The CAP Weighs in on Federal Electronic Data Standards

Nick Lanyi
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The CAP weighs in on electronic data standards, a grant opportunity for aspiring forensic pathologists, and researchers may have created a new synthetic cell. These stories and more coming up next. This is Path News Network Daily Edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi. It's Tuesday, July 28th. The CAP is warning against adding another layer of data requirements for how healthcare information is formatted and shared without a solid rationale for proposed changes. The CAP submitted its comments in a letter to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ONC, on the Office's latest draft of new standards for electronic health care data used to measure quality. The draft is part of the ONC's ongoing rollout of standards under the United States Core Data for Interoperability, or USCDI, which defines how healthcare data must be formatted to be exchanged electronically nationwide. In the letter, the CAP urged ONC to slow down the process to ensure that providers and other stakeholders have time to provide meaningful input. In a separate letter, the CAP urged ONC to clarify several issues in its draft of U.S. CDI standards for data on sickle cell disease patients. The CAP supports the ONC's specific focus on standards for sickle cell disease data, but urged the agency to fix several issues in the draft that were unclear, confusing, or differ from terminology or standards used in laboratory medicine. For example, some of the language in the draft conflates serological blood typing with molecular genomics. The CAP emphasized that vague or inaccurate standards could harm patient care. Pathology residents can apply for a CAP Foundation grant of up to $5,000 to participate in a four-week rotation in advanced forensic pathology. The foundation is offering the grant with support from the Academy of Forensic Sciences and the National Association of Medical Examiners to help address the shortage of forensic pathologists. The training will take place in 2027 or the first quarter of 2028 at an accredited forensic fellowship training program. Applications open August 3rd. See the CAP Foundation website for more information. And finally, researchers at the University of Minnesota say they've developed a synthetic cell that can grow, replicate its genome, and divide across many generations. They call their invention SpudCell because the cells look like potatoes. It's the first time a system composed entirely of non-living components has achieved a complete cell cycle. The research has not yet been peer-reviewed, but if replicable, it could advance genetic engineering research, including the development of new medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tools. That's all for today. See the show notes for more information on today's stories. And if you've got a story to share, write us at stories at CAP.org. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern for another episode of the Daily Edition. I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a wonderful day.