PLUGS Podcast
The PLUGS Podcast aims to empower healthcare providers, clinical laboratories, insurance plans, and patients by enhancing lab stewardship. Laboratory stewardship has five key improvement goals: 1) enhanced access to testing, 2) appropriate and accurate test ordering, 3) timely retrieval of test results, 4) correct result interpretation, and 5) financial alignment between patients, labs and payers. Financial alignment means that patients are protected from financial toxicity, labs are paid fairly, and insurance companies do not pay for wasteful test practices.
Through insightful discussions, expert guidance, and valuable resources, the PLUGS Podcast is dedicated to supporting all stakeholders in navigating the complexities of clinical lab stewardship, ultimately promoting both better patient outcomes and financial security.
PLUGS Podcast
PLUGS Live at the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)
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Summary.
This episode of the PLUGS podcast was recorded live at ADLM 2026. PLUGS
members came to the PLUGS tradeshow booth to post questions on our question
board and participate in live Q&A. The answers were provided by University of Washington faculty as well as PLUGS members. Popular topics were covered, and there were fun interactions. Relax and have a listen.
Episode Index
2:00 - CBCs: Asking for too many Pathologist reviews
5:00 - Too much serum folate testing
7:00 - Improved naming of tests: Improvement with surprises
13:00 - Lipase, Amylase, Isoamylase
15:00 - Sendouts: From zero stewardship to effective stewardship
19:00 - Pathologists who do not love stewardship
23:00 - Gaining early wins in a newer stewardship program
26:00 - Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate: use and misuse
33:00 - Yelling and screaming in conflict management
35:00 - Disruptive behavior
36:30 - When unusual tests are demanded by patients
Learning Objectives:
1. List two projects which are likely to be successful in early stewardship efforts List 3 common tasks in laboratory stewardship that can be performed with AI.
2. Describe two ways to achieve stewardship objectives even if pathologists are not enthusiastic about stewardship.
3. Describe a successful approach to addressing the problem of boutique labs that
solicit physician business directly rather than through your stewardship program
4. Compare and contrast “yelling and screaming” with more appropriate methods of conflict management in lab stewardship.
PLUGS Website:
https://www.schplugs.org/
MTS Website
https://medtraining.org/