Newly renovated hospital lab earns accreditations
Uniontown Hospital announced that the newly renovated hospital laboratory has received accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and accreditation from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) for blood bank operations.
The Accreditation Committee of CAP awarded the accreditation to the hospital laboratory based on results of a May 2017 on-site inspection of the facility.
CAP inspectors perform unannounced inspections of the laboratory every two years. This year, five external certified CAP inspectors spent the day in the laboratory reviewing quality metrics, policies, proficiency testing results and interviewing a selection of the 25 laboratory staff members. In the 2017 fiscal year, the lab performed a total of 968,000 tests.
“These two external accreditations confirm that Uniontown Hospital has an outstanding group of professionals who are dedicated to excellence and quality service,” said Dr. Evelyn Perry, Laboratory Medical Director.
The hospital is among more than 7,700 CAP-accredited facilities worldwide. “This accreditation highlights the commitment of our laboratory staff to ensure the best possible practices in all their work,” Uniontown Hospital CEO Steve Handy said. “We are committed to making a healthy difference for our patients by providing competent and compliant care and that dedication shows through these accreditations.”
Established in 1947, AABB is an international, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring the standards of transfusion medicine, cellular therapies and patient blood management.
The AABB accreditation was earned following an intensive on-site assessment of the lab in April that revealed Uniontown Hospital met or exceeded the standards set by AABB. The AABB inspection is also an unannounced inspection that occurs every two years.
In 2016, the Blood Bank department at Uniontown Hospital performed 2,962 crossmatches and 2,456 red cell transfusions on 1,050 patients. In addition, 2,672 units of cryoprecipitate were transfused to 34 patients.
“The AABB’s accreditation procedures are voluntary,” Executive Director of Clinical Operations, Mark Dillon, said. “We specifically sought this accreditation because it provides another benchmark of the clinical and technical excellence we strive for throughout the organization.”
Both accreditations come just as work wraps up on Phase 1 of a $1-million dollar renovation of the department.
The renovations included a new hall of administrative offices, a staff lounge with a fully equipped kitchen area and staff locker rooms with private bathrooms. A state of the art Blood Bank section with a receipt and distribution area was completed in mid-August.
The last portion of Phase 1 included a new phlebotomy and processing section. This area includes a large intake area for all samples received for testing, an area for couriers that is dedicated to sample drop off and pick up, a supply storage area and workstations for the 30 phlebotomists on staff. Phase 2 of laboratory construction will begin in the spring of 2018 and includes a new Histology laboratory.
Laboratory Director Susan Bolin said her team is excited by the renovations and the achievements.
“These two certifications were awarded in June and July which added to the lab staff’s excitement of beginning to work in our newly renovated work areas. Both certifications are indicative of the lab team’s dedication to quality and patient care on a daily basis,” she said. “We are focused on helping to do our part in making a healthy difference for our patients.”