Overview
Leadership, advocacy, best practices, community engagement, access, research, equity, and sustainability are pivotal components of laboratory medicine, collectively represented by the acronym LAB-CARES. LAB-CARES constitutes the initial framework for delineating a Laboratory Care Delivery Model (LCDM) aimed at enhancing diagnostic-related practices to optimize patient outcomes, with a particular emphasis on the sustainability of accessible healthcare. LAB-CARES is designed to function as a scalable overarching framework, analogous to a Patient Care Delivery Model (PCDM).
Visibility Matters
Prior to realizing the future objectives of laboratory medicine within the framework of value-based care, it is imperative for laboratory professionals to clearly define their identity, articulate the value they deliver, and, most critically, demonstrate their distinctive approach to patient care. The normative should no longer represent a marginalized demographic that remains underutilized and significantly undervalued. LAB-CARES offers a promising platform for cohesive visibility and advocacy, emphasizing the laboratory profession's dedication to patient care.
Read the Article that Started it All
The hierarchy of needs for laboratory medicine requires a foundational care delivery model. Dialogues Health. 2024 Aug 20;5:100187. doi: 10.1016/j.dialog.2024.100187