The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) will host a new Webinar titled “Optimizing Clinical Laboratory Test Utilization” on Wednesday, December 14.

Reducing inappropriate laboratory testing isn’t just a worthy strategic goal; it is a financial necessity that can improve patient care by avoiding unnecessary testing and patient anxiety.

There are a variety of causes of overutilization. These include misunderstanding the diagnostic value of the test, patient pressure, and test bundling. There are also many ways to introduce interventions to optimize test utilization, from simple guidance to more complex control. This webinar will provide information on how to identify areas in need of management and strategies to optimize test utilization.

Michael Astion, MD, PhD, Division Chief, Laboratory Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Professor of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, will speak at the event.

In addition, the AACC will also host “Body Fluid Testing in the Clinical Laboratory” on Wednesday, February 8. This program will answer all of your questions about body fluid analysis, particularly focusing on non-standard sources of body fluid. Experts will review the first step in body fluid analysis—understanding why the test was ordered, as well as its clinical utility and significance. Practical approaches to performing body fluid testing will be shared so that you can be confident that results are validated, despite the non-standard specimen source.

Visit the AACC Web site for more information.