COVER STORIES

What’s the Best Diagnostic Testing Strategy for HIV Infection?
Proposed Algorithm Incorporates Latest Technologies, Testing Priorities
By Genna Rollins

There have been many advances in HIV testing technology over the past two decades, but the testing algorithm for initial and confirmatory diagnosis of HIV has not changed since 1989. Now, public health officials are considering a new algorithm in light of the latest diagnostic technologies and challenges. 

The Send-Out Testing Boom
How Can Labs Take Control?
By Bill Malone

For hospital lab directors working in an environment of high-pressure cost containment, advanced molecular testing has meant a ballooning reference lab bill, and gaps in a lab’s management of referral testing often equal lost opportunities to save money in this area. Yet taking full advantage of new and advanced testing does not have to break a lab’s budget, according to experts.

The International Normalized Ratio
A Tool for Monitoring Warfarin Therapy
By Neil S. Harris, MBChB, MD, and William E. Winter, MD 

INR and PT are critical tests for patients on warfarin therapy. This article summarizes the biological basis behind PT, highlights the derivation of the INR, and describes appropriate usage of these laboratory tests.

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