IQLM Holds First Partnership Meeting

The Institute for Quality in Laboratory Medicine (IQLM) held its inaugural Professional Partners meeting on 14 October 2004.  The IQLM is a new public-private partnership organization being formed to engage the health care community in improving the use of laboratory tests and services.  The IQLM will be the first organization bringing together clinicians and laboratory professionals, patients and manufacturers, government and accrediting bodies to work on advancing substantial improvements in quality, effectiveness, safety and appropriateness for the broad universe of laboratory testing.

“Over forty trade associations, professional societies and government agencies gathered together to discuss the future vision for the IQLM,” explained D. Joe Boone, PhD, Associate Director for Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  “There was an unique synergy among the organization representatives.  You could sense the strong commitment to improving the quality of laboratory tests and services for all stakeholders.” 

Meeting participants suggested that the IQLM pursue several broad goals, including:  improving the interpretation of laboratory test results; developing patient-centered laboratory reports; working collectively on the total testing cycle; and broadening the process of patient care to include all phases of laboratory testing to help bridge the gap across the quality chasm using quality measures.

“It was a remarkable first step,” noted Robert Martin, DrPH, (Acting) Director of the Office of Public Health Partnerships at the CDC, who welcomed participants to the meeting.  “We are pursuing an independent, non-regulatory organization to improve the use of laboratory tests and services.  The expert contributions received from this diversity of organizations will speed this development.”

For more information on the IQLM, visit http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/dls/iqlm/default.asp.
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