Trends
At the 2018 AACC/ASCLS confernce, John Carreyou was a keynote guest, discussing the investigative reporting he conducted that brought down the vaunted but fraudulant Theranos company. In 2016, Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes was the keynote guest. Have we really learned that much in 2 years?
Automation ("tracks") is marketed to laboratories as the solution to most if not all of their problems. But when done poorly, it can actually causes more problems than it solves. Take this opportunity to learn the inefficiencies that may befall a laboratory that selects the wrong automation solution.
Every so often reality delivers a vicious refute to the myth of continuous forward progress. While we often assume (and hope) that the arc of the universe bends towards justice, progress, unity, and peace, it is never safe to take for granted that civilizations will always choose to take a step forward. There is always a very real possibility that countries and societies will choose instead to take a step backward.
What's the low-down on taking the low bid for a diagnostic instrument? Protect yourself and your lab so you don't end up penny-wise, pound foolish in your diagnostic decisions.
The Theranos Scandal is an object lesson for the laboratory industry. It's not only an example of what NOT to do, but also an example of what we risk when we don't demand proof of quality, or what we might suffer if we don't prove the quality we're delivering. We don't want to be Theranosed. And we certainly don't want to be Theranosing others...