Frequently asked questions

Practical answers,
before the call.

Common questions from laboratories, biopharma sponsors, CROs, health systems, and clinicians. If you don't see what you're looking for, reach out and a pathologist or member of our team will respond directly.

/ The service

What AICC actually does.

What does AICC do, exactly?

AICC provides expert pathologist-led consultation for complex molecular and clinical pathology results. When a laboratory releases a result that benefits from specialist interpretation, AICC delivers a board-certified pathologist's signed consultation that translates the data into a clear, defensible clinical recommendation.

The consultation arrives integrated into the laboratory's existing report, branded as the laboratory's service, with the pathologist's signature providing the clinical authority behind the recommendation.

Is AICC a laboratory or a consultation service?

A consultation service. AICC does not run laboratory tests, generate analytical results, or modify a partner laboratory's underlying interpretation. We provide pathologist consultation on results that have already been released. Our work begins where the laboratory's work ends.

What kinds of tests does AICC consult on?

AICC is currently focused on complex molecular diagnostics, particularly multiplex pathogen panels with resistance gene detection. The consultation model extends to adjacent test categories where structured laboratory data benefits from specialist interpretation: pharmacogenomics, coagulation, hereditary disease panels, and other areas where the data is structured but the clinical meaning requires specialist judgment.

If your laboratory runs a category not listed publicly, the framework may apply. Raise it on a discovery call.

Whose name appears on the consultation report?

The signing pathologist's name and credentials appear on the consultation. The laboratory's brand and logo appear on the overall report. Providers see one unified document delivered by the laboratory, with the pathologist's signature providing the clinical authority behind the recommendation.

The laboratory stays the brand of record. AICC stays the quiet specialist underneath.

How is AICC different from algorithm-only services?

Algorithm-only services apply rule-based logic to lab data and return a report generated by software. AICC has a board-certified pathologist review every case and sign every consultation. That signature is what makes the report clinically defensible and worth what providers expect from a real consultation service.

The shorthand: an algorithm cannot pick up the phone and discuss a case with a clinician. A board-certified pathologist can, and ours do.

/ Workflow and integration

How AICC fits into your operation.

How does AICC integrate with our laboratory?

AICC integrates with your existing workflow without adding new systems for your staff to learn or parallel processes to manage. Results route to our pathology team automatically the moment they are released, and signed consultations return into your existing reporting flow.

Detailed integration discussion happens after a discovery call so we can match the approach to your specific systems and operational reality.

Do we need to change our reporting platform?

No. AICC is designed to fit your existing reporting environment. Whether you report through a commercial LIS, a customized platform, or a partner system, the consultation integrates in. Your operations team continues running your laboratory the way they already do.

How long does onboarding take?

The first step is a 30 minute discovery call. From there, the engagement proceeds at a pace that fits your operational and compliance timeline. There is no artificial urgency and no obligation to commit on the first call. The goal of the first conversation is to determine fit.

Most partner laboratories move from first call to first consultation in a defined operational ramp that is part of the engagement discussion.

Does AICC change our turnaround time?

The consultation is added to the reporting flow, not inserted into the testing flow. Your laboratory's underlying analytical turnaround does not change. Specific consultation turnaround commitments are part of the engagement discussion and are matched to the clinical urgency of the test category.

What happens if a provider has a question about a specific case?

A board-certified pathologist is available to discuss the case directly. Not a call center. Not a chatbot. Complex cases deserve real conversations, and providers remember which laboratories make those conversations possible.

/ Clinical and compliance

The standard of care behind every consultation.

Who reviews the cases?

Board-certified pathologists. Every case carries a credentialed pathologist's review, edits, and signature. Sampling and spot-checking are common practices in this category. They are not how AICC operates.

What clinical guidance does AICC follow?

Consultations are anchored in current Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidance and broader antimicrobial stewardship principles, applied with the pathologist's clinical judgment for the specific case. Every consultation recommends the narrowest effective approach the evidence supports.

Do your recommendations take patient-specific factors into account?

Yes. Dosage recommendations include adjustments for renal function and age. When additional clinical information is available, such as allergies, concomitant medications, or prior antibiotic exposure, we incorporate it into the recommendation process.

For complex cases, providers can contact our pathologists directly to discuss the case and any patient-specific factors that should shape the approach.

Is the consultation independent of the test result?

Yes. The laboratory's underlying analytical result is unchanged by the consultation. AICC's pathologist reviews the released result and provides a separate professional consultation on the clinical implications, distinct from the laboratory's analytical interpretation.

How does AICC handle patient privacy and HIPAA?

AICC operates as a HIPAA-aligned consultation service. All case review and data handling follows HIPAA-compliant protocols, with business associate agreements in place with partner laboratories. The specifics of data flow, storage, and protection are part of the operational onboarding discussion.

How does the commercial relationship work?

AICC operates the consultation service and handles its own billing for that service directly. Partner laboratories are not asked to take on new billing operations, navigate new payer relationships, or modify their existing reimbursement workflow.

The specifics of the commercial engagement are discussed during onboarding and are structured to fit the partner laboratory's operational reality.

/ Beyond the clinical lab

Biopharma, CROs, and health systems.

Does AICC work with biopharma sponsors?

Yes. AICC provides centralized pathology consultation for sponsor trials in infectious disease, oncology, immunology, and other categories where consistent interpretation across enrolled sites is operationally and scientifically important.

The service can sit alongside a sponsor's central laboratory or function as a specialist interpretation overlay on site-level testing. See the Beyond Labs page for detail.

Does AICC work with contract research organizations?

Yes. AICC operates as a specialist interpretation partner for CROs that need centralized pathology consultation on a per-study basis without building or hiring an internal pathology team. The CRO maintains the sponsor relationship. AICC supplies the specialist clinical judgment.

Can a health system use AICC system-wide?

Yes. Health systems and hospital networks can deploy AICC as a system-wide pathologist consultation layer, particularly valuable for systems with antimicrobial stewardship goals, multi-site standardization needs, or rural and community sites that do not have specialist consultation available locally.

/ Getting started

Next steps, on your timeline.

What does the first conversation look like?

A 30 minute discovery call. We discuss your operation, the test categories of interest, and where consultation would add value. No pitch deck. No sales script. The goal is to determine fit together.

There is no obligation to commit on the first call.

Is there a minimum commitment to start?

Engagement structures vary by partner type and use case. The specifics are part of the operational discussion after the discovery call. AICC favors partnerships that fit the partner's pace and clinical reality, not one-size-fits-all contracts.

How quickly will someone respond if we reach out?

Within one business day, with a real reply from a real person. No autoresponders pretending to be follow-up.

Can we see a sample of what the consultation report looks like?

Yes. The sample report page on this site shows a representative AICC consultation in detail, including the findings table, clinical interpretation, recommended therapy, and pathologist signature. The patient data is fictional; the structure and language are exactly how a real consultation arrives.

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