Michael Lee Astion, MD, PhD

Michael Lee Astion, MD, PhD

Laboratory Medicine

On staff since January 2011

Academic Title: Professor

  • Biography

    Dr. Astion is the Director of Regional Laboratories, Director of Point of Care Testing, and Co-Director of Reference Laboratories in the Department of Laboratories at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington. He stepped down in late 2023 from his previous position as the Medical Director of the Department of Laboratories, which he held from 2013-2023.  Dr. Astion is the Creator and one of the Founders of PLUGS, the Patient-Centered Laboratory Utilization Guidance Service, a unique service that helps hospital-based and commercial laboratories actively increase the value of lab testing through aligning with patients and the insurance industry. His career, which includes experience in adult medicine and pediatrics is divided between clinical service, teaching, and research and development. He has authored more than 25 software titles, 50 peer-reviewed papers, and 100 editorials and interviews. He is working actively, through grants and intellectual property held by the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s, with the insurance industry in the United States to create utilization management rules for clinical laboratory testing. Dr. Astion is a frequent speaker at professional meetings, where he lectures on issues related to laboratory stewardship and management; laboratory economics and outreach; and medical errors. 

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  • Awards and Honors

    Award Name Award Description Awarded By Award Date
    Outstanding Contributions to Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Clinical Chemistry AACC 2021 - 2021
    Outstanding Contributions to Laboratory Education Given to one recipient annually for contributions to education in clinical laboratory science. American Association for Clinical Chemistry 2014
    Contributions to Management Science An international award given annually for contributions to management science as it relates to the clinical laboratory industry. American Association for Clinical Chemistry 2006 - 2007
    Outstanding Contributions to Patient Safety An international award given annually for conributions to decreasing errors in laboratory testing. American Association for Clinical Chemistry 2005 - 2006

  • Publications

    Manuscripts in Refereed Journals

    • Dickerson JA, Cole B, Conta JH, Wellner M, Wallace SA, Jack RM, Rutledge J, and Astion ML.
      Improving the value of costly genetic reference laboratory testing with active utilization management
      Arch Path Lab Med., 2014 : 138110-113
    • Dintzis SM, Stetsenko GY, Sitlani CM, Gronowski AM, Astion ML, Gallagher TH
      Communicating pathology and laboratory errors: anatomic pathologists' and laboratory medical directors' attitudes and experiences.
      21502431 American journal of clinical pathology, 2011 May : 135(5)760-5
    • Reed RC, Kim S, Farquharson K, Astion ML
      A 2-year study of patient safety competency assessment in 29 clinical laboratories.
      18480014 American journal of clinical pathology, 2008 June : 129(6)959-62
    • Edlefsen KL, Tait JF, Wener MH, Astion M
      Utilization and diagnostic yield of neurogenetic testing at a tertiary care facility.
      17446330 Clinical chemistry, 2007 June : 53(6)1016-22
    • Goodyear N, Kim S, Reeves M, Astion ML
      A 2-year study of Gram stain competency assessment in 40 clinical laboratories.
      16482988 American journal of clinical pathology, 2006 Jan. : 125(1)28-33
    • Yuan S, Astion ML, Schapiro J, Limaye AP
      Clinical impact associated with corrected results in clinical microbiology testing.
      15872240 Journal of clinical microbiology, 2005 May : 43(5)2188-93 PMCID:PMC1153769
    • Kim S, Reeves M, Astion ML
      Web-based method for establishing national competency benchmarks in fourteen areas of clinical laboratory services.
      15044332 Clinical chemistry, 2004 April : 50(4)753-5
    • Astion ML, Shojania KG, Hamill TR, Kim S, Ng VL
      Classifying laboratory incident reports to identify problems that jeopardize patient safety.
      12866368 American journal of clinical pathology, 2003 July : 120(1)18-26

    Published Abstracts

    • Dickerson J, Jack RM, Astion ML
      A Systematic Approach to Improve the Quality and Economics of Laboratory Send-outs in a Pediatric Reference Laboratory
      Modern Pathology, 2012 : 25342-343

    Other Publications

    • Heim JA, Huang H, Zabinsky ZB, Dickerson J, Wellner M, Astion M, Cruz D, Vincent J, Jack R
      Design and implementation of a combined influenza immunization and tuberculosis screening campaign with simulation modelling.
      26009843 Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 2015 Aug. : 21(4)727-34
    • Astion ML
      Humanizing Lean in the Clinical Lab
      Clinical Laboratory News, 2015 : 41(7)
    • Dickerson J and Astion M.
      Unnecessary and unintended 1,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D Order Patterns: A Metaphor for Life.
      Clinical Laboratory News, 2015 Jan. : 41(1)(1)22-23
    • Cole, B, Dickerson JA, Graber ML, Fantz CR, Laposata M, Henriksen K, Astion ML, and Epner P.
      A prospective tool for risk assessment of sendout testing.
      Clin Chem Acta., 2014 Mar 29 : 434C:1-5
    • Astion M
      Reducing Errors in Manual Processes
      Clinical Laboratory News, 2014 : 40(1)
      https://www.aacc.org/publications/cln/articles/2014/january/psf-errors
    • Dickerson J, Cole B, Jack R, Astion M.
      Another laboratory test utilization program: our approach to reducing unnecessary 1,25 Vitamin D orders with a simple intervention.
      Am J Clin Pathol, 2014 : 138(1)110-113
    • Dickerson J, Cole, B and Astion ML
      Ten Ways to Improve the Quality of Send-out Testing
      Clinical Laboratory News, 2012 : 38(4)
    • Astion ML
      Disruptive Behavior: How Labs Can Recognize and Ovecome its Negative Effects
      Clinical Laboratory News, 2011 : 37(7)13

  • Presentations

    Presentation Title Event Location Date
    New Years Resolutions for Laboratory Management American Association for Clinical Chemistry and Roche Diagnostics Laboratory Leadership (L2) National Webinar Broadcast to National Audience of 120 Clinical Laboratories in 35 states. Jan 6, 2016
    Annual Carl and Susan Smith Endowed Lecture. "A Local and National Intervention to Improve the Utilization of Clinical Laboratory Tests Washington University, Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds St. Louis, MO Mar 20, 2015
    Annual Carl and Susan Smith Endowed Lecture: "A Local and National Intervention to Improve the Utilization of Clinical Laboratory Tests". Washington University St. Louis, MO 2015
    "A Local and National Intervention to Improve the Utilization of Clinical Laboratory Tests". Johns Hopkins, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Grand Rounds Baltimore, MD Feb 24, 2014
    Laboratory Testing Could be Hazardous to Your Health: A Look at Test Utilization for Autoantibody Testing Autoimmune Congress Asia Singapore 2011
    Impact of Neglected Human Resource Issues on Laboratory Quality POLQM Quality Symposium Vancouver, BC 2011
    Putting Power into Patient Safety Interventions in the Clinical Laboratory Emory University Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Grand Rounds Atlanta, GA 2010

Overview

Board Certification(s)

Pathology - Clinical

Medical/Professional School

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Residency

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

Clinical Interests

Laboratory Utilization, Continuous Performance Improvement, Laboratory Economics, Autoantibody testing, Patient Safety

Research Focus Area

Health Services Research