Educational Resources

Our Commitment to Education and Service

MLE is pleased to provide MLE Participants, ACP Members and non-affiliated visitors with a wide array of educational resources. The “Educational Resources” Order Form is located at the bottom of this page.

Ordering PT as well as Educational Resources?
Use the "Proficiency Testing" order form for your PT order and use the "Educational Resources" order form.

Ordering Educational Resources ONLY?
Use the “Educational Resources” order form.

Interested in Continuing Education?

MLE, in partnership with COLA, offers a wide array of CE online courses through CeExpress.

2008 Educational Brochure

New and innovative educational tools brought to you by the PT leader in Education and Service...Medical Laboratory Evaluation!

To aid all the needs of our laboratory professionals, we provide publications to help patients better understand the role of the clinical laboratory professional as well as an OSHA audio conference training series. We can fulfill all of your needs at a lower price than other providers. As a further convenience to our customers shipping and handling is included in all pricing of these new resources.

To order, simply complete the order form included in the brochure and fax or mail it to MLE. If you have a Purchase Order (PO), remember to include a copy with the order form for timely processing of your order.

Descriptions/Pricing/Order form

"Quick Links" to the following educational resources:

FREE Resources for MLE Participants and ACP Members ONLY!

Articles from MLE's (previously published) Focus On newsletter are available to be viewed online

Proficiency Testing - Good Risk Management for the Laboratory Reprint from Focus On, 1999, Issue 6
   
CMS Will Monitor Certification Compliance Reprint from Focus On 2000, Issue 4
   
How to Avoid Inspection Anxiety Reprint from Focus On 2000, Issue 4
   
Diabetic Testing and Monitoring Reprint from Focus On 1998, Issue 6
   
Simple QA Can Lower Lab Costs Reprint from Focus On 2001, Issue 4
   
Wet Mount Examinations Reprint from Focus On 1998, Issue 3
   
Urinalysis in the Office Laboratory Reprint from Focus On 1998, Issue 1

 

Waived Testing-- Doing It Right!Newly Updated and Expanded
Waived Testing–Doing It Right!
(formerly titled CLIA: What You Need to Know About the Waived Testing Category)

This Guide Summarizes the CDC’s Recommendations for Good Laboratory Practices for Waived Testing Sites.

Want a preview? Take a look at the Table of Contents


Module Discount Description Price
   
135 For MLE Participants and ACP Members - Delivery via E-mail FREE
   
139 List Price - Delivery via E-mail $15.00

 

If the Guide is e-mailed to you, there is no shipping and handling charge. If mailed, a shipping and handling fee of $10.00 will be added to your order.

We are pleased to offer this resource in partnership with ACP's Practice Management Center (PMC). ACP's The Practice Management Center (PMC) provides free assistance to ACP members ONLY covering the full spectrum of business issues associated with running and working in a medical practice.

Office Laboratory Check Up: Is Your Lab Financially Fit?
This user-friendly spreadsheet program is designed to analyze and help improve the overall financial health of your office lab. It allows you to manipulate data in order to perform "what if" scenarios, and it's designed to meet the specific needs of small- and medium-sized physician office labs.

Use it to analyze the feasibility of starting a new lab or adding services to an existing one, and determine the economic viability of your laboratory.

Optimization: Which tests should be done in-office and which tests should be referred out? What is the best mix of in-office testing for the health plans with which I contract? Office Laboratory Check Up helps you determine what mix will maximize the profitability of your laboratory testing, as well as what the financial consequences might be of offering more in-office lab tests for added patient convenience and quality.

Test Pricing: How do I set a viable fee schedule for lab services? How would a proposed capitation rate for lab testing affect my lab financially? At what prices can I afford to compete with other vendors for contracted lab services? The software offers a mechanism to help you develop bids on lab services—allowing you to negotiate with payers to maintain or add tests that otherwise would be referred out.

It's easy to use! Computer Requirements:

Microsoft Windows
MS Excel

You'll receive:

  • The spreadsheet file and an educational Companion Guide. It includes general tips on possible lab enhancements and modifications, and model laboratory data for comparison (In a two-physician practice what are the typical categories of tests I can expect to perform profitably in my lab? What equipment would I need? What should be the variable costs per test?).
  • The Medicare laboratory fee schedule for the most commonly ordered tests.
  • Typical POL information to substitute in case you don't have all the specific data needed by the software (such as reagent costs per test, complete insurance reimbursement schedules, etc.) or to compare your lab data against industry norms.

If the Spreadsheet File and Companion Manual are e-mailed to you, there is no shipping and handling charge. If mailed, a shipping and handling fee of $10.00 will be added to your order.

Module Discount Description Price
127 MLE Participant Price $87.50
128 ACP Member Price FREE
129 List Price $175.00

 

We are pleased to offer this resource in partnership with ACP's Practice Management Center (PMC). ACP's The Practice Management Center (PMC) provides free assistance to ACP members ONLY covering the full spectrum of business issues associated with running and working in a medical practice.

SI Units for Clinical Measurement
Donald S. Young, MB, PhD, and Edward J. Huth, MD, FACP with additional contributors. This is the manual for anyone who is performing proficiency testing requiring SI units, needs to convert SI units to traditional metric units, is guiding a hospital into the use of SI units, or is going abroad and needs a reference on SI unit usage.

Comprehensive, detailed tables give traditional units, SI units, conversion factors and reference ranges for chemical anolytes, hematologic measurements, cardiovascular and pulmonary function tests and other clinical applications.

Want a preview? Take a look at the Table of Contents and Sample Page.

Prices include shipping and handling.

Module Discount Description Price
130 For MLE Participants and ACP Members (US and Canada) $32.00
131 For MLE Participants and ACP Members (International) $55.00
132 List Price (US and Canada) $45.00
133 List Price (International) $55.00

 

The POL Microscopy Atlas, 2nd Edition
The Medical Laboratory Evaluation (MLE) program is pleased to offer to its members a Microscopy Atlas—One of the best photographic reference tools available to help accurately identify microscopic specimens. Helping you ensure your laboratory's success with:

  • Over 145 color photographs to help you identify microscopic elements.
  • Easy to follow descriptions and clinical associations of microscopic elements.
  • Updated CLIA information.
  • Useful for training and continuing education, as well as a benchtop reference.
  • 8 Prescribed Hours of CME for physicians.
  • 8 Contact Hours for lab personnel.

This extraordinary reference tool is published by the American Academy of Family Physicians. MLE has partnered with the AAFP to make this publication available to you because our #1 priority is education. This Atlas is an educational reference that will enhance your understanding and help with your interpretation of the PPM challenges presented in your proficiency testing program.

Want a preview? Take a look at the Table of Contents and Learning Objectives (text version) and Table of Contents and Learning Objectives (cd-rom version)

Module Discount Description Price
145 Print Version $105
146 CD-ROM (includes photos for fern testing) $105
147 Print and CD-ROM CD-ROM includes
photos for fern testing.		 $150

 

The American College of Physicians (ACP) is pleased to be able to offer the following COLA programs and resources through Medical Laboratory Evaluation. These programs and publications are being offered to members of the ACP and participants in the MLE program at Exclusive Discounted Prices.

Laboratory Director Program OnLine
COLA's Laboratory Program meets the requirements recommended by CMS to become designated as Laboratory Director in a moderate complexity laboratory. Courses cover the following topics: Quality Control, Quality Assessment, Proficiency Testing, the updated CLIA Requirements, Personnel Requirements, Lab Director Responsibilities, and OSHA Standards. Register at www.Labuniversity.org. The prompts requesting your ACP or MLE identification number will automatically enroll you at the special discounted price. Online enrollment ONLY!

Module Discount Description Price
  MLE Participant Price $405.00
  ACP Member Price $405.00
  List Price $450.00

 

LabFacts
This easy-to-use guide is a bound publication that contains important laboratory information. The book is divided into three categories: Laboratory Administration, Testing Specialties and Quality Control.

Want a preview? Take a look at the Table of Contents.

Module Discount Description Price
170 MLE Participant/ACP Member Price $67.50
174 List Price $75.00

 

Laboratory Quality Assurance: A Plan for Implementation
This turnkey publication on quality assurance includes a working template of a QA plan for any laboratory to implement immediately. This binder is divided into four sections: an explanation of the benefits of an effective QA process, a brief synopsis of the QA process and the elements of a complete QA plan, a turnkey QA plan to use or adapt for use and QA forms to document all of your QA activities.

Want a preview? Take a look at the Table of Contents.

Module Discount Description Price
171 MLE Participant/ACP Member Price (Manual) $99.00
175 List Price (Manual) $110.00
172 MLE Participant/ACP Member Price (Manual and Disks) $135.00
176 List Price (Manual and Disks) $150.00

 

CLIA Facts for Laboratories
Newly updated fact sheets that answer your questions about the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). These single-topic fact sheets condense information from a variety of sources, such as the Federal Register and laboratory manuals, into user-friendly, one- and two-page formats. A variety of topics are covered under the following categories: Updated Regulations, Registering for CLIA, the CLIA Inspection Process, Waived & PPMP Testing, Facility Administration for Non-waived Testing, Quality Systems for Non-waived Testing, Specialty-Specific Control Procedures, Personnel and Proficiency Testing. To view a complete list of the topics, click on the link on the left side of this page called "Regulatory Info".

Want a preview? Take a look at the Table of Contents.

Module Discount Description Price
173 MLE Participant/ACP Member Price $54.00
177 List Price $60.00

 

National Intelligence Report (NIR)
Discover why NIR is ranked as the leading Washington twice monthly newsletter for key executives and managers in all diagnostic testing practice and business settings. Each issue features concise, in-depth, independent coverage of laboratory, pathology, blood banking and diagnostic service news from the Nation's Capital.

NIR tracks Medicare payment and claims processing policy, billing and coding guidelines for diagnostic testing as well as payment actions by managed care and other payers; examines crucial compliance policies under Medicare, Stark, CLIA, FDA, and OSHA; alerts you to the implications of congressional and regulatory changes; and monitors the escalating pace of federal enforcement actions by HHS Office of Inspector General, the Department of Justice and other federal authorities.

With your subscription to NIR, you receive:

  • Twenty-two issues, delivered twice monthly (except August and December, which are one-issue months).
  • The in-depth Focus insert exploring health care policy trends and critical reimbursement, regulatory, legislative and legal developments.
  • Time-sensitive alerts as major stories break so you're always on top of the news.

A one-year subscription is available to MLE participants at a special group rate of $85.00—a fraction of the regular subscription price of $379.00!!

Module Discount Description Price
142 MLE Participant/ACP Member rate $85

 

FREE Resources for MLE Participants and ACP Members ONLY!

We are pleased to offer these free resources in partnership with ACP's Practice Management Center (PMC), a valuable resource exclusively for ACP Members.

134 CLIA and Your Laboratory
This guide has been divided into nine chapters and follows a Q & A format.

  • "The Origin of CLIA '88: An Overview,"
  • "The Implementation of CLIA '88,"
  • "Private-Sector and State Alternatives to Federal Certification,"
  • "Waived, PPM, Moderate- and High-Complexity Testing: How Will I Be Regulated?"
  • "The Proficiency Testing Requirements Under CLIA '88,"
  • "Meeting the Quality Systems Standards,"
  • "Complying with the CLIA Personnel Standards,"
  • "The Inspection Process
  • "The Enforcement of CLIA '88,"

136 Negotiating with a Managed Care Organization to Retain Laboratory Testing in Your Office: Sample Letter
This resource tells you how to use the sample letter and provides a sample letter from which to draft your own letter.

137 OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Requirements
This resource provides you with an introduction and background along with the following:

  • Industry Profile
  • Benefits.
  • OSHA Inspections
  • OSHA Appendices
  • Revision To OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
  • OSHA's Updated Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
  • Needlestick Safety And Prevention Act FAQ's
  • How To Prevent Needlestick Injuries
  • Other Resources and Websites

To order any one of these products:

  • Complete the online "Educational Resources" order form

Call MLE Customer Service 800-338-2746, option 5, or e-mail us at mle@acponline.org, if you have any further questions about any of these educational resources or publications.

Page updated: 3-17-08

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