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CHC laboratory now recertified
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s Laboratory Services Department is finally certified up to the year 2017.
According to CEO Esther Muña, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Clinical Laboratory Improvement amendments certification has finally been approved.
Muña said this is great for the corporation because its certification was close to termination in 2012.
“The new recertification was a result of major improvements throughout the laboratory and ensuring supplies were available so that the medical providers are able to diagnose the patients promptly and save lives,” Muña said.
According to her, the laboratory certification opens opportunities for CHCC to move toward improving and expanding services.
A GeneXpert laboratory equipment was purchased using federal funds to increase the capability of the CHC lab to do rapid testing in-house for early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis while reestablishing testing for sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia on-site.
Muña noted that routine microbiology tests were also added to the chargemaster, the listing of their services and charges.
“This minimizes our cost sending lab specimen off-site for testing and helps us generate more revenues. The Resource Patient Management System computer program under the electronic health records or EHR was also implemented in the laboratory, allowing medical providers and nurses to view lab results in real time and improving overall health care for our patients,” she said.
As of now, the laboratory is being run by a laboratory director/pathologist, ensuring that it continues to meet all CLIA conditions and maintain its certification.
