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Webinars and Sponsored Roundtables — Register Now

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM ET
Hear an expert discuss how Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is utilizing
the oncoReveal® Nexus 21-gene panel to redefine turnaround time and actionable insights
in cancer care. Dr. Ewalt shares a perceptive look at the clinical need for rapid, front-line NGS sequencing, and how a unique, purpose built targeted NGS panel (Pillar Biosciences’ oncoReveal Nexus 21 gene Panel) was developed, validated and implemented clinically by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK-REACT) to complement their current comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) approach.

Webinar presenter Mark Ewalt, MD, Associate Medical Director for Laboratory Operations for Diagnostic Molecular Pathology in the Molecular Diagnostics Service, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, MSKCC.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

CAP TODAY does not endorse any of the products or services named within. The webinar is made possible by a special educational grant from Pillar Biosciences.

Register Now

Thursday, May 28, 2026, 1:00–2:00 PM ET
This session is designed to improve understanding and application of recent updates to synoptic pathology reporting protocols such as the latest Reporting Template for Reporting Results of Biomarker Testing of Specimens from Patients with Carcinoma of the Breast. These changes reflect evolving clinical guidelines that directly influence diagnostic accuracy and treatment selection in breast cancer care.

Webinar presenters Thaer Khoury, MD, FCAP, Chair, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Cente, and Colin Murphy,  CEO of mTuitive.

Moderated by: Bob McGonnagle, Publisher, CAP TODAY

Register Now

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Interactive Product Guides

Q&A column

Q&A column

January 2022
Q. When reporting reference ranges for absolute differential counts, should the ranges be age specific or is a single reference range acceptable? Read answer.
Q. Is it acceptable to use polystyrene tubes for aliquotting plasma for coagulation tests, such as platelet aggregation, and factor-related studies requiring serial dilutions of plasma? I recall seeing recommendations for using nonpolystyrene tubes for frozen plasma aliquots but did not see a reason for the recommendation. Read answer.

Q&A column

December 2021
Q. We use the CAP Competency Assessment Program to create quizzes to satisfy the problem-solving element of the CAP’s competency assessment requirements. Is there a requirement to create a new quiz each year or can the same quiz be given every year? Is it OK to use the same quiz for the initial competency and the annual competency? Read answer.
Q. Are there red blood cell parameters, such as RBC count or mean corpuscular volume, that can affect a platelet estimate? When determining a platelet estimate, should we always look at the same area of the slide regardless of the patient’s RBC, hematocrit and hemoglobin levels, and indices results? Read answer.

Q&A column

November 2021
Q. I am a nurse in a cardiac cath lab that performs point-of-care testing, including for activated clotting time. At my hospital, the POC testing coordinator only allows other cath lab staff, usually nurses, to use POC testing equipment if they have a copy of their diploma. Can staff who have proof of licensure (such as from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) but do not have a copy of their diploma be authorized to use POC testing equipment? Read answer.

Q. I recently joined a hospital laboratory that verifies reagents lot to lot with patient samples using a percentage difference of 10 for all parameters. The hospital lab where I previously worked used a CLIA allowable-error percentage. Is 10 percent allowable error acceptable for reagent lot-to-lot verification for all parameters? Read answer.

Q&A column

October 2021
Q. After naloxone is administered, are opiates still detectable in the body? If so, for how long and in what quantities? Read answer.

Q. Why do proficiency testing specimen results for common immunoassay analytes sometimes vary greatly with different instrument manufacturers and their reagents? Does that mean the patient’s results for the same specimen could vary greatly based on the instrument used? If so, is this acceptable? Wouldn’t the variation in results confuse the clinician and patient? Read answer.

Q&A column

September 2021
Q. What is the ideal collection tube for measuring the level of ammonia in blood? Is a tube containing EDTA suitable?Read answer.
Q. Is there a requirement to notify nursing personnel or doctors about each critical value obtained for a patient after the initial occurrence of the critical result?Read answer.

Q&A column

August 2021
Q. Is it necessary for a lab to report a corrected sodium level when the glucose level is really high? Studies show pseudohyponatremia can occur due to hyperglycemia. How common is this, and how do we decide which correction factor to use? Is it possible that this is easily overlooked by providers due to comorbidities in patients? Some references say there is a need to correct glucose for each 100 mg/dL increase above 400 mg/dL glucose. Read answer.
Q. Payers are limiting reimbursement for PCR respiratory panels to a small subset of tested pathogens and only with certain indications. Many panels available from manufacturers test for more pathogens than can be reimbursed. What is the best approach to deal with this issue? Should large respiratory panels no longer be offered? If a large panel is performed, should only a limited number of pathogen results be reported, even though the entire panel was performed? Should the entire panel be reported but only a limited number of pathogens billed for? Read answer.

Q&A column

July 2021
Q. Our lab does not have reference ranges established for body fluid manual differentials. Is it acceptable to use ranges from a reference material and include a disclaimer citing the source of the ranges? Read answer.
Q. In our lab, we perform semen analysis and make slides to send out for sperm morphology using Kruger’s strict criteria. We get quite a few results back as swollen sperm head for probable contamination. The reference lab insisted that liquefying agent was added, but when we reviewed the results, the sample was normal, so liquefying agent wasn’t used. What can cause a sperm head to swell, other than liquefying agent? Read answer.

Q&A column

June 2021
Q. If an exfoliative cytology specimen (for example, pleural fluid) is received fresh, how long can it stay refrigerated before it needs to be placed in formalin fixative for cell block preparation? That is, what is the recommended cold ischemic time? Read answer.
Q. Are two levels of a control required for a manual reticulocyte count? Read answer.
Q. What are the requirements for obtaining emergency use authorization versus 510(k) clearance? Read answer.
Q. Are the PCR assays for SARS-CoV-2 from most manufacturers quantitative? Read answer.
Q. Is there a best specimen type to use for SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing? Read answer.
Q. What is the primary test type used to detect SARS-CoV-2? Read answer.
Q. I know that a molecular test detects nucleic acid and an antigen test detects viral protein, but how do they compare for clinical use and which is better? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. I am part of a two-pathologist practice in a rural community hospital of 110 beds. We have been asked more frequently lately to evaluate liver and kidney biopsies for organ transplantation. We are hesitant to evaluate these biopsies for transplantation purposes due to frozen section artifacts and because we send all of our kidney biopsies performed by local nephrologists to a reference laboratory and do not evaluate kidney biopsies. It seems that regardless of what we say about the biopsies, the surgeons transplant the organs. We believe it is out of our scope of practice to evaluate liver and kidney biopsies for organ transplantation. What do you think? Read answer.
Q. What is the minimum and maximum formalin fixation time for cytology specimens for optimal immunohistochemical and nucleic-acid–based molecular testing? Read answer.

Q&A column

Q. What is the recommended procedure for analyzing cerebrospinal fluid from patients suspected of having Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease? In addition to sending the specimen to the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center for 14-3-3 testing, should the laboratory perform a cell count and/or meningitis panel? Read answer. Q. Is light protection needed for folate samples? Most major reference laboratories do not require folate samples to be protected from light, and I could not find any studies on the topic. Read answer. Q. Many times a platelet count on an automated hematology system indicates some degree of thrombocytopenia or the analyzer reports a high mean platelet volume or platelet large cell ratio, while a blood smear shows large platelets and/or giant platelets. Is it OK to include a comment in the report that the platelets are adequate or that the count could be due to large platelets, especially with values that indicate marked thrombocytopenia? Read answer.

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