:: Pharmaceutical FAQ ::

1. Does DCL have the appropriate laboratory licenses?

• DCL has its CLIA certificate issued by a reciprocity agreement with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and is accredited by the CAP. DCL also holds state licenses from Maryland, Florida, New York and California.
• DCL participates annually in the CLIA required state cytology proficiency slide examination for the state of Maryland. It participates every two years in the glass slide proficiency examination for New York state.
• All DCL cytotechnology professional staff also participate in the CytoQuest® glass slide external QA program.

2. Does DCL have global capabilities?

• Yes, DCL has been involved in more than 300 clinical trials protocols, many of which involved international sites. These trials required the handling of biopsy and cytology specimens (sputum, pap smears, urine, etc.) from locations around the globe.

3. Does DCL have electronic data capabilities?

• Yes, one of DCL's core strengths is its database and information technology capabilities. DCL has the ability to connect with with multiple central laboratory databases or other service providers and exchange data bidirectionally and efficiently at pre-defined intervals.

4. How does DCL handle the problems associated with the complex textual word strings that characterize anatomic pathology diagnoses?

• DCL has the ability to create codified dictionaries customized to sponsor protocol specifications. These dictionaries facilitate database population for data analysis as well as simultaneous creation of hard copy investigator reports for patient management.

5. Does DCL have autofax capabilities?

• Yes, DCL is able to autofax finalized hard copy reports to multiple recipients simultaneously.  Autofaxing facilitates subject enrollment and decreases reporting turn around time.

6. What is DCL's standard turn around time for biopsies and pap smears?

• Turn around time varies depending upon the complexity of the testing and the amount of time required for specimen handling, processing and evaluation by cytotechnologists and pathologists. However, standard tissue biopsy turn around time is 5-7 working days from DCL receipt and 3-5 days for pap smears (including abnormals signed out by pathologists).