Timely, Local Information for Flu Season

Very little is predictable when it comes to flu – but these tools can help you navigate the season’s twists and turns

From the home page of our newly revamped website, you can access weekly infectious diseases reports to get detailed information on the pathogens being tested and resulted across our service area. These reports were recently enhanced to include results for bordetella pertussis in addition to adenovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza, RSV, human metapneumovirus, rotavirus, enterovirus and group A strep. You can also easily access an archive of previous weeks’ reports to see pathogenic trends over time.

Respiratory Virus Outlook

With a single specimen, TriCore can perform tests to help you diagnose a full spectrum of respiratory illnesses:

Respiratory Virus Screen, FA (test code RESPFA)

• A single test for adenovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2, and 3, human metapneumovirus and RSV.
• If screen is positive, additional testing is performed to differentiate pathogens.
• Performed daily with next-day results.

Influenza A by Real-Time PCR (test code IFAPCR)

• Testing for influenza A and 2009 Novel (Swine) H1N1.
• Performed Monday and Thursday (during respiratory season) with results provided the day after the test is performed.

Bordetella pertussis by Real-Time PCR (test code PPERT)

• Performed Monday, Wednesday and Friday (during respiratory season) with results provided the day after the test is performed.

NOTE: While the Influenza A by Real-Time PCR test detects swine flu, it does NOT screen for RSV, influenza B or any of the other pathogens detected by our Respiratory Virus Screen. Moreover, requests for the Respiratory Virus Screen following a negative swine flu test will require a new specimen collection.

For more information, click on the tests above or call Client Services at 505-938-8922 or 800-245-3296 (Option 5).
 

A Clinician at Heart

TriCore's Chief Medical Officer Champions Stronger Links Between Lab Information and Patient Care

Though she has held administrative positions over the recent course of her career, Dr. Cathy Petti sees herself primarily as a healthcare provider, and she always will.

A diplomate of the American Board of Pathology, TriCore’s chief medical officer is also board certified in internal medicine – and she has never stopped treating patients. “I’ve always maintained a presence in either a hospital- or clinic-based practice,” she explains. “Working alongside your clinical colleagues lets you see how lab services are being delivered on a daily basis.”

Dr. Petti plans to become a University of New Mexico faculty member and attend UNM’s infectious diseases consulting service as soon as she becomes licensed in New Mexico. She’ll also provide infectious diseases consultation at Presbyterian Hospital.

The New Jersey native’s background includes leadership experience with the national reference laboratory ARUP Laboratories, where she served as medical director of the infectious diseases laboratory; Novartis Diagnostics, where she was chief medical officer and global head of medical, clinical and scientific affairs; and Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a not-for-profit, multispecialty group practice, where she was laboratory director and an infectious diseases physician.

At ARUP, Dr. Petti worked extensively with rural healthcare providers in all 50 states. “I was impressed by their thoughtful workups and exceptional dedication,” she says. At Palo Alto, she grappled with the complex challenges of an EMR-driven, managed-care environment. And at Novartis, she gained an understanding of the interactions between the healthcare industry, government and academic science.

These experiences gave Dr. Petti a unique perspective on healthcare, plus a vision of how laboratory medicine can be transformed to provide greater value to clinicians.

“Instead of reporting test results in a static, non-interactive way, we need to integrate them fully into patient care,” she says.

Under Dr. Petti’s direction, TriCore will be taking incremental steps to achieve this integration. In the not-so-distant future, clients should be able to query symptoms from their computer or portable smart device to receive real-time information on the right test to order for a patient. “They’ll have the option of having those results delivered simultaneously to a computer, a mobile smart device and a pharmacy, where the patient’s prescription can be filled.”

Dr. Petti looks forward to meeting New Mexico’s healthcare practitioners in the coming months. Please feel free to call her at 505-938-8658 or 800-245-3296, Ext. 8658.

Cathy A. Petti, MD
TriCore’s New Chief Medical Officer

Education
Harvard University (undergraduate), Duke University School of Medicine

Board Certification
Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (subspecialty of Infectious Diseases)
Diplomate of the American Board of Pathology (subspecialty of Medical Microbiology)

Special Interests:
Advanced technologies in diagnostics, clinical decision-making

Selected Humanitarian Grants
College of American Pathologists (CAP) Humanitarian Award
Built laboratory capacity for diagnosis of HIV, TB and malaria and in Eldoret, Kenya

Johnson & Johnson Focused Giving Grant
Educated healthcare practitioners on microbiology diagnostic techniques in Kumasi, Ghana

Contact
505-938-8658
800-245-3296, Ext. 8658
Cathy.Petti@tricore.org

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