DESCRIPTION

• Commercially available laboratory-based hemoglobin A1c testing became available in 1978.
• Point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin A1c testing became available in the 1990s and has increased over the last decade.
• Point-of-care testing allows for testing in the office (or home use) and requires a small amount of blood via a finger prick (similar to a glucometer). Results are generally available within 10 minutes.
• Most POC HbA1c testing has waived status from the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), which means the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deem the test to be so simple that there is little risk of error. No specific training is needed to operate the machine. Users of the machine are exempt from other CLIA requirements and inspections.
• A sampling of commonly available machines is listed below.