Clinician-ordered peripheral smear review by pathologist has traditionally been ordered in patients suspected of hematologic disease or to assess CBC abnormalities. However, with the advent of sophisticated hematology analyzers, flags, and middleware rules, clinician-ordered peripheral smear review by pathologist is considered obsolete and of low clinical utility. A CBC with differential should be ordered instead; if there is evidence of hemolysis or malignancy, the laboratory will generate a report to the clinician.
