Hoeltge to give presentation on the value of standards, meet with Japanese government representatives

From 23 – 26 August 2007, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute President-Elect Gerald Hoeltge, MD, will be in Tokyo for the Japanese Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (JCCLS) Summer Seminar.

At the scientific session, Hoeltge will speak on The Importance of Laboratory Standards to a Culture of Safety. Using CLSI’s portfolio product The Key to Quality as the example, the presentation will show how standards and guidelines contribute directly to patient care. While in Tokyo, Hoeltge will also meet with representatives of the Japanese government on the subject of clinical laboratory standards.  

Formed in 1985, JCCLS is a Japanese standards-development organization based upon the model of CLSI—with representation from the three sectors, industry, government, and the healthcare professions. 

On the formation of the now 22-year-old organization, Hoeltge says, “They liked our model, and respected the quality of our documents and the integrity and talent of the volunteers who put them together.” 

Over the past two decades, JCCLS membership has grown to over 100 member organizations. A total of 12 area committees have been organized and have developed or certified more than 30 documents. 

Hoeltge says the organizations share an ongoing tradition of attending one another’s annual meetings. In 2007, JCCLS Vice President Naotaka Hamasaki, MD, PhD, became a member of the CLSI Board of Directors and attended the CLSI Leadership Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Dr. Hoeltge has practiced clinical pathology for 30 years at the Cleveland Clinic. His professional interests center on health-system quality, transfusion medicine, and cytogenetics. [ return to top ]