CDC Division of Laboratory Systems Update | July 2022
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The DLS eNewsletter from CDC’s Division of Laboratory Systems is a monthly summary of events, trainings, and other resources that clinical and public health laboratory professionals can use to connect with the division and benefit from our work. We encourage you to forward this newsletter to your colleagues or invite them to subscribe here by typing "Laboratory Systems" in the Search field. |
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Blood Culture Contamination (BCC) |
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Blood culture contamination (BCC) is a serious patient safety problem at hospitals that exposes patients to unnecessary and potentially harmful consequences. Understanding the likely causes of BCC events is essential to preventing their reoccurrence. DLS and the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) encourage close collaboration between a facility’s clinical microbiology laboratory and its antibiotic stewardship program to improve tracking and remediation efforts. Here’s an overview of how clinical laboratories and antibiotic stewardship programs can work together to improve patient safety.
Final Rule Issued for CLIA Proficiency Testing Regulations |
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 The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) final rule revising requirements for Proficiency Testing (PT) in CLIA-certified laboratories was issued on July 11, 2022. Read and download the final rule in the Federal Register. Find more information about CLIA and PT on the CDC CLIA website.
Public Comments Solicited for Proposed CLIA Rule The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and CDC seek public comment on the proposed rule to update the CLIA fees and requirements for histocompatibility, personnel, and alternative sanctions for Certificate of Waiver (CoW) laboratories. The public comment period will be open until August 25, 2022. Submit comments by visiting here. Please review the proposed rule in detail and share this message with your networks. Clinical Laboratory COVID-19 Response Calls are now LOCS Calls Effective August 2022, DLS will rename the Clinical Laboratory COVID-19 Response Calls. The new name – Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) Calls – reflects both our laboratory and testing audience and the primary channel (the LOCS email distribution list) we use to share updates about these calls with participants. You can expect to see this name change rolling out over the next few weeks – for example, online and in LOCS messages about the calls. In March 2020, DLS convened the first Clinical Laboratory COVID-19 Response Call. This was the agency’s first COVID-19 response-specific, large-scale partner call specifically serving the laboratory and testing community. To ensure that these calls remain useful, engaging, and relevant to your work, we have since expanded their scope to include topics in addition to COVID-19, including the current monkeypox outbreak. LOCS Calls offer us an opportunity to discuss pressing matters for the laboratory and testing community and answer your questions about preparedness and response. We will continue to schedule these one-hour calls on the third Monday of every month; the next call will be on Monday, August 15 at 3:00 PM ET.
Have You Subscribed to the Laboratory Outreach Communication System Yet? The CDC Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) provides timely information to facilities that perform COVID-19 testing. Topics include point-of-care testing, specimen collection, antigen testing, biosafety, laboratory data reporting, and regulatory requirements, as well as training and other resources to support emergency preparedness and response. Click here to opt in now.
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