NEW
NCCLS is pleased to announce the availability of two proposed laboratory automation standards, AUTO2-P (Laboratory Automation: Bar Codes for Specimen Container Identification; Proposed Standard) and AUTO3-P (Laboratory Automation: Communications with Automated Clinical Laboratory Systems, Instruments, Devices, and Information Systems; Proposed Standard), approved by the NCCLS Board of Directors to be distributed for wide public review and comment as proposed standards.
NEW
AUTO1-P (Laboratory Automation: Specimen Container/Specimen Carrier), AUTO4-P (Laboratory Automation: System Status/Performance Information), and AUTO5-P (Laboratory Automation: Electromechanical Interfaces) are being completed in accordance with input received during the area committee meeting, and will be prepared for area committee vote. The revisions of these three standards will ensure consistency and integrity of the collection of five interrelated documents, and are expected to be distributed at proposed standards by the spring of 1999.
NEW
NCCLS will be exhibiting at Lab Auromation'99 (Booth 120} for the first time! Helpful information about obtaining copies of AUTO2-P and AUTO3-P and other NCCLS standards, as well as detailed information about the automation program and other NCCLS projects will be available at the exhibit booth.
BACKGROUND
NCCLS is an accredited standards-development organization and is the world leader in developing standards and guidelines for the medical healthcare and science community. NCCLS formed an Area Committee on Automation to manage the standards-development program. The area committee is chaired by Rodney S. Markin, M.D., Ph.D. of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Paul J. Mountain, M.Sc., M.T. (ASCP), of MDS Laboratories, is the area committee's vice chairholder. There are currently five specific standardization projects in development with subcommittee chairholders that were nominated and approved by the area committee.
OBJECTIVES
These standards are intended to address essential requirements of interconnectivity and to allow manufacturers and suppliers to develop interconnected systems. Project development includes a broad participation of providers (integrated networks, hospitals, commercial laboratories, professionals), suppliers (systems, instruments, reagents, supplies, and laboratory information systems), and government on a worldwide scale.
Laboratory Automation Development Fund: NCCLS established a funding mechanism to obtain financial commitments from a broad spectrum of organizations and created a ‘Designated Development Fund’ to manage the contributions received. These projects have been strongly supported, in public forums, by leading representatives of NCCLS member and nonmember organizations in all constituencies.
NCCLS MEETING SCHEDULES
Meeting of the five subcommittees and the Area Committee on Automation will be scheduled on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 30 January – 1 February 1999 in conjunction with Lab Automation '99.
Area Committee representation at EuroLab Automation '99 is being determined
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Contact Marc R. Schlank, M.T. (ASCP), M.S. at the NCCLS Executive Offices (610.688.0100 ×123, mschlank@nccls.org) for further assistance.
Please visit the NCCLS website at http://www.nccls.org
