EP Evaluator™, a leading method-validation software package for clinical laboratories in the United States and Canada, now includes two lab-management modules: cost per test and incident tracking. EP Evaluator, Release 7 (EE7) meets all Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act 1988, College of American Pathologists, and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requirements for the introduction of new methods as well as the recurring semiannual validation of existing methods.
     The cost-per-test module calculates the costs for a variety of purchase plans ranging from outright purchase to reagent rental. It can be applied equally well across a wide variety of methods ranging from those performed on sophisticated instruments to those performed manually. The incident-tracking module tracks a variety of laboratory errors. This is most useful for those labs with active quality-improvement programs. The module was developed with the aid of one of the leaders in the field and is customizable for each laboratory.
     EE7 has up to 23 modules to perform statistical analyses of a test method’s properties, such as accuracy, precision, reference intervals, reportable range, sensitivity, method comparison, interference, and carryover. The full program has seven method-comparison modules, two precision modules, three reference-interval modules, two sensitivity modules, and eight others.
     Typical EE7 users learn the basics of the user interface in just a few minutes. Most of the statistical modules share that common user interface. One of the strengths of the program is its rapid-results-entry feature. This allows users to quickly capture data from spreadsheets, text files, and instruments.
     EE7 is available in formats suitable for many types of users, including hospital and reference labs, physician’s office labs, and IVD and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The program is available in single PC and network versions.
EE7 can be downloaded from www.dgrhoads.com and installed on PCs for a free 14-day trial. Materials shipped with each new order include a CD-ROM and two books: the EP Evaluator User Manual, and Lab Statistics Fun and Easy (2nd ed).

David G. Rhoads Associates Inc
(800) 786-2622; www.dgrhoads.com