[Histonet] Re: Paper Bags

[rsrichmond <@t> aol.com]

Why would anyone want to use paper rather than the present-day nylon 
specimen bags?

I recently looked at the Fisher Web site and was astonished to learn 
from the

fisherhealthcare.com Web site, accessed a few days ago:
biopsy bag 30 x 50 mm, Fisherbrand 15-182-116
500 bags for $228.17
in contrast, Fisher offers biopsy foam pads, 22-038221
1000 rectangular pads for $73.91

In other words, those nylon bags list at around 45 cents US each, while 
the little blue foam pads are around 7 cents each, or half that if you 
cut them in two as I usually do.

Finding this out certainly made me change the way I use these two items 
- put small discrete biopsy specimens on blue pads (marked with a small 
drop of safranin solution), and reserve the bags for small curettage 
specimens, cell blocks, and things like that.

I've used these two items in a good man pathology practices, but never 
knew the cost of them before, since catalogs are always locked up in 
the lab manager's office and not available to histotechnologists. Will 
some of you Good Managers enlighten me as to why it's Good Management 
Practice to have bench techs not know the cost of the items they work 
with?

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN
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