In my opinion, the ability of two St. Louis hospitals to provide a sophisticated menu of reference testing for a developing nation located more than 12,000 miles away is remarkable. (See pages 2-6.) It provides compelling evidence that laboratory medicine is undergoing its own globalization process.

Couple the accomplishment of Washington University Medical School and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in serving the reference testing needs of Eritrea with the ongoing effort to understand and control the spread of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and the progress toward an internationalized system of laboratory medicine becomes easier to see.

I think this globalization process is supported by three fundamental developments. The first is overnight package delivery. Since Federal Express appeared on the scene in the mid-1980s, the overnight package delivery industry has grown steadily. It is constantly upgrading services, like package tracking capabilities. It is steadily opening new markets and expanding its geographical coverage. As a result, clinical laboratories find it easier and easier to economically serve clients located farther away than in the past.

The second fundamental development is telecommunications, including fax and Internet. There are a few of us still out there who remember when fax machines didn't exist. Introduced in the early 1980s, fax machines have shrunk in size and give anyone with a basic telephone line the ability to send and receive documents, including test requisitions and lab test reports.

The third fundamental development is the ongoing consolidation among diagnostic manufacturers. All through the 1990s, the world's largest diagnostic companies acquired companies and technologies that supported their strategic vision. This business activity crossed international borders and allowed labs almost anywhere in the world to have access to the same diagnostic lab test assays.

Healthcare will always be local. But what is changing is the ability of clinical laboratories to provide the customized services needed by local providers across ever greater distances. Lab directors and pathologists should understand that this trend can be both a threat and an opportunity for their laboratory.

Eritrea Uses St. Louis For Reference Testing

Newly-independent nation relies on laboratories in St. Louis to perform wide range of lab tests

CEO SUMMARY: On one level, it's the classic story of volunteerism and help for a developing nation. But on another level, it's a dramatic demonstration of how new technologies allow two hospital laboratories in St. Louis, Missouri to effectively provide reference laboratory tests and related services to Eritrea, a small country located 12,000 miles from the United States on the Horn of Africa.

Beaumont Reference Labs Earns ISO-9000 for Outreach

Laboratory Management Update

Nine Key Trends Are Shaping Nation's Healthcare Informatics

Laboratories Responding to Changes

CEO SUMMARY: During the 1990s, hospital spending on information technology was devoted primarily to acquiring upgraded versions of software systems for clinical services such as laboratory, pharmacy, and radiology. That's no longer true. As the following nine key trends in healthcare informatics demonstrate, hospitals, physicians, and other types of healthcare providers are moving aggressively to acquire and deploy a surprisingly wide range of IT solutions. From wireless to handhelds, clinical laboratories will be challenged to maintain the ability to connect and feed laboratory test data into these new informatics channels.

SARS Contained in Toronto, Labs Still in Caution Mode

Labs anticipate permanent changes in response to lessons learned from SARS outbreak

Lab Industry Briefs

Specialty Laboratories Restoring Stability In Specimen Volume

IMPATH Begins Working Its way Through Major Corporate Make-over

Diagnostic tests For SARS Heading Into The Market

INTELLIGENCE:

Researchers find Cancer-Resistant Strain of Mice

Career Moves: There's a new lab entrepreneur and a new lab CEO.