements
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Presenters: |
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Harris S. Goodman, MD, FCAP
Dr. Harris Goodman is the Chief of Anatomic Pathology
for the Alameda Health System, Co-Director of the
Clinical Laboratory at Highland Hospital and owner of
Paragon Pathology. Dr. Goodman is an avid
ultramarathoner with a love of pathology. |
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Stephen Sarewitz, MD, FCAP
Dr. Sarewitz is a retired Pathologist, and is currently
Vice Chair of the CAP’s Checklists Committee and Vice
Chair of the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation. |
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Finding the Right Referral Laboratory
Live Event: Wednesday, November 18, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until May 18, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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A referral laboratory offers a broad test menu ranging from
routine assays to highly specialized or esoteric assays to
consultative services. Selecting a referral laboratory that
offers the assays or services physicians need to inform patient
treatment decisions can be overwhelming. What questions should
be asked? What criteria are important? How are the answers
analyzed to help with selection? Who should be involved in the
selection process?
This presentation will review the process for identifying
appropriate qualification criteria and establishing a selection
process for selecting a referral laboratory, developing an
agreement and implementing processes to utilize the referral
laboratory’s services. A variety of metrics will also be
presented to assist with evaluating the referral laboratory’s
performance.
This webinar will:
- Describe the process to select a referral
laboratory or consultative services
- Discuss processes needed to utilize referral
laboratory or consultative services
- Develop metrics to evaluate a referral
laboratory’s or consultant’s performance
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Presenter:
Laura McClannan, MT(ASCP)SBB, CQA(ASQ)
Quality Director, Oklahoma Blood Institute

Laura McClannan is the Quality Director at Oklahoma Blood
Institute (OBI). Laura previously worked at Laboratory
Corporation of America as the Vice President of Quality and
prior to LabCorp had a long career in Transfusion Medicine and
Quality Management. Laura received her Medical Technology degree
from the University of Missouri – Columbia and her master’s
degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Laura holds
a Specialist in Blood Bank certification and is a Certified
Quality Auditor through the American Society for Quality. |
Building the Laboratory and Antimicrobial Stewardship
Relationship to Improve Patient Outcomes
Live Event: Thursday, October 29, 2020 2:00 - 3:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until April 29, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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The emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens is primarily
driven by antimicrobial prescribing. Antimicrobial stewardship
programs are now required by regulatory and accreditation
agencies and help play a key role in optimizing antimicrobial
utilization and improve patient outcomes.
Microbiology laboratories and antimicrobial stewardship can form
key collaborations that are mutually beneficial. This webinar
will provide an overview of antimicrobial stewardship programs
and describe how microbiology laboratories serve an integral
role in promoting appropriate antimicrobial utilization,
optimizing patient outcomes, and decreasing infection rates.
This webinar will:
- Define antimicrobial stewardship
- List laboratory strategies that help promote
appropriate antimicrobial utilization
- Identify examples of laboratory and
antimicrobial stewardship collaboration that improve
patient outcomes
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Presenter:
Jerod Nagel, PharmD, BCIDP
Pharmacy Lead, Infectious Diseases & Antimicrobial Stewardship
Program
University of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems

Dr. Nagel is currently the pharmacy lead for the Infectious
Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship program at the University
of Michigan Hospital and Health Systems. He graduated from
Purdue University and completed Infectious Diseases residency at
Meriter Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. He directs the
infectious diseases residency and holds a faculty appointment as
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Instructor. |
A Critical Evaluation of Critical Value Notification
Live Event: Wednesday, September 30, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until March 30, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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The webinar will explore the role that laboratories play in
critical value notification to patient care teams. The landscape
of resources available to benchmark thresholds for notification
will be discussed and considerations for setting critical
values. Evaluating glucose critical values and how evolving
recommendations for management of hypoglycemia are impacting
critical value thresholds will be used as a case study.
This webinar will:
- Identify existing recommendations for critical
value thresholds
- Contrast different mechanisms for critical
results notification
- Investigate the origin of the latest ADA
glycemic definitions and their impact on the lab
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Presenter:
Steven W. Cotten, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Director of Automated Chemistry and Critical Care Testing
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Dr. Cotten is Director of Automated Chemistry and Critical Care
Testing at UNC Hospitals Medical Center. He is an assistant
professor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his PhD in
Pharmaceutical Sciences from the School of Pharmacy at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
COVID-19 Serology: Implementation, Clinical Utility, and
Outstanding Questions
Live Event: Wednesday, August 26, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until February 26, 2021 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2),
the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has
led to significant morbidity and mortality throughout the world.
As a result, there has been a dramatic availability of
serological assays for COVID-19 and often considerable pressure
on laboratories to adopt these assays. However, the clinical
utility of SARS-CoV-2 serological assays is not fully
elucidated, the test performance between assays may vary
considerably, and the guidelines for implementation and
reporting onerous. This webinar will address these important
issues for SARS-CoV-2 serological testing with a focus on
implementation and how to guide health care providers when
ordering testing.
This webinar will:
- Examine the proposed utility of serological
testing for COVID-19
- Describe the shortcomings associated with
COVID-19 serological testing
- Review the method to validate COVID-19
serological assays
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Presenter:
Christopher W. Farnsworth, PhD
Instructor, Pathology and Immunology
Washington University, St. Louis, MO

Dr. Farnsworth is an instructor of Pathology and Immunology at
Washington University in St. Louis and a Medical Director of
clinical chemistry and point of care testing at Barnes Jewish
Hospital. He has assessed multiple serological assays for
SARS-CoV-2 and has overseen their implementation for clinical
use. Dr. Farnsworth’s research laboratory is actively engaged in
assessing SARS-CoV-2 serological assays including correlating
commercially available assays with protection, assessing their
analytical performance, and their utility for prognostication. |
The Importance of Information Technology for your
Outreach Program
Live Event: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until December 24, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Expectations of the laboratory from clients are changing. It is
no longer okay just to offer interfaces. There are many new
complexities in laboratory ordering, resulting, billing and
overall customer service that the laboratory needs to address.
Information Technology plays a major role in every aspect of
your program. From ordering in the practice, patients presenting
in your Patient Service Centers, to the generation of the final
bill.
Organizations all have different suites of applications that are
used within the laboratory. This webinar is designed to help you
understand systems available to help you maximize the benefit of
your existing applications. It will offer suggestions on how to
get clean orders into your laboratory, deliver results in the
way your physicians want to see them, and make the process of
having lab work completed easy for your patients.
This webinar will:
- Illustrate how to better utilize applications
that may already exist your health system
- Identify other applications on the market that
can complement your systems and help you grow your
programs
- Discuss examples of solutions other laboratories
have implemented
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Presenter:
Marci Dop MT(ASCP), MBA Laboratory IT Executive and Consultant

Ms. Dop has worked as an independent consultant for many years
working with numerous labs including academic medical centers,
large health systems, independent labs and specialty labs. She
has also served in various leadership roles including CIO of a
large reference lab in California and System Vice President of a
large health system. She has managed many laboratory
integrations and consolidations, multiple system selection and
implementations and specializes in process improvement that
include both operational workflow and IT applications that
support the workflow. |
Lab 2.0 - The Golden Age of the Clinical Laboratory:
Reshaping the Way Healthcare is Delivered
Live Event: Wednesday, May 27, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until November 27, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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The world of healthcare is changing – the clinical laboratory is
changing with it. As healthcare shifts from fee-for-service to
value-based reimbursement, the current lab model is not
sustainable. While the traditional, transactional lab model
continues to serve as a foundation, the emerging Clinical Lab
2.0 business model leverages longitudinal laboratory data to
product actionable, clinical insight, driving better outcomes
and financial stakeholders alike.
The Clinical Lab 2.0 Movement is helping to empower laboratory
leaders, and clinical lab scientists to drive population-level
programmatic initiatives that quantifiably improve patient
outcomes, reduce the cost of care and align with the future of
value-based healthcare.
This webinar will:
- Discuss the quantitative value of the clinical
lab in Value Based Care (VBC)
- Describe why the current business model of the
clinical lab is NOT sustainable
- Discuss why we must have a seat at the table at
the C-Suite to help design and drive future care
delivery models managing population health
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Presenter: Khosrow Shotobrani,
President and Executive Director Project Santa Fe Foundation -
“Clinical Lab 2.0 Movement”
Founder and CEO, Lab 2.0 Strategic Services LLC

Khosrow Shotorbani is the CEO and founder of the newly
established Lab 2.0 Strategic Services, LLC. He is a member of
the board, and President, Executive Director of Project Santa Fe
Foundation, advocating for Clinical Lab 2.0 Movement.
Mr. Shotorbani was instrumental in the creation of Project Santa
Fe - a initiative with like-minded executives - helping to drive
new frontiers that will define future economic valuation and
placement of diagnostic services and practice of laboratory
Medicine. |
Laboratory Interpretive Services:
Taking Your Lab to the Next Level in Meeting Medical Needs
Live Event: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until October 22, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Laboratory testing is an integral part of clinical
decision-making. Yet, physicians are challenged with ordering
the right test for their patient that will best answer their
clinical question. Laboratories don’t make it easy, with
multiple tests that have similar names and multiple names for
the same test. The consequence is clinical confusion that causes
doctors to order the wrong tests, miss the necessary tests and
overuse the laboratory. Physicians also have less time to keep
up with best practice literature given the rapid addition of
genetic, molecular and other diagnostic tests to the market. The
laboratory can help by providing interpretive services. A team
of experts reviews the patient’s chart, orders the appropriate
tests and provides a concise interpretive narrative based upon
best practices and medical evidence for the clinician.
This webinar will explore examples of how a laboratory can add
value by providing interpretive services to the physician that
will save money, enhance laboratory efficiency, decrease
unnecessary testing, and improve adherence to current best
practices.
This webinar will:
- Recognize the complexity of physician ordering
to select the right test for the patient
- Identify how to provide an interpretive service
- Describe the benefits of a Laboratory Formulary
Committee
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Presenter:
James H. Nichols Ph.D., DABCC, FAACC
Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Medical Director, Clinical Chemistry and Point-of-Care Testing
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Dr. Nichols is board certified in both Clinical Chemistry
and Toxicological Chemistry by the American Board of Clinical
Chemistry. He spent several years as Associate Director of
Clinical Chemistry, Director of Point-of-Care Testing, and an
Associate Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins Medical
Institutions. Jim later served as Medical Director of Clinical
Chemistry for Baystate Health in Springfield, MA and was a
Professor of Pathology at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Nichols’ research interests span evidence-based medicine,
information management, laboratory automation, point-of-care
testing and toxicology. |
Three Percent is For Wimps: Achieving and Maintaining
Blood Culture Contamination Rates Below 1%
Live Event: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until August 25, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Blood Culture Contamination is an enormous problem in healthcare
delivery systems everywhere, costing facilities on average over
$1 million every year1.
The current industry average of 3 percent2 is neither acceptable
nor sustainable in today's climate without serious consequences
to patients treated unnecessarily, a healthcare facility's
financial wellbeing, and contribution to the global threat of
antibiotic resistance.
This presentation will include discussions on the most commonly
committed errors in the collection of blood cultures that lead
to contamination and false positives, the impact of contaminated
cultures on the patient and the facility, and sustainable
strategies to reduce blood culture contamination to one percent
or less. Strategies will not only include effectively correcting
human error, but effective tracking, staff commitment, and
emerging technologies.
1 Albert, R. K., & Zwang, O. (2017, May 29). Improving Cost
Effectiveness of Blood Cultures. Retrieved from
https://www.journalofhospitalmedicine.com/jhospmed/article/126938/improving-cost-effectiveness-blood-cultures.
2 Ford, A. (2017, October 4). With diversion, lower blood
culture contamination rates. Retrieved from
http://www.captodayonline.com/diversion-lower-blood-culture-contamination-rates/
This webinar will:
- Define the impact of blood culture contamination
on patients and the facility
- List the most common human errors that
contaminate blood cultures
- Discuss a new technique that significantly,
immediately and sustainably reduces contamination
rates
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Presenter:
Dennis J. Ernst MT (ASCP), NCPT(NCCT)
Director, Center for Phlebotomy Education, Inc.

Dennis J. Ernst is the Director of the Center for Phlebotomy
Education, Inc. in Cheboygan, Michigan, which creates
standards-based educational materials on diagnostic blood
collection. Besides being a highly recruited international
lecturer, he has authored of over 50 articles on phlebotomy, two
textbooks and three desk references. He is a member of the CLSI
Board of Directors and has chaired multiple committees that
write and revise industry standards for specimen collection. He
has served as the editor of Phlebotomy Today since its founding
in 2001, which is read monthly by over 14,000 healthcare
professionals worldwide. |
Reimbursement & Policy Outlook for Labs in 2020
Live Event: Thursday, January 29, 2020 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until July 29, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Fast changing developments in how clinical laboratories are
reimbursed by government and commercial payers and shifts in the
rules under which labs and their personnel operate requires
everyone working in the industry to understand the emerging
policy challenges affecting the financial viability and
competitive dynamics of lab companies and organizations.
This webinar will present an overview of the latest changes
affecting payment for clinical laboratory services including a
third round of Medicare cuts up to 10 percent for many lab tests
under a market-based fee schedule required by the Protecting
Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) along with current legal and
legislative measures to modify PAMA. Meantime, a series of
federal regulatory initiatives affecting the way labs and their
personnel operate will be detailed including: proposed Stark and
anti-kickback regulations; CLIA policy revisions; guidance
status for Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA); FDA
actions affecting pharmacogenetics testing; and lab data
breeches and HIPAA requirements.
This webinar will:
- Examine how the third round of Medicare cuts
under PAMA is altering the financial and competitive
dynamics of the laboratory industry
- Anticipate how pending legal and legislative
measures will impact PAMA policy in 2020 and beyond
- Assess how laboratory operations would be
affected by proposed changes under Stark and federal
anti-kickback regulations; CLIA revisions; guidance
surrounding ERKA; FDA actions affecting
pharmacogenetics testing; and lab data breeches and
HIPAA requirements
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Presenter:
Dennis Weissman
President, Dennis Weissman & Associates, LLC

A nationally known, independent analyst, consultant and thought
leader for the clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology
sectors for over three decades, Dennis is President of Dennis
Weissman & Associates, LLC, Falls Church, VA, a consultancy,
which provides market intelligence, M&A advisory services,
business leadership and public policy advice to diagnostic and
life science companies and organizations. Mr. Weissman has
expertise in Medicare and health care reform policies and
trends; clinical laboratory and pathology payment & compliance
policies as well as business trends affecting the diagnostic
sector.
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2019 CAP Accreditation Checklist Updates: Changes That
Matter
Live Event: Thursday, December 12, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until June 12, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available
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The College of American Pathologists (CAP) checklists explain
the accreditation requirements of the program and are updated
yearly to reflect current practices and technologies. The main
purpose of the checklist is to be utilized as a guide for the
laboratory to ensure quality and patient safety. On September 17
the 2019 checklist edition was published and is currently in the
field for CAP laboratory inspections.
This webinar will provide insight into the key changes of the
CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program checklist requirements and
use CAP resources to identify checklist updates. Finally, as an
attendee you will learn about best practices and tools that your
laboratory can use to implement the necessary changes.
This webinar will:
- Describe key changes and the rationale for the
changes in the 2019 version of the CAP Accreditation
Program requirements
- Examine and leverage CAP resources to identify
changes
- Identify any necessary changes to help ensure
compliance with new accreditation requirements
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Presenters: |
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Dr. Harris Goodman is the
Co-Medical Director of the Clinical Laboratory at
Alameda Health System, Oakland, CA and owner of Paragon
Pathology. Dr. Goodman is currently the commissioner for
central California and the chair of the CAP Checklists
Committee. |
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Dr.
William West
is a pathologist at CHI Health/Creighton University
Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the former
Chair and current advisor of the College of American
Pathologists Checklists Committee. |
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What’s in a Name? Nomenclature Changes and the Impact on
Microbiology
Live Event: Wednesday, November 20, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until May 20, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available
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This presentation will be of interest to laboratory
professionals regarding the name and technology changes, and the
impact that they have on diagnostics and patient treatment.
The Age of Automation and Molecular Diagnostics in the
microbiology laboratory is changing the nature of diagnostics
and the microorganisms. This presentation will discuss the
extensive changes in taxonomic classification across the
bacteria, fungi and parasites as a result of molecular
diagnostics. The nomenclature changes will likely affect patient
treatment and outcomes. In order to effectively identify
organisms, laboratories must consider balancing traditional
microbiology with automation and molecular techniques to fit not
only the patient population and workflow but also available
expertise and budget. There is no one size fits all in a
microbiology lab, and just because you can, does not mean you
should, but “what’s in a name”, is more than meets the eye.
This webinar will:
- Describe the nomenclature changes that are
evident in bacteriology, parasitology and mycology
- Discuss the impact that nomenclature changes may
have on diagnostic testing and patient treatment
- Explain the impact that technology has had not
only on the evolution of the taxonomic system in
microbiology but also on how that influences the use
of testing platforms in the laboratory
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For further information on
microbiology nomenclature, visit the following:
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Presenter:
Patricia Tille Ph.D. MLS(ASCP) FACSc
Graduate Program Director, University of Cincinnati
Author, Bailey and Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology Textbook and
Chair, Microbiology Advisory Committee for the International
Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science

Dr. Tille is the well-known author of the textbook Bailey and
Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology and has published a variety of
articles in numerous scholarly journals related to education,
research and clinical practice. She has been recognized for her
professional achievements in Microbiology twice (2005 and 2019),
and Molecular Diagnostics (2011) by the American Society for
Clinical Laboratory Science and Cardinal Health as a three-time
nominee for the UR Essential Recognition as one of the top
laboratory professionals in the U.S. |
Implementing a Successful Patient Blood Management
Program
Live Event: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until April 30, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Patient blood management (PBM) is an evidence-based approach to
optimizing the care of patients who might need transfusion. A
focus on improved patient care and economic and operational
pressures are leading key industry thinkers to examine
appropriate blood usage. PBM programs can achieve these goals by
reducing variation in transfusion practice.1
In this webinar, you will learn key factors that lead to success
in shifting a public academic medical center culture and
practice surrounding red blood cell transfusions. Our team’s
change management strategy included executive alignment and
organizational transformation based on a centralized vision.
Despite barriers, our improvement in utilization has continued
for more than two years reflecting remarkable sustainability.
1Advancing
Transfusion and Cellular Therapies Worldwide:
http://www.aabb.org/pbm/Pages/definitionsconcepts.aspx
This webinar will:
- Describe the factors that lead to a successful
model of PBM
- Identify the diverse needs of a PBM program
- Discuss potential barriers to a successful PBM
program and strategies to overcome them
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Presenter:
Sarah E Barnhard, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor and Medical Director of Transfusion
Services
University of California-Davis Health

Dr. Sarah Barnhard is currently the Medical Director of
Transfusion Services for UC-Davis Health and chair of the
hospital’s Transfusing Wisely blood utilization committee. She
completed her medical school training at Weill-Cornell Medical
College in New York followed by anatomic and clinical pathology
residency with a blood banking/transfusion medicine fellowship
at UC-Davis. |
Pros and Cons of Selling the Laboratory
Live Event: Wednesday, September 25, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until March 28, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Outsourcing laboratory services can produce short-term cost
savings with long-term consequences. This presentation will
describe current market challenges including, economic,
regulatory and technological considerations that often drive
outsourcing arrangements. We will explore potential partnership
structures including acquisition, joint venture, lab management
and consultative services and the pros and cons of each
strategy. We will then examine the financial contribution that
hospital laboratories bring to their health systems. By the
conclusion of this presentation, laboratorians will be able to
articulate the value of the laboratory to administrators and
executives.
This webinar will:
- Identify key factors that influence outsourcing
arrangements
- Describe the economic and operational risks of
these arrangements
- Describe ways to articulate laboratory value to
key stakeholders
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Presenter:
Andrew Fletcher, MD, CPE
ARUP
Medical Director, Consultative Services

Dr. Fletcher is a board-certified anatomic/clinical pathologist
and certified physician executive with significant experience in
leading quality across an organization and reducing clinical
variation to effectively drive safety and value. He has a doctor
of medicine degree from the Mercer University School of Medicine
in Georgia and is currently pursuing his MBA from the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Fletcher has received numerous
awards for quality and utilization, including research grants
for blood utilization. |
Quality in the Coagulation Laboratory
Live Event: Wednesday, August 28, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until February 28, 2020 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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Coagulation is a complex discipline that includes many
variables. Different reagent composition including the type of
phospholipids and activating agents, instability of samples as
well as pre-analytical variables all contribute to outcomes. It
is important to understand how these variables impact the
quality of results reported out by the coagulation laboratory.
Quality in the laboratory is not a given and can result in the
misdiagnosis of a bleeding or thrombotic event.
This webinar will look at common practices in the coagulation
laboratory and how these variables can impact quality. This
session will also provide laboratories with practices that can
help improve coagulation results and patient outcomes.
This webinar will:
- Define quality in the coagulation laboratory
- Identify quality issues in the coagulation
laboratory and provide solutions for improvement
- Enhance problem solving skills using a case
study approach
|
|
Presenter:
Donna D. Castellone, MS, MASCP MT(ASCP) SH QA Manager, Specialty
Testing
Supervisor, Special Coagulation and Hematology
New York Presbyterian- Columbia Medical Center

Donna is the Quality Assurance (QA) Manager for Specialty
Testing and Supervisor of Special Coagulation and Special
Hematology at New York Presbyterian Hospital- Columbia in New
York City. She has 36 years of clinical laboratory experience
and 6 years of industry clinical trial experience, including PhD
work on Standardization of Laboratory Testing (all but
dissertation). |
The Role of the Hospital Laboratory in Antibiotic
Stewardship
Live Event: Wednesday, June 19, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until December 19, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
In today’s evolving healthcare environment, clinicians are
dealing with a global challenge of multidrug-resistant organisms
(MDROs) and adverse drug events while trying to reduce health
care costs and improve patient care. According to the CDC,
antibiotic-resistant infections affect at least 2 million people
in the U.S. annually and result in more than 23,000 deaths.1 As a way to
combat this growing concern, antimicrobial stewardship programs
have been designed to optimize the management of infectious
diseases. However, this cannot be done without the collaboration
among several teams within a healthcare system.
This program will provide an overview of the essential role the
hospital laboratory plays in the conduct of institutional
antibiotic stewardship programs. The program will focus on
issues currently impacting the hospital laboratories, including
rapid diagnostic testing, antimicrobial susceptibility
reporting, and the use of select biomarkers in the management of
infectious diseases.
This webinar will:
- List common strategies utilized by antibiotic
stewardship programs in optimizing infectious
diseases management.
- Define essential functions of the microbiology
laboratory that support antibiotic stewardship
programs.
- Identify issues relevant to the reporting of
antimicrobial susceptibility testing results that
significantly impact antibiotic use.
|
1The Importance of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program,
Federal Practitioner; September 2015;32(9):20-24, Roula Baroudi,
MD Marquetta Flaugher, PhD, ARNP Eddie Grace, PharmD Danny
Zakria |
Presenter:
Richard H. Drew, PharmD, MS, FCCP, FIDP
Professor and Vice Chair of Research and Scholarship-Campbell
University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Professor of
Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
Duke University School of Medicine

Richard Drew, PharmD, professor of pharmacy practice, received
the CUCPHS Dean’s Award for Research Excellence in 2008 and
Campbell Univeristy’s D.P. Russ, Jr. and Walter S. Jones, Sr.
Alumni Award for Research Excellence in 2012. Drew has
distinguished himself over a 40-year career as a pharmacy
practitioner, scholar and educator publishing over 110
peer-reviewed journal articles, 8 book chapters, 21 handbooks
and multimedia articles, and over 100 meeting abstracts. |
One Lab’s Journey up the Laboratory Value Pyramid
Live Event: Wednesday, May 22, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until November 22, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
|
As healthcare continues to transform, the journey from a
volume-based laboratory to one focused on high value patient
outcomes is growing in importance. This shift requires the use
of technology and data analytics, collaborating with key
stakeholders and integration across the enterprise. To help make
the transition from volume to value successful, this
presentation will cover the laboratory value pyramid providing
laboratories with a strategic roadmap.
This presentation will also enumerate the advantages of
leveraging technology and usable data in terms that directly
address the priorities of the laboratory, senior leadership and
the patient. This presentation will discuss how automation
technologies, process modification and data lead to improved
patient outcomes, as well as explain the direct impact of
laboratory results on organizational performance. Specific
laboratory initiatives will be presented to demonstrate the
impact that ascending the laboratory value pyramid has on
increasing value-added measures for high value patient outcomes,
including population selection, cost, cost effectiveness,
turnaround time, and technology selection for enhanced quality
of patient care.
This webinar will:
- Discuss how leveraging technology and usable
data can improve quality and achieve high value
patient outcomes
- Evaluate the direct impact of laboratory test
results on organizational performance
- Examine the value of laboratory information
- Describe how the laboratory can contribute to
performance driven healthcare
|
|
Presenter:
Denise L. Uettwiller-Geiger, Ph.D., DLM(ASCP)
Clinical Chemist and Director Clinical Trials
Mather Hospital Northwell Health
Port Jefferson, New York

Denise L. Uettwiller-Geiger, PhD, is a Clinical Chemist and
Director of Clinical Trials for Mather Hospital Northwell
Health, Port Jefferson, New York. Dr. Uettwiller-Geiger assists
with new technology and menu expansion and serves as a liaison
to clinicians providing expert education, guidance, and
consultation to clinicians. |
Laboratory Outreach: A Continued Opportunity
Live Event: Wednesday, April 24, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until October 24, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
|
Hospital laboratory outreach programs have existed for many
years and are designed to turn unused analytical capacity into
additional revenue, leverage the hospital’s community brand and
provide continuity of care for patients and providers.
Successful outreach programs demonstrate well-coordinated
logistics, customer service, revenue cycle processes and robust
information technology platforms. Organizational awareness and
executive level support are critical to ensure the success of an
outreach program.
In an unprecedented era of declining reimbursement, hospital
laboratory outreach programs can still be profitable, deliver
value and play a vital role in the health care continuum. This
presentation will review the key elements of infrastructure
necessary to compete in today’s outreach market. Opportunities
to maximize the contribution margin of laboratory services and
reduce operating costs will be discussed. Finally, tactics to
navigate the numerous challenges facing outreach laboratories
today will be explored.
This webinar will:
- Identify the key infrastructure components of a
laboratory outreach program
- Explore opportunities to enhance revenue and
reduce costs
- Learn Discuss strategies to overcome challenges
associated with operating a laboratory outreach
program in a complex health care environment
|
|
Presenter:
Steve Finch MHA, RN
VP Operations UNC Hospitals
Regional Director of Clinical Laboratory Services for UNC Health
Care System

Steve Finch has over 23 years of healthcare experience. He
currently serves as Vice President of Operations for the
University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. In addition to his role at UNCH, Steve also serves as
Regional Director of Clinical Laboratory Services for UNC Health
Care System. He has an extensive knowledge of health care
operations in a variety of clinical settings and a passion for
perfecting the patient experience while delivering cost
effective care. |
Proficiency Testing - Turning Pitfalls into Positive
Outcomes
Live Event: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until September 27, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Proficiency Testing (PT) is an external inter-laboratory quality
control that simulates real patient samples and the testing of
those samples. The performance of each participating laboratory
is compared with the collective performance of all participating
laboratories. Participation in an approved PT program is part of
the laboratory’s Quality Assurance requirement under the
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA 88).
Reports from PT are sent to laboratory oversight bodies and
regulatory agencies. Routine review of PT results will alert
your laboratory director of areas that are not performing as
well as expected. PT testing is an important tool for ensuring
your testing is accurate and reliable. All PT results scoring
less than 80% will require troubleshooting and corrective
action.
A survey of inspectors for CLIA, COLA and CAP has identified PT
as one of the top 3 areas for deficiencies and citations in the
clinical laboratory. Many laboratories, whether unknowing or
understaffed fail to treat PT samples the same way they treat
patient samples. Unsigned attestation and failure to perform
corrective action are other common areas of concern. Following
the information provided in this webinar, you will be able to
identify the pitfalls in your PT program and turn them into
positive outcomes.
This webinar will:
- Identify when PT is required
- Document PT as a staff competency assessment
tool
- Identify common causes of unsuccessful
performance
- Review troubleshooting unsuccessful performance
- Outline steps to resume testing after required
“cease testing”
|
|
Presenter:
Margaret Blaetz, CLC, MLT(AMT), CCCP(AAPOL),
MLT, MCM(ASCP)
Owner/Clinical Consultant, East Coast Clinical Consultants, LLC

Margaret Blaetz began her career as a Medical Laboratory
Technician specializing in Microbiology and obtained her
Bachelor of Science Degree at Glassboro State College (Rowan
University). Her 30+ year career in laboratory science includes
clinical laboratory management, sales and customer service for a
national laboratory, and research and development of diagnostic
test kits. |
Payor Audits – Preparing your Laboratory
Live Event: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until August 27, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Labs are under increasing scrutiny from government and
commercial payors, and audit and recoupment actions are on the
rise. Labs are charged with taking reasonable steps to ensure
they are submitting claims for services that are reasonable and
necessary and not for those that are not covered. When it is not
possible to support medical justification for testing or provide
appropriate documentation of claims, labs are vulnerable to
recoupment actions. Furthermore, a laboratory subject to an
audit is considered to be in possession of credible information
of an overpayment and must initiate a review as required by the
Reverse False Claims Rule (also referred to as the 60-Day Rule).
This presentation will help participants better understand the
payor audit process and prepare the organization to respond.
From recognizing the significance of initial correspondence to
responding effectively to initial and subsequent rounds of
review, the presentation will take participants through the
payor audit process from a government perspective and compare
and contrast typical government audits with typical commercial
audits. This presentation will also provide labs with
information on the Reverse False Claims Rule/60 Day Rule.
Finally, the presentation will identify some best practices that
labs can implement now to prepare for payor audits.
This webinar will:
- Describe the government audit process from
initial correspondence through the various stages of
appeal and share speakers’ experience with respect
to commercial payor audits, i.e., what is similar
and what is different from government audits and
explore recent case law regarding lab audits
- Discuss the lab’s responsibilities with respect
to the medical necessity of testing for which it is
submitting claims
- Examine the lab’s duties with respect to the
Reverse False Claims/60 Day Rule following an audit
request
- Identify steps labs can take to prepare for
audits prior to an audit being initiated
|
Disclaimer: The information in this presentation is provided for
educational purposes only and is not legal advice. It is
intended to highlight laws you are likely to encounter, but is
not a comprehensive review. If you have questions or concerns
about a particular instance or whether a law applies, you should
consider contacting your attorney.
|
Presenters:
|
Elizabeth Sullivan,
Member McDonald Hopkins LLC
Liz is a co-chair of the National Healthcare Practice at
McDonald Hopkins, LLC. |
She has assisted clinical laboratories, hospitals,
pathology groups and many other healthcare providers on
regulatory, licensing, compliance, reimbursement,
contractual, and corporate matters. |
 |
|
Courtney Tito, Attorney McDonald
Hopkins LLC
Courtney is a member of the Health Law group at McDonald
Hopkins, LLC in its West Palm Beach office. |
She counsels and represents clients in a variety of
health law areas, including, federal and private payor
audits and disputes, reimbursement, contract, corporate,
enrollment revocations, payment suspensions, and many
others. |
|
Reimbursement & Policy Outlook for Labs in 2019
Live Event: Wednesday, January 30, 2019 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until July 30, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
For the clinical laboratory industry, look for 2019 to be
another challenging year on the reimbursement front as a second
round of Medicare cuts of up to 10 percent for many lab tests
take effect under a market-based fee schedule required by the
Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA). Even as the American
Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) appeals a federal court
decision upholding PAMA, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) moved to require most hospital labs to start
reporting private payor data during the next scheduled reporting
period: Jan 1 to June 20, 2019. At the same time, industry
interests are supporting a legislative strategy to get Congress
to mitigate future PAMA cuts.
Meanwhile, federal oversight of laboratory developed tests
(LDTs) remains in limbo with the Food & Drug Administration
signaling that Congress should take the lead, leaving it to key
legislators to formulate a consensus bill. In addition, CMS is
weighing industry feedback to announcements seeking public
comment on whether to revise certain regulatory requirements
under CLIA and the Stark self-referral law. Finally, the Trump
Administration is moving ahead with administrative changes to
dilute consumer protections under the Affordable Care Act
despite a newly divided Congress starting in 2019. Find out how
these policy shifts and other key national trends are affecting
the way labs conduct business.
This webinar will:
- Assess the current reimbursement environment for
clinical laboratories in light of the ongoing cuts
being made by Medicare and their impact on
commercial insurers
- Understand the differing industry legal and
legislative strategies involving PAMA plus the
congressional outlook for modifying the law
- Examine what recent steps FDA has taken
affecting laboratory developed tests (LDTs) and the
outlook for LDT action on Capitol Hill
- Discuss changes in CLIA and Stark self-referral
requirements being considered by CMS and the
timetable for further action
|
|
Presenter:
Dennis Weissman
President, Dennis Weissman & Associates, LLC

A nationally known, independent analyst, consultant and thought
leader for the clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology
sectors for over three decades, Dennis is President of Dennis
Weissman & Associates, LLC, Falls Church, VA, a consultancy
which provides market intelligence, M&A advisory services,
business leadership and public policy advice to diagnostic and
life science companies and organizations. Mr. Weissman has
expertise in Medicare and health care reform policies and
trends; clinical laboratory and pathology payment & compliance
policies as well as business trends affecting the diagnostic
sector. |
Laboratory Stewardship Essentials
Live Event: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until June 11, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
As the healthcare industry transitions from fee for service to
value based reimbursement, hospital systems are challenged to
improve quality while reducing costs. While laboratory spending
only accounts for 2-3% of overall healthcare costs, the
laboratory drives 70-80% of downstream medical decisions1,2. For
this reason, proper laboratory stewardship is a critical in
today’s healthcare industry.
This webinar will explore essential steps to establish an
effective lab stewardship program including governance and
structure of stewardship committees. Dr. Fletcher will also
outline strategies for implementing successful laboratory
stewardship interventions. These strategies include
consolidation of reference testing for cost reduction and
improved turn-around time, reference test formulary development
to limit inappropriate inpatient tests - and appropriate
utilization of in-house testing including discussion on the
impact of order-sets, recurring daily lab tests and duplicate
lab tests. Each of these strategies will drive downstream
savings and improve the quality of patient care in healthcare
systems.
1Donaldson
K, Young D. An evidentiary rules-based approach to reducing
unnecessary lab testing. Am J Clin Pathol. 2010;134:503
2Forsman
RW. Why is the laboratory an afterthought for managed care
organizations? Clin Chem 1996;42:813–6.
This webinar will:
- Describe ways to establish a Laboratory
Stewardship program with appropriate governance and
engage ordering physicians
- Develop and implement a reference laboratory
test formulary
- Identify opportunities and strategies to reduce
duplicate and daily in-house tests
- Formulate strategies to minimize downstream
costs through appropriate testing
|
|
Presenter:
Andrew Fletcher, MD, CPE
Medical Director, Consultative Services

Dr. Fletcher is a board-certified anatomic/clinical pathologist
and certified physician executive with significant experience in
leading quality across an organization and reducing clinical
variation to effectively drive safety and value. He has a doctor
of medicine degree from the Mercer University School of Medicine
in Georgia and is currently pursuing his MBA from the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Fletcher has received numerous
awards for quality and utilization, including research grants
for blood utilization. |
Be Inspection Ready with the 2018 CAP Accreditation
Checklists
Live Event: Thursday, November 15, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until May 15, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) Laboratory
Accreditation Program checklists are updated regularly to keep
laboratories on the forefront of the latest regulatory
requirements and technological advances to ensure accurate and
reliable laboratory processes. The most recent checklist
edition, published August 2018, is now in the field for CAP
laboratory inspections. This checklist includes nearly 3,000
requirements organized into 21 checklists which are used as a
guide to assess the laboratory’s overall management and
operation.
Join this webinar for insight into the latest revisions to the
CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program checklist requirements and
use CAP resources to identify checklist updates. You will learn
how these updates will impact the inspection process, discover
the rationale behind the changes and receive helpful guidance
for implementation in your own laboratory.
This webinar will:
- Describe key changes to the 2018 CAP
Accreditation Checklist edition
- Interpret the rationale for the changes made to
the checklist
- Use CAP resources to identify and understand key
changes
- Recognize and implement necessary changes to
ensure compliance with new accreditation
requirements
|
|
|
William W. West, MD, FCAP
Chair, College of American Pathologists Checklists
Committee
Dr. West is a pathologist at CHI Health/Creighton
University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. He is
currently Chair of the College of American Pathologists
Checklists Committee and member of the Commission on
Laboratory Accreditation. |
|
|
Harris
Goodman, MD, FCAP, Vice-Chair, College of
American Pathologists Checklists Committee
Dr. Goodman attended University of California at San
Francisco for medical school and residency in pathology
and laboratory medicine and is board certified in
anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and
cytopathology. |
|
|
|
Discovering the Optimal Approach to Diagnosing
Clostridium difficile Infection
Live Event: Wednesday, October 24, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until April 24, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most
common healthcare-associated infection in the United States. In
2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
estimated 500,000 cases and more than 29,000 deaths were caused
by C. difficile. To combat this growing health problem,
the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) updated
their clinical practice guideline for CDI. This guideline serves
as an important resource for the medical, infection prevention
and public health communities1.
This webinar will discuss the clinical background of CDI and the
role of molecular testing that is used by more than 70% of
hospital laboratories. Molecular testing can not only help rule
out CDI but also help reduce CDI transmission by detecting CDI
in patients2. We will discuss the incidence, role, and clinical
impact of C. difficile as a human pathogen. Also
discussed will be the impact of the modified CDC’s National
Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) guidelines on public reporting
of C. difficile cases in the United States. We will
also review testing options including molecular diagnostics,
recommended treatments, and prevention measures in the hospital
setting.
1Updated C difficile
Infection Clinical Guidance From IDSA/SHEA, Infectious Disease
Advisor, February 2018
2New Clostridium
difficile Guidelines, The Society for Healthcare
Epidemiology of America, 2018
This webinar will:
- Review the clinical background of C.
difficile and its role as a pathogen in human
health
- Identify various ways in which C. difficile
can be accurately diagnosed
- Discuss the revised treatment recommendations
for C. difficile
- Evaluate the role of the 2018 modifications to
the NHSN reporting criteria for
healthcare-associated C. difficile
|
|
Presenter:
Nathan A. Ledeboer, PhD, D(ABMM)
Professor and Vice Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Ledeboer is a Professor and Vice Chair of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the
Medical Director of Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics for
Wisconsin Diagnostic Laboratories and Froedtert Health. His
research endeavors, particularly in the area developing
diagnostic tools for infectious diseases, have led to more than
80 publications in peer-reviewed journals and more than 100
funded research projects. Dr. Ledeboer is also a senior editor
for the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. |
Overview of Lean Principles in Histology: Patient
Safety, Efficiency, and Workflow
Live Event: Thursday, September 27, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until March 27, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Lean six sigma principles have made their way into the anatomic
pathology laboratory and applying lean tools and methods can
have a positive impact on any size histology laboratory
operation. When applied into everyday practice, lean can play a
key role in a histology laboratory’s operational efficiency.
Lean concepts can support continuous improvement initiatives
that focus on patient safety, error proofing and reduction of
waste. A histology laboratory can benefit from lean principles
as they transition away from traditional specimen handling and
processing methods moving towards implementation of small batch
handling and continuous processing.
This presentation will serve as a basic introduction of lean
principles as it is applied to histology practice. An overview
of operational challenges of histology highlighting common
practices that are lean improvement opportunities will be
discussed. Participants will learn to evaluate histology
processes from the lean perspective. Examples of lean
applications to improve patient safety, specimen tracking, and
case integrity will be shared.
After this presentation, participants will have a better
understanding of best practice and basic lean concepts applied
in the histology laboratory, and recognize common practices that
are considered to be potential patient safety risks.
This webinar will:
- Evaluate histology laboratory operational
challenges
- Define waste and discuss the ways of identifying
it in histology
- Identify common practice risks in the histology
laboratory process
- Describe basic lean fundamentals that support
patient safety, efficiency, and workflow in
histology
|
|
Presenter:
Christa Cappellano, BS, HT(ASCP)QIHC, LSSBB
CEO & Founder of coLABration Consulting, LLC

With 27 years of experience in pathology as a laboratory
director, manager, and histotechnologist, she is a published
textbook author in the field of Histotechnology and a workshop
instructor/teacher at national conferences on subject matters of
lean, laboratory performance metrics and histology technical
practices. Christa served as a committee member of national
organizations and regulatory agencies (ASCP, CAP, NSH). |
The Patient-Centered Laboratory: A Renewed Focus
Live Event: Thursday, August 23, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until February 23, 2019 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Laboratory testing is absolutely necessary for patient care, and
the role of high-value diagnostics continues to increase in
importance across the continuum of care. High quality,
cost-effective and appropriately-utilized laboratory tests are
essential in achieving healthcare’s Triple Aim. Triple Aim is a
framework developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
(IHI) as an approach to optimizing health system performance.
This framework encompasses three dimensions that must be pursued
in order to have Triple Aim success1. This presentation will
focus on the first dimension: improving the patient experience
of care.
Today, the physician-centric model of “Doctor Knows Best” is no
longer the only consideration. Have we ever asked the patient,
“What will an abnormal result mean to you?” With the patient
experience becoming the center, healthcare delivery systems must
leave the status quo behind and develop processes that are
intentionally focused on what is important to the patient. This
focus will drive improvements in patient transactions, access
and efficiency while managing costs; and when managed properly
will create increased loyalty and help improve outcomes.
1IHI Triple Aim
Initiative, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
This webinar will:
- Describe the difference between
physician-centric and patient-centric laboratory
testing
- Identify the role that the laboratory has in
achieving healthcare’s Triple Aim
- Evaluate existing laboratory service delivery
across the care continuum
- Develop a plan to upgrade your laboratory to
providing patient-centric services
|
|
Presenter:
Jane Hermansen, MBA, MT(ASCP)
Manager, Outreach and Network Development
Mayo Medical Laboratories

Jane Hermansen has over 30 years of clinical laboratory
experience, within community hospital and academic medical
center settings. At Mayo Clinic since 1988, she currently
directs the outreach consulting and health plan contracting
network activities for hospital laboratories across the country.
Jane holds a B.A. in Medical Technology from Concordia College
in Moorhead, Minnesota and a Masters of Business Administration
degree from the New York Institute of Technology. |
Creating Laboratory Value for a Competitive Advantage
Live Event: Wednesday, June 20, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until December 20, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
In today’s evolving health care environment, clinical
laboratories must make the transition from a fee-for-service
model to fee-for-value models and patient’s centered models.
With this shift, a new clinical and business model, known as
Clinical Lab 2.0, is emerging for medical laboratories. Clinical
Lab 2.0 takes a broader view of the value of laboratory medicine
by encouraging laboratories to expand their services to provide
integrated care across a health system1.
This session will present an illustrative case study on how
FirstPath Laboratory, a South Florida lab providing state of the
art diagnostic Anatomic Pathology services for the physicians
and patients, has applied Clinical Lab 2.0 to address a pressing
issue being faced today: what can be done to keep patients out
of the hospital? By partnering with telemedicine services,
FirstPath has been able to provide mobile bedside laboratory
testing by licensed laboratory professionals. This service
extends laboratory quality testing to the patients’ bedside
resulting in significant cost savings, improved on-site patient
care and ultimately reducing emergency room visits.
1Helping Medical
Laboratories Add Value to Health Systems, Providers, and Payers
by Moving from Clinical Lab 1.0 to Clinical Lab 2.0, Dark Daily
This webinar will:
- Illustrate how clinical laboratories can use
Clinical Lab 2.0 as a path to adding value
- Describe the need for clinical laboratories to
expand services outside of usual practice
- Identify opportunities in their institutions
where integrated care can be applied
- List the ways in which a lab can apply Clinical
Lab 2.0 philosophy to yield cost savings and
improved patient care
|
|
Presenter:
Leo Serrano, FACHE, DLM (ASCP) CM,
Clinical and Operational Consultant, FirstPath LLC

Leo Serrano, is the Clinical and Operational Consultant for
FirstPath LLC located in Pompano Beach, Florida and a recognized
thought leader and international speaker on Clinical Laboratory
Medicine. He has over 50 years of laboratory management
experience with an expertise in a number of clinical
specialties. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Leo directed the first
U.S. hospital laboratory to achieve ISO-14189 accreditation,
which re-accredited for a second cycle. |
Laboratory Stewardship: The Power of Appropriate Test
Utilization
Live Event: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until November 23, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Laboratory Stewardship has proven to be one of the most
successful strategies used by hospitals and laboratories to:
1. Improve the quality of
patient care
2. Optimize resources
3. Reduce waste |
This session will focus on these three key areas and present
interesting case studies that highlight how some organizations
are leveraging laboratory stewardship in ways that benefit
hospitals, providers, and patients including:
- Improving the quality of care and extending
length of life by decreasing mortality rates
- Aligning laboratory testing with drug
therapy to measure patient response and decrease
pharmacy spend
- Reducing over-utilization and driving cost
savings by working with physicians to identify and
implement charge savings opportunities
|
Participants will leave this session with a broadened knowledge
of laboratory stewardship that supports implementation and
measurement of successful interventions. Moreover, participants
will understand that ‘utilization management’ is just one
component of laboratory stewardship.
This webinar will:
- Describe the difference between utilization
management and laboratory stewardship
- Identify critical factors for success in
implementing laboratory stewardship interventions
- Differentiate low impact versus high impact
interventions
- Cite ways in which laboratory stewardship moves
the dial on patient care and outcomes
|
|
Presenter:
Suzanne Carasso, MBA, MT (ASCP),
Director, Business Solutions Consulting
ARUP Laboratories

Suzanne Carasso, a medical
technologist, has leveraged extensive technical and managerial
experience in the clinical lab to transition into healthcare
consulting. She is currently employed by ARUP Laboratories.
Specific areas of expertise include strategic business planning
for integration and consolidation of laboratory services,
evaluation of laboratory operational models, laboratory
stewardship, and outreach development. Suzanne also speaks at
regional and national laboratory meetings and is a published
author in a variety of healthcare journals. |
The Laboratorian as a Clinical Consultant: Identifying
Needs
and Building New Roles
Live Event: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until October 25, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
The clinical laboratory’s essential role in healthcare is
growing in importance as the bridge between advances in the
basic sciences and clinical practice. Bringing our knowledge to
the individual patient care encounter by serving as clinical
consultants is an important goal. The principal aim is to
improve patient care while demonstrating the value of clinical
laboratorians in expanded roles. As expectations in healthcare
put increasing emphasis on quality and cost-effectiveness, there
are real opportunities for clinical laboratorians to expand your
sphere of influence within your organizations, but these can be
a challenge to achieve. What strategies are available, and how
does one build and expand a consultant role within a health care
organization?
This webinar will highlight the need for increasing your role as
consultants in the clinical care process, as leaders in
laboratory resource utilization, and as leaders in hospital
quality initiatives.
This webinar will:
- Describe the need for clinical laboratorians to
expand their sphere of influence outside the walls
of the clinical laboratory
- Identify opportunities in institutions for
expanding the professional role of clinical
laboratorians
- Identify key clinical and administrative
partners for a successful program that fully
utilizes the skill set of the laboratorian
- Discuss the key areas in which laboratorians can
partner with care teams to improve patient care
|
|
Presenter:
Anthony A. Killeen, MD, PhD
Ellis S. Benson Professor and Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs
Dept. of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of
Minnesota

Dr. Killeen is the Ellis Benson Professor of Laboratory Medicine
and Vice-Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and
Pathology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He
received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the National
University of Ireland at Galway. |
Diagnosing Group A Strep pharyngitis: Which Technique is
Best for You?
Live Event: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until September 27, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Acute pharyngitis is responsible for 15 million sick visits per
year in the United States, with Group A strep accounting for
20-30% of pediatric and 5-15% of adult cases1. If not accurately diagnosed and treated, it can
also lead to more serious complications, especially in the
pediatric population.
This presentation will cover the various ways in which a
diagnosis of Group A Strep can be achieved. Traditional
microbiology laboratory workup will be covered, as well as
molecular techniques for diagnosis along with Point-of-Care
(POC) testing techniques. Included within this presentation will
also be the recommendations by the Infectious Disease Society of
America related to lab workup and treatment for Group A Strep.
The webinar will also discuss testing cost and how it relates to
decisions on which testing methodologies to utilize within your
laboratory.
1Shulman et al., Clinical
Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Group A
Streptococcal pharyngitis: 2012 Update by the Infectious
Diseases Society of America. Clinical Infectious Diseases
2012;55(10):e86–102
This webinar will:
- Review the clinical background on Group A Strep
and its role as a pathogen in human health
- Identify various ways in which Group A Strep
pharyngitis can be accurately diagnosed
- Discuss testing recommendations for Group A
Strep pharyngitis
- Examine aspects that influence which test(s) are
the best fit for a clinic/health system
|
|
Presenter:
Gregory J. Berry, Ph.D., D(ABMM),
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Gregory J. Berry is a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical
Microbiology and an Assistant Professor of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of
Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He is also the Director of
Molecular Diagnostics and an Assistant Director of Infectious
Disease Diagnostics at Northwell Health Laboratories in New
York. |
Closing the Gap in Pre-analytical Specimen Quality
Live Event: Tuesday, February 27, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until August 27, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Assessment of laboratory quality is broken down into 4 phases;
general, pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical. While
the laboratory has control over the general (safety, policies,
proficiency testing) and analytical portions, pre-analytical and
post-analytical quality are often outside of their hands.
Post-analytical quality refers to the processes that occur after
the lab testing is completed including patient reports,
communication and complaints. Pre-analytical specimen integrity
is just as critical to the result reported by the laboratory.
The laboratory must have processes in place to educate the
customer on specimen collection, specimen storage and specimen
transport. The laboratory must also have processes in place to
identify when to reject specimens based on improper collection,
storage and/or transport, and to communicate back to the
customer in a manner which will provide education for improved
specimen quality.
This webinar will:
- Explain the importance of proper collection,
transport, and storage of specimens
- Identify collection, transport and storage
concerns in their own laboratory
- Outline improvements needed to improve
pre-analytical quality in their own laboratory
- Assess and evaluate the impact of these
improvements
|
|
Presenter:
Margaret Blaetz, CLC(AMT), CCCP(AAPOL)
CEO, East Coast Clinical Consultants

Margaret Blaetz began her career as a Medical Laboratory
Technician specializing in Microbiology and obtained her
Bachelor of Science Degree at Glassboro State College (Rowan
University). Her 30+ year career in laboratory science includes
clinical laboratory management, sales and customer service for a
national laboratory, and research and development of diagnostic
test kits. |
2018 Outlook for the Clinical Laboratory Industry
Live Event: Wednesday, January 31, 2018 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until July 31, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
|
Following a year of sending mixed policy signals to the
healthcare industry, including the clinical laboratory sector,
Washington policymakers will be grappling with a host of
healthcare issues in 2018. These issues will range from key
decisions impacting the Affordable Care Act to potential budget
cuts affecting the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
This presentation will examine the latest national policy
developments and trends affecting clinical labs. This includes
the outlook for a new Medicare market-based national fee
schedule that would make major payment cuts for many lab tests,
how Medicaid and commercial insurer reimbursement to labs will
be influenced by the changeover to Medicare market-based rates,
the status of laboratory developed test oversight by Congress
and the Food and Drug Administration, and lastly, the leading
Washington policy challenges for the lab industry in the year
ahead.
This webinar will:
- Analyze the latest policy initiatives affecting
the Affordable Care Act for the short and longer
term.
- Discuss the outlook for federal budget cuts to
Medicare and Medicaid and the impact they would have
on both beneficiaries and providers, including labs.
- Review the status of a new Medicare market-based
payment system for lab testing and how payment rates
will change starting in 2018.
- Identify top federal policy challenges for labs
over the next year.
|
|
Presenter:
Dennis Weissman
President, Dennis Weissman & Associates, LLC

A nationally known, independent analyst, consultant and thought
leader for the clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology
sectors for over three decades, Dennis is President of Dennis
Weissman & Associates, LLC, Falls Church, VA, a consultancy
which provides market intelligence, M&A advisory services,
business leadership and public policy advice to diagnostic and
life science companies and organizations. Mr. Weissman has
expertise in Medicare and health care reform policies and
trends; clinical laboratory and pathology payment & compliance
policies as well as business trends affecting the diagnostic
sector. |
The First Cut isn't
the Deepest: Proposed Clinical Lab Fee Schedule
under PAMA
Live Event: Wednesday, December 13, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until June 13, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
On June 23, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) released a final rule implementing Section 216(a) of the
Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). This
legislation creates a single, national fee schedule which is
based upon private payor rates. Applicable laboratories
performing clinical diagnostic laboratory tests had to report
the amounts paid by private insurers for laboratory tests.
Medicare then used the weighted median of private insurer rates
to calculate Medicare payment rates for laboratory tests paid
under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) beginning
January 1, 2018.
CMS initially estimated that using a market-based system
stipulated under PAMA would save $390 million in the first year
of 2018, and $3.93 billion over a decade1. In September 2017,
CMS released the proposed new rates and the rate cuts are more
significant than originally anticipated. The proposed rate
structure would result in reductions of $670 million in Part B
program payments for clinical lab fee schedule (CLFS) tests in
20182. The preliminary rate schedule introduces dramatic cuts.
58% of tests will have reductions phased in over multiple years
as the preliminary rates exceed the maximum per year reduction3.
This new rate structure represents a dramatic shift in the way
laboratory tests are reimbursed. This webinar will provide
clinical laboratories with an update on the implementation of
the new Clinical Lab Fee Schedule and the financial impact to
clinical labs.
1PAMA Regulations, CMS, September 19,
2016
2CMS 2018 PAMA Pricing Cut for Lab Tests Deeper Than Prior
Estimate; Advanced Dx Lab Tests Fare Well, GenomeWeb
3CY2018 – Preliminary Private Payor Rate-Based CLFS Payment
Rates and Analytics, available at
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/ClinicalLabFeeSched/PAMA-Regulations.html
This webinar will:
- Discuss the changes to payment rates for tests
paid on the Clinical Lab Fee Schedule.
- Identify the 2018 payment rates for CPT codes
including which codes are increasing/decreasing.
- Recognize which CPT codes will have phased in
rate reductions due to per annum caps.
- Identify the payment changes to panel based
tests, molecular diagnostic tests, etc.
- Illustrate the impact to your clinical
laboratory based upon the 2018 rates.
|
|
Presenters:
 |
Chandra Branham, J.D., VP
AdvaMed
Chandra Branham, J.D., joined the Advanced Medical
Technology Association (AdvaMed) as Vice President,
Payment and Health Care Delivery Policy, in 2011. |
|
 |
Julie
Khani, President
ACLA
Julie Khani became president of the American Clinical
Laboratory Association (ACLA), the largest organization
representing the public policy interests of
laboratories, in 2017. |
|
|
|
Data Hidden in Plain Sight: Using Unexpected Analytics
for Quality and
Process Improvement in the Clinical Laboratory
Live Event: Thursday, November 16, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until May 16, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Clinical laboratories are swimming in data. However, many
opportunities for improvement in the laboratory may go
unrecognized. Studies are performed and actions are taken on
common metrics like turn-around time and test volume while
other, potentially more revealing metrics receive little focus.
Workflows and activities such as specimen flow, testing
protocols and pre-authorizations linked to the EHR, and blood
utilization tactics are examples of where opportunities exist to
uncover operational efficiencies and cost savings.
The ability of the clinical laboratory to effectively utilize
available data will become increasingly important as the
laboratory faces challenges on staffing and reimbursement.
Opportunities also exist for laboratorians to utilize the data
generated in their laboratories to educate providers, care
teams, and patients which positively impacts patient care. This
webinar will describe three different projects that utilized
unexpected data points to affect change to the laboratory
workflow and clinical care.
This webinar will:
- Discuss sources of unexpected data in the
laboratory and how they can be used for improvement
efforts.
- Identify the need for data to support
improvement efforts or implementing change.
- Describe a process whereby current data sources
can be tweaked for use in specific improvement
activities.
- Define financial and operational benefits
associated with utilizing unexpected sources of lab
data.
|
|
Presenter:
Jordan Olson MD FCAP
Medical Director Clinical Pathology Informatics
Geisinger Medical Center

Jordan Olson is the medical director for clinical pathology
informatics in the Geisinger Medical Laboratory, the medical
director of pre-analytics and phlebotomy, and the medical
director for the Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital laboratory. Dr.
Olson completed his undergraduate and medical school at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public
Health.
|
Survival of the Fittest: Transforming Your Lab from Cost to
Value Center
Live Event: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until April 18, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
The new era of healthcare reform is here. Not only is there no
going back, but maintaining status quo in healthcare
organizations that operate inefficiently is a costly and
unsustainable business model. Now is the time to adopt a new way
of thinking and behaving around cost containment. Healthcare
systems that get it will survive. Those that don’t likely won't.
Laboratory testing plays a central role in healthcare delivery
that impacts both costs and outcomes. Unfortunately in some
organizations, the laboratory is viewed as little more than a
cost center that runs tests and reports results. In order to
change this perception, labs must demonstrate quantifiable value
well beyond the delivery of test results. When labs actively
engage with clinicians to educate, inform, and support optimal
test utilization, the transition from cost to value center has
begun.
Utilization management has come to the forefront as an effective
way to optimize laboratory testing in ways that benefit patients
first and foremost, while driving down the overall cost of care.
This presentation will discuss the components of an effective
utilization management program. The speaker will present a
roadmap for improving utilization management, provide specific
examples of successful approaches, and highlight opportunities
for improvement.
This webinar will:
- Identify industry trends driving the transition
from volume to value-based healthcare.
- Discuss key metrics associated with
inappropriate test utilization.
- Describe five components of the utilization
management roadmap.
- Cite successful strategies, beyond laboratory
formulary, to optimize test utilization.
- Define ways in which laboratories operate as
value centers.
|
|
Presenter:
Suzanne Carasso, MBA, MT(ASCP), Director, Business Solutions
Consulting with ARUP Laboratories

Suzanne is currently Director, Business Solutions Consulting
with ARUP Laboratories. ARUP is a leading national reference
laboratory owned by the University of Utah. As spokesperson for
ARUP Laboratories Consulting Division, Suzanne works with a
variety of organizations across the United States including
large academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks,
multi-hospital health systems, community hospitals, children’s
hospitals, independent laboratories and group purchasing
organizations. |
FDA’s New Reclassification of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests:
Are you Prepared?
Live Event: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until March 27, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
published a final rule that reclassifies antigen-based Rapid
Influenza Diagnostic Tests (RIDTs) from Class I to Class II and
requires that these diagnostic devices meet increased
sensitivity, specificity and annual strain testing quality
controls. This reclassification becomes effective on January 12,
2018, which will have implications for laboratories during this
upcoming influenza season (2017/2018).
This device reclassification was driven by concerns from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about test
sensitivity of RIDTs during the 2009 pandemic flu season. The
goal of the reclassification is to improve the overall
performance of RIDTs by requiring additional regulatory
controls. These new measures should reduce the incidence of
false-negative results, improving antibiotic stewardship across
the continuum of care.
This webinar will review the FDA reclassification of RIDTs,
discuss the new sensitivity and specificity requirements for
RIDTs, and provide an overview of the products on the market
that meet the new requirements. Also covered in the webinar will
be information on how long products not meeting the new
requirements can be sold by distributors and manufacturers, as
well the date up until which laboratories may use such
diagnostic devices. This webinar is intended to help enable
laboratories to prepare for the changes and minimize any impacts
to established influenza protocols.
This webinar will:
- Review FDA influenza reclassification
requirements and assess impact to currently utilized
RIDTs
- Identify the different types of influenza tests
available and if they are compliant with the new FDA
guidelines
- Understand the pros and cons of each type of
influenza testing based on the needs of your
laboratory
- Explain the dates until which products not
meeting the new guidelines can by sold, as well as
how long they can be used for patient testing
|
Click here to learn more about Cardinal Health’s influenza
testing platforms that ensure FDA compliance.
Click here to download questions and answers from this webinar.
|
Presenter:
Gregory J. Berry,
Ph.D., D(ABMM)
Assist. Prof., Pathology and Lab.
Medicine
Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine

Gregory J. Berry Ph.D., D(ABMM) is an Assistant Professor of
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Hofstra Northwell School of
Medicine and an Assistant Director of Infectious Disease
Diagnostics at Northwell Health Laboratories in New York. He is
also a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology.
|
|
|
Six Trends that will Change Health Care over the Next 5 Years
Live Event: Wednesday, August 30, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until February 30, 2018 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
|
The dynamics of the healthcare are that the industry will
continue to be fluid, with evolution and change continuing for
the next several years. Beyond healthcare policy, change will be
driven by multiple factors. These factors range from value-based
care to technology and data to the demographics of the people
accessing care. The macro trends identified will impact the
industry as whole, but have downstream implications and
opportunities for the clinical laboratory. The role of the
laboratory is evolving relative to patient care as well as how
it supports the goals and initiatives of its hospital or
healthcare system. This shifting role requires laboratories to
think differently and quickly respond to the changes in their
environment. Considerations for the laboratory include how to
better utilize the data they generate, the expanding role of
precision medicine, and addressing how millennials want to
consume healthcare and diagnostic testing.
This webinar will outline the six trends that will change
healthcare in the next 5 years. These trends were identified as
a result of a multi-faceted study conducted by Huron Consulting
Group and have several downstream implications to the clinical
laboratory. By recognizing the opportunities that exist for the
laboratory in response to these trends, the laboratory will be
well positioned to create value within their system.
This webinar will:
- Discuss the major trends impacting healthcare
over the next 5 years and the impacts to the
laboratory
- Identify how the laboratory can adapt to these
changes and create value for its stakeholders
- Determine how risk and value-based care models
impact the laboratory
- Recognize the shifting requirements of patient
populations
|
|
Presenters:
 |
Ted Schwab, Managing Director, Huron Healthcare Practice
Huron
Consulting Group Inc
Ted is an industry leader in
innovation through his work with clinicians, executives,
and governing bodies around the country, helping them
design the next generation of healthcare organizations. |
|
|
K. R.
Prabha, Senior Director, Healthcare Strategy
Huron Healthcare Practice
Huron
Consulting Group Inc
Prabha brings over 15 years’ consulting experience
focused on care delivery strategy, innovation, and
measurable improvements in access, quality, cost, and
patient experience. |
|
|
|
What's Your Cost of Poor Quality? Calculating an ROI for Your
Lab's Quality Program
Live Event: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until December 21, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Within the clinical laboratory, quality has multiple components.
The most thought of component of quality relates to CAP (College
of American Pathologists) inspections, accreditations, and
standard regulatory compliance activities. Clinical laboratories
often struggle to justify the resources to adequately support
quality management and regulatory compliance programs. Many
times this is due to lab quality efforts being viewed as a
costly and necessary evil to achieving regulatory compliance.
What often goes unrecognized are how quality management programs
can be utilized to drive expense out of laboratory operations.
For example, robust quality management programs can help reduce
expenses associated with lost specimens, repeat testing and
reagent management.
This session covers the concept of Cost of Quality, but focuses
on the cost of poor quality (CoPQ). Methods for labs to
calculate and capture CoPQ will be discussed. Armed with actual
CoPQ data, laboratories can begin to speak the language of the
"C Suite" by demonstrating improvement in financial performance.
Labs can begin to portray their quality programs as mechanisms
to achieve cost savings and cost avoidance, in addition to the
quality, regulatory and patient safety benefits that are already
well recognized.
This webinar will:
- Discuss the concept of Cost of Quality and its
components.
- Differentiate between hard and soft costs
associated with quality management.
- Review methodologies to capture and track Cost
of Poor Quality (CoPQ).
- Analyze how labs can use CoPQ data to
demonstrate a return on investment for their quality
efforts.
|
|
Presenter:
Jennifer Dawson, MHA, LSSBB, CPHQ, DLM(ASCP)SLS, QLC, QIHC

Jennifer Dawson is Senior Director, Quality for Human Longevity,
Inc in San Diego, CA where she is responsible for building a
best practice Quality Management System as well as for CLIA
compliance and obtaining CAP and CAP 15189 accreditation. She
formerly served as Vice-President Quality for Sonic Healthcare
USA and was responsible for developing their quality management
system. |
Using Lab Information to Reduce Downstream Healthcare Costs:
Case Studies
Live Event: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until November 17, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Laboratory testing provides more than just a snapshot of a
patient’s medical condition at any point in time. Leveraging the
power of the information provided by the laboratory can have
significant impact on other downstream costs within the health
care ecosystem and beyond to community health.
This webinar will provide case studies on how laboratory
information is being used at a large integrated health care
delivery system to lower cost and improve patient outcomes. Case
studies will discuss how the data generated by the laboratory
can help educate patient care teams, streamline/optimize test
ordering, and provide visibility to patient adherence.
This webinar will:
- Analyze the “real” value of laboratory
information
- Identify sources of concrete examples of where
laboratory information provides downstream value
- Evaluate new financial models for laboratory
reimbursement and/or cost containment
- Discuss the most effective ways to become an
advocate for laboratory testing
|
|
Presenter:
Ran Whitehead, CEO, PeaceHealth Laboratories

Ran Whitehead is the Chief Executive Officer at PeaceHealth
Laboratories. He has enhanced the company’s reputation for
technical and clinical excellence, collaborative partnerships,
and innovative programs. Ran has led initiatives such as a
distance learning program that was later adopted by laboratories
across the country. |
Actions You Can Take to Have Your Lab Viewed as a Profit Center
Live Event: Wednesday, April 18, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until October 18, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
As clinical management and lab operators, your day may be
consumed with daily operational or service issues. Some days,
it’s about all you can do to get through one more day. It is
hard to set aside time to think strategically or understand what
your laboratory management executive is thinking. This webinar
will reveal the 5 steps you can take to create value and change
the perception of your laboratory and outreach programs by
hospital and health system executives.
This webinar will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of today’s market
and business trends and how they can be used to
provide strategic and financial value to your
clinical laboratory
- Identify actions you can take that can help
various medical and laboratory executive
stakeholders think differently about your laboratory
operations
- Apply relevant strategies to position yourself
and your lab proactively for change and growth based
on changing healthcare dynamics.
|
Click here to download the article
referenced by Dr. Murphy, Good News and Bad News in PAMA
Final Rule for Repricing Lab Tests,
shared with permission from
Laboratory Economics. |
Presenter:
Kathleen A. Murphy, PhD, Senior Growth Advisor Chi Solutions,
Inc.

Kathleen A. Murphy, PhD, Senior
Growth Advisor for Chi Solutions, Inc., an Accumen company, is a
noted laboratory expert, speaker, and author. Over her 35 years
in laboratory management and consulting, including her former
role as the CEO of Chi, Dr. Murphy has gained broad industry
experience in laboratory strategy, turnarounds, and outreach.
She is the author of The Profit Machine in the Hospital
Basement: Turning Your Lab into an Economic Engine
(Ellsworth Press, 2016). |
How Effective Test Utilization Can Support Patient
Safety
Live Event: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT
PACE®
Credit available until September 29, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
|
Utilization of laboratory services is of constant concern
because of the cost to our health care system, the drain on
laboratory resources, and the waste of valuable time in
diagnosing, treating and managing patients. A recent article in
the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
suggests that there are also patient safety issues that must be
considered.
This webinar will report on the progress of the CDC project
known as the Clinical Laboratory Integration into Healthcare
Collaborative (CLIHC). This project has been examining how
physicians order laboratory tests, what they need to be able to
order appropriately and what gaps need to be filled by
laboratory professionals. These projects give us a better
understanding on what clinicians know about laboratory science
and medicine. This presentation will also examine several
different approaches to controlling utilization and discuss how
to implement utilization programs. The “how” is very dependent
on many factors, several of which will be described, that exist
in every healthcare setting.
This webinar will:
- Describe the Clinical Laboratory Integration
into Healthcare Collaborative (CLIHC) project.
- Discuss instances of miscommunication, poor
utilization of laboratory services and patient
consequences.
- Analyze barriers and solutions currently being
discussed in various institutions.
- Evaluate implementation processes that might be
useful in your setting.
|
|
Presenter:
Elissa Passiment, MT(ASCP), EDM
Senior Partner, EP Clinical
Laboratory Consulting

Elissa Passiment is a clinical laboratory scientist with over
twenty years’ experience in clinical laboratories as staff,
educator and manager and another twenty years in health care
consulting, association management and health policy.
Ms. Passiment has served on the congressionally mandated
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee convened to standardize and
simplify reimbursement for laboratory services under Medicare
Part B; presented testimony to Institute of Medicine studies,
and represents ASCLS at meetings with the FDA, CMS, and CDC. |
Laboratory Test Utilization: Improving Outcomes and
Reducing Costs
Live Event: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until August 28, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
The nation’s healthcare system has
been steadily shifting from fee-for-service to fee-for-value
models and patient’s centered models. This transition has
created opportunities for clinical diagnostic laboratories to
partner within their healthcare systems on initiatives, such as
improved patient outcomes, lowering readmission rates, and
reducing the cost of patient care. This approach not only
provides benefit to patients and the healthcare system but also
enables laboratories to play a more integrated role in the care
of patients.
With the rapid advancement of molecular diagnostic testing,
there is an increasing need for the laboratory to provide
education and decision algorithms to help mitigate unnecessary
testing. Creating guidelines to help clinicians navigate the
increasingly complex landscape of molecular diagnostics is
another opportunity for the laboratory to support the transition
to value based care.
Optimal utilization of laboratory testing and the implementation
of clinician decision support tools have enabled numerous
healthcare systems to lower their laboratory testing
expenditures and improve patient care associated with high-risk
infections and conditions. The mechanisms for achieving, and the
benefits associated with, proper laboratory test utilization can
be achieved in a variety of ways. Critical to the success of
laboratory test utilization programs is partnering with
providers in the development of test plans and protocols.
Utilizing a collaborative approach across the organization will
help ensure adoption and adherence to new protocols.
This presentation will provide information on the how clinical
laboratories can utilize testing protocols to help their
healthcare systems to reduce costs and achieve goals associated
with CMS’ Core Measures and Hospital Consumer Assessment of
Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores. The benefits
of enhanced utilization of laboratory testing and the
utilization of decision support tools to enable improved patient
outcomes will be discussed. Considerations and best practices
for effective implementation and adoption of laboratory test
utilization programs will be reviewed.
This webinar will:
- Identify how the laboratory
can partner with stakeholders across the healthcare
system to reduce healthcare costs by properly
utilizing laboratory tests.
- Define how laboratory test
utilization and decision support tools can enable
clinicians to improve patient outcomes.
- Demonstrate how the
laboratory can be utilized to address the transition
from fee-for-service to fee-for-value
|
To download the Quality Chasm Series: Health Care
Quality Report,
click here.
|
|
Presenter:
Eugenio Zabaleta, Ph.D.
Clinical Chemist, OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital

Eugenio H. Zabaleta, PhD, is a Clinical Chemist at OhioHealth
Mansfield Hospital. He is also Part-time Lecturer at Cleveland
State University Graduate Clinical Chemistry Program in
Cleveland, OH. He graduated from the Catholic University of
Cordoba (Argentina) with a degree in Biochemistry and received
his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Akron. His training
in Clinical Pathology was at the Hospital Provincial San Roque
in Cordoba. In his native country he was the Laboratory Medical
Director at the Clinica Del Sol, a clinic devoted to
mother-and-child care with neonatology intensive care services.
Dr. Zabaleta performed a fellowship at OhioHealth Mansfield
Hospital Laboratory. |
Compliance Considerations for Clinical Laboratories
Live Event: Wednesday, January 25, 2017 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
PACE®
Credit available until July 25, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
 |
Clinical laboratories provide valuable testing services to their
institutions, patients and communities but are operating in
increasingly complex and competitive environments. Healthcare
reform continues to evolve and with this comes a responsibility
by both the laboratories and clinicians to understand the
compliance requirements associated with providing testing
services. Violation of the laws can put both the laboratory and
clinician at risk for criminal and civil penalties.
Understanding the state and federal statutes associated with
marketing testing services to new and existing clients will
enable clinical laboratories to identify risks associated with
kick-backs and fraud and abuse. To ensure proper use of funds,
Medicare and private payors are increasing the frequency and
depth of the audits to clinical laboratories. These audits are
being performed to ensure medical necessity, proper utilization
of specific test codes and types, as well as proper collection
of co-pays and co-insurance. By understanding the laws and
guidelines, clinical laboratories can develop robust compliance
programs to reduce risks and provide transparency to their
healthcare system, clients and payor network.
This presentation will provide an overview to the key laws and
statutes as well as address a variety of compliance requirements
that clinical laboratories must adhere to mitigate legal and
financial risks. Compliance requirements and common issues
related to laboratory billing will be identified. Examples of
non-compliance will be reviewed. Also addressed within the
presentation will be the risks clinical testing laboratories
commonly have associated with payor audits.
This webinar will:
- Interpret how the Stark Law framework,
anti-kickback statute, and exception to limitations
applies to laboratory testing
- Discuss the developments in compliance
requirements for client account billing for
laboratory testing
- Identify risks and issues commonly associated
with payor audits
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Presenter:
Elizabeth Sullivan, Esq.
McDonald Hopkins LLC

Elizabeth Sullivan is a member of the firm’s National Healthcare
Practice. She began her legal career as an associate in the
Healthcare Practice group and recently returned to McDonald
Hopkins. For the past four years, Liz served as associate
counsel for The Cleveland Clinic Foundation where she provided
regulatory advice and transactional guidance to various service
lines, including the clinical laboratory, professional
pathology, imaging, transplant, and remote and distance health
teams. During her career, Liz has assisted clinical
laboratories, hospitals, physician specialty groups, telehealth
providers, transplant centers, surgery centers, healthcare
associations, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers on
regulatory, licensing, compliance, reimbursement, contractual,
and corporate matters.
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Clinical Lab Payment Reform under PAMA: Reimbursement, Reporting
and your New Responsibilities
Live Event: Wednesday, November 16, 2016 1:00 - 2:00 PM
EST
PACE®
Credit available until May 16, 2017 | Florida Lab
Credit available |
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On June 23, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) released a Final Rule implementing Section 216
of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA),
requiring laboratories performing clinical diagnostic laboratory
tests to report the amounts paid by private insurers for
laboratory tests. Medicare will use these private insurer rates
to calculate Medicare payment rates for laboratory tests paid
under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) beginning
January 1, 2018.*
The Final Rule not only reforms reimbursement for clinical
laboratory testing but also has numerous requirements and
components that laboratories need to understand and comply with.
Noncompliance with these new requirements can have financial
impacts on the laboratory/institution. Defined within the
legislation are elements such as:
• Definition of applicable laboratories required to report to CMS
• Reporting periods, applicable information to be reported, and
designated reporting authorities
• Definition of advanced diagnostic laboratory tests (ADLTs) and how they
differ in reporting and rate setting
This presentation will address important provisions of the law,
including the new data reporting responsibilities for applicable
laboratories, details about and timeframes for reporting private
payer information, and information on the annual rate reductions
allowed under the legislation. The presentation will also help
laboratories translate the Final Rule to identify required
actions and potential impacts for their laboratories.
*PAMA Regulations, CMS, September 19, 2016
This webinar will:
- Interpret the provisions of the Final Rule
of Section 216 of PAMA which reforms payment to
laboratory tests paid under the Clinical Lab Fee
Schedule.
- Identify and apply the new reporting
responsibilities for their laboratory and understand
the reporting timeframes and the impact it will have
on their laboratory.
- Recognize the methodology and opportunities to
engage with CMS on the proposed payment rates before
they become final.
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Presenters:
Chandra Branham, J.D., VP
Advanced Medical Technology Association

Ms. Branham leads the AdvaMed’s policy work in a number of
areas, including diagnostics payment, coverage issues, and
comparative effectiveness. Ms. Branham has spent most of her
career focusing on healthcare regulatory and legislative issues
involving Medicare coverage, coding, reimbursement and quality
for providers and suppliers of Medicare items and services,
including serving as a senior legislative analyst in the Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Legislation.
Julie Khani, Executive VP
American Clinical Laboratory Association

Julie Khani joined the American Clinical Laboratory Association,
ACLA, in 2013 as Senior Vice President, and was named Executive
Vice President in 2016. In her current role Ms. Khani oversees
the advocacy, policy and communications functions at ACLA and
leads association efforts on implementation of the Clinical
Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) provisions of the Protecting
Access to Medicare Act. |
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Whitehat Communications is approved as a provider of
continuing education programs in the
clinical laboratory
sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Program.
Cardinal Health is approved as a provider of
continuing education programs in the
clinical laboratory
sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Program. |
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These webinars are sponsored by
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© 2021 | Whitehat
Communications, a division of Martek Inc. |
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