Abbott features solutions to help labs prepare for the evolving healthcare landscape at the AACC Lab Expo

As U.S. healthcare providers navigate a changing healthcare climate, clinical laboratories are playing an increasingly important role in helping them prevent medical errors, lower readmission rates, and improve patient care. At the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) annual meeting and clinical lab expo, July 28 – August 1 in Houston, Texas, Abbott (NYSE: ABT) will showcase solutions designed to meet the needs of its lab customers while reducing costs and improving productivity.

“Clinical laboratories are looking for the right solutions to successfully address the complexities and opportunities presented by the changing healthcare environment,” said Greg Ahlberg, divisional vice president, U.S. Commercial Operations, Diagnostics, Abbott. “Abbott has one of the broadest and most flexible portfolios available today to help labs drive efficiency and optimization, leading to improved patient care.”

During the AACC meeting, Abbott will feature a variety of its solutions, including the first FDA-approved genotyping test for hepatitis C (HCV), the RealTime HCV Genotype II test; the FDA-cleared FreeStyle Precision Pro Blood Glucose and β-Ketone Monitoring System™; as well as the ACCELERATOR a3600, a laboratory automation track system.

Abbott will also showcase the company’s approach to customer-focused innovation through its program called “Factoring in the Human.” On the recently launched Web site, www.factoringinthehuman.com, Abbott shares the company’s focus on human factor principles and customer-centric approaches to influence product design. Laboratory professionals are encouraged to visit the website to learn more.

Posters and Presentations

More than 30 scientific posters and/or oral presentations related to Abbott’s solutions will be presented during the AACC program. Seventeen posters cover cardiac markers and 13 focus on the performance of several clinical chemistry assays as well as on important areas, such as transplant, endocrine, metabolic, and congenitals.

Several presentations by prominent leaders in laboratory medicine are also scheduled throughout the meeting, covering topics such as the lab’s role in helping lower readmission rates, the value of fourth generation HIV combo tests in diagnosing acute HIV infection, and achieving efficiencies in the core laboratory. A complete list of Abbott’s posters, workshops and presentations can be found at www.abbottdiagnostics.com. Other materials and information will be available at Abbott’s booth (#2953).

Key Abbott-Sponsored AACC Workshops

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all sessions will be held at the Hilton Americas Hotel, Grand Ballroom J & K. Times listed are Central Time.

• Tuesday, July 30, 7 a.m. – Practical Applications of Sigma Metrics: Assay Quality and Instruments Design: Joseph Litten, Ph.D., technical and developmental manager, Winchester Medical Center and Anthony Orzechowski, director, R&D Quality Engineering, Abbott, will describe how Six Sigma concepts and metrics provide guidance to validate and monitor assay quality in the laboratory to positively influence patient care.
• Tuesday, July 30, 6 p.m. – Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes Mellitus and the HbA1c Assay: Current guidelines from the American and Canadian Diabetes Associations have recommended the use of HbA1c testing in the diagnosis and management of diabetes. Khosrow Adeli, Ph.D., head and professor, clinical biochemistry, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto and Paul Yip, Ph.D., clinical biochemist and assistant professor, laboratory medicine, University Health Network, University of Toronto, will discuss the current definitions of metabolic syndrome and diabetes, and the expanded role of HbA1c testing.
• Wednesday, July 31, 7 a.m. – Cardiac Troponin: New Guidelines, New Assays, New Opportunities: Laboratory, cardiology, and emergency medicine guidelines endorse cardiac troponin as the biomarker of choice for aiding in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Recommendations for how to optimally use these assays clinically continue to evolve. During this workshop, a panel of experts including Fred Apple, Ph.D., medical director of clinical laboratories and professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota; Peter Hickman, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor and director of clinical pathology, Australian National University and ACT Pathology, The Canberra Hospital; and Pete Kavsak, Ph.D., clinical biochemist, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, Canada will review today’s analytical and clinical expectations of cardiac troponin assays and highlight emerging opportunities to further improve upon clinical care.

The following session will be held at the Hyatt Regency Houston, Imperial Ballroom West.

• Wednesday, July 31, 7 a.m. – Identifying the Pregnant Patient: There’s More to Know Than “Yes” or “No”: In emergency departments, tests for human chorionic gonadotropin are performed frequently. Errors and delays in testing can affect a large number of patients and have a substantial impact on clinical decision-making, patient throughput and patient satisfaction. David Grenache, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, and Ian Schwartz, M.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, will explain the strengths and limitations of current qualitative and quantitative hCG tests.