This study assessed the extent to which laboratory methods recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used in tuberculosis testing of patients in California in 1998. While recommended methods were used for most patients, there was room for improvement by hospital and independent non-health maintenance organization laboratories.

Clinical laboratory testing is now a global activity with laboratories no longer working in isolation but as regional and national networks, and often at international levels. We now have all of the electronic gadgetry via internet technology at our fingertips to rapidly and accurately measure and report on laboratory testing but are our test results harmonized?

The use of clinical laboratory tests has more than doubled during the past decade. Some observers of the health system feel that this growth is excessive and is a result of current payment systems. This article examines the effects of current reimbursement policies with regard to the use of laboratory tests and prices charged for tests. The results suggest the following: The method of financing...

To the Editor.—Recent literature has explored the value of repeat testing of alert or critical laboratory test results, as illustrated in the article by Toll et al. Using a large data set for selected tests, that article makes the point that repeat testing is rarely of value. All too often, laboratories retest results that are considered ‘‘critical’’ because of a purely emotional desire to avoi...

Mass flow measurement is the basis of most technoeconomic formulations in the chemical industry. This calls for reliable and accurate detection of mass flow. Flow measurement laboratory experiments were conducted using various instruments. These consisted of orifice plates, various sized rotameters, wet gas meter and soap bubble meter. This work was aimed at evaluating appropriate operating con...