LRN Lab Director Cover Letter - BCC Baseline

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ppendix C1

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Dear Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Reference Laboratory Director:

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are conducting an important survey that focuses on awareness and use of published laboratory practice guidelines to reduce blood culture contamination. In time, additional surveys will be conducted to gather information on baseline laboratory practices in advance of published guidelines for the rapid identification of blood stream infections, urine transport and C. difficile testing. The intent of the surveys is to use the results to improve dissemination and implementation of laboratory practice guidelines in order to reduce hospital costs and improve patient care and safety throughout the country. These issues are important to the clinical care of patients, public health, and the LRN since accurate and timely blood culture results are important for identifying threat agents.

In order to reach all U.S. laboratories that process bacterial and fungal blood cultures, we are asking that you forward the attached letter regarding a blood culture contamination baseline survey to all LRN sentinel laboratories in your state or jurisdiction by (insert date- TBD upon OMB approval) 2015. Approximately six months later, we will also be asking that you forward a letter regarding a blood culture contamination follow-up survey to all LRN sentinel laboratories in your state or jurisdiction by (insert date- TBD upon OMB approval) 2015. Participant responses will be anonymous and only aggregated results will be shared.

Thank you for your help in disseminating this important survey. If you have any questions, please email clinmicro@asmusa.org.

Sincerely,

Alice S. Weissfeld, Ph.D., D(ABMM), F(AAM)

Chair, ASM’s Committee on Evidence-based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines

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