US Rep. Carolyn McCarthy Tours LIJ Medical Center Cytopathology Lab
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Hospital Showcases Cutting-Edge Technology Practices US Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) recently visited the cytopathology laboratory at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center to experience the critical and expanding role laboratory testing plays in patient care. Representative McCarthy was greeted and given a tour of LIJ’s state-of-the-art medical facilities by Patricia G. Wasserman, MD, FCAP, the hospital’s chief of cytopathology and director of the cytopathology fellowship program, and James Crawford, MD, PhD, FCAP, senior vice president of laboratory services at the North Shore-LIJ Health System, and chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine at LIJ Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital. The tour focused on the important role of pathologists in health care, and included a demonstration of how cytopathologists and cytotechnologists use cutting-edge technology to screen for cervical cancer and precancerous lesions. Of particular interest was a discussion of the need to replace an outdated, annual proficiency testing regulation for cytology professionals who screen Pap tests for cervical cancer with a more rigorous proficiency testing model administered in a continuing medical education environment. Following the conclusion of the tour, Representative McCarthy said, “The Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act introduced in the last Congress sought to bring the law up to speed with the improved technology and practices being used in the field of pathology. I was a proud co-sponsor of this legislation and sincerely appreciate that Drs. Wasserman and Crawford and Long Island Jewish Medical Center provided me this unique opportunity to tour the cytopathology laboratory.” “The tour demonstrated how the laboratory’s role is a vital component of patient care from diagnosis to treatment,” said Dr. Wasserman. “Using state-of-the-art technology, cytopathologists and cytotechnologists can look at individual cells, make a rapid diagnosis, and help guide therapy often without any surgical intervention at all,” added Dr. Crawford. “We are honored that Representative McCarthy would take time out of her busy schedule to visit our laboratory.”
The Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act sought to replace the outdated 1992 federal Pap test proficiency testing (PT) regulation enacted under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88). The combination of national quality assurance standards, including work load limits and mandatory rescreening of Pap tests, as well as technological advancements, such as computer-assisted screening, location guided screening, and digital imaging, have rendered the current proficiency testing program obsolete. H.R. 1237/S. 2510 would have replaced the current regulation with a more rigorous continuing medical education testing program based on the complexity of modern laboratory practice. The Cytology Proficiency Improvement Act generated broad support from most national and state pathology organizations and the legislation unanimously passed the House of Representatives on April 8, 2008. The Senate failed to consider this legislation before the conclusion of the 110th Congress.
As part of its scope of pathology services, the North Shore-LIJ Health System offers a complete array of routine and esoteric anatomic and clinical procedures for inpatients and outpatients. It has centers of excellence in molecular and genetic testing. The clinical labs process approximately 13 million billable tests annually while the anatomic lab processes approximately 374,000 billable procedures, including 162,000 surgical specimens and 95,000 cytologies. In addition, North Shore-LIJ educates medical students, residents and fellows in the art and science of pathology.
About North Shore-LIJ Health System The nation's third largest, non-profit, secular healthcare system, the North Shore-LIJ Health System cares for people of all ages throughout Long Island, Queens and Staten Island – a service area encompassing more than five million people. The health system consists of 15 hospitals, 17 long-term care facilities, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, five trauma centers, five home health agencies, a hospice network and dozens of outpatient centers. In addition, North Shore-LIJ is partnering with Hofstra University to develop a new medical school. Excluding its affiliate organizations, North Shore-LIJ facilities house 4,844 beds, have more than 7,000 physicians, and employ about 9,150 nurses and a total workforce of about 33,250 -- the largest employer on Long Island and the ninth largest in New York City. For more information, go to www.northshorelij.com. Media Contact: Terry Lynam |
