A2LA, CAP, and QMP-LS to Participate in an Informational Event on January 20th
ISO 15189 is gaining a foothold among laboratories in the United States. Since the first clinical pathology laboratory in the U.S. earned accreditation to “ISO 15189:2007 Medical Laboratories” in 2008, there has been a steady increase in the number of clinical laboratories that have embarked on their own path to accreditation.
This fall, The Dark Report and Dark Daily invited all three of the organizations in North America that offer accreditation services for ISO 15189 to speak at the fourth annual Lab Quality Confab, which took place in San Antonio, Texas, on November 2-3, 2010. It marked the first time that all three of these ISO-accrediting organizations spoke in public at one time and in one place.
The three North American ISO 15189 accreditation organizations who spoke at Lab Quality Confab were, alphabetical order:
- American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), based in Frederick, Maryland.
- College of American Pathology (CAP), Northfield, Illinois.
- Quality Management Program-Laboratory Services (QMP-LS), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sessions featuring speakers from these three ISO accreditation organizations proved to be among the best-attended at Lab Quality Confab. There are two reasons for this high level of interest. First, most attendees at Lab Quality Confab are actively using Lean, Six Sigma, and process improvement methods. Thus, their medical laboratory is committed to ongoing improvement in the daily operation and workflow within their laboratory.
ISO 15189 is a QMS Tailored to the Needs of Medical Laboratories
Second, as clinical laboratories and pathology groups become more experienced at implementing ongoing improvements to different areas of workflow within their laboratory, they begin to understand the value of going to the next stage in their lab’s quality journey by implementing a true quality management system (QMS). Because ISO 15189 is a globally-recognized QMS, these laboratory professionals are quick to recognize how accreditation to ISO 15189 can directly benefit their medical laboratory.
Over the past 24 months, The Dark Report and Dark Daily have published stories about how the nation’s first clinical laboratories achieved accreditation to ISO 15189, along with the benefits that adoption of the ISO QMS has brought to these laboratories. One of the very first to earn ISO 15189 accreditation was the central laboratory at Avera Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In the past 12 months, Spectra Laboratories, Inc., of Rockleigh, New Jersey earned its ISO 15189 accreditation. Spectra is one of the nation’s largest laboratory facilities, serving around 30,000 patients each day.
On January 20, 2011, speakers from A2LA, CAP, and QMP-LS will appear together in a special educational audio conference on ISO 15189. It is a rare opportunity for clinical laboratory managers and pathologists to get first-hand information about ISO 15189 directly from the experts who are helping North America’s most progressive medical laboratories gain major benefits from their labs’ accreditation to ISO 15189.
This audio conference is titled “The A-to-Z of ISO 15189: How to Boost Your Lab’s Clinical and Financial Performance.” It will take place on Thursday, January 20th at 1:00 p.m., EST. It features the following three speakers:
- Julie Coffey, Staff Technologist and Quality Manager, Ontario Laboratory Accreditation
- Gregory Cooper CLS, MHA, Principal, W. Gregory Cooper LLC, on behalf of the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)
- Caroline Maurer, Director CAP15189, College of American Pathologists
You’ll have the opportunity to learn about why ISO 15189 accreditation can bring specific benefits to your laboratory. You’ll get the inside perspective on how the first labs in the U.S. and Canada to earn ISO 15189 accreditation have benefited. These benefits are multiple and include cost savings, improved analytical quality, and significant public recognition of the ISO accreditation by employers, payers, physicians, and patients in their service markets.
ISO 15189 Accreditation Can Bring Competitive Advantage to Your Lab
ISO 15189 can bring competitive advantage to your clinical laboratory and help it differentiate itself in the marketplace. This information packed 90-minute audio conference will help you determine how and why ISO 15189 accreditation can help your laboratory achieve its strategic goals for improving clinical services and sustaining financial viability in the challenging years to come.
Because of the special audio conference format, you can assemble your team in your lab’s conference room and participate together as these three experts in ISO 15189 come together at one time and at one place. Register today and guarantee your participation at “The A-to-Z of ISO 15189: How to Boost Your Lab’s Clinical and Financial Performance”!
Expect to come away from this energizing session with new insights about the global role of ISO 15189 in helping standardize the management and operation of medical laboratories across national borders. Gain the knowledge you need to accurately evaluate how your clinical laboratory organization can benefit from achieving accreditation to ISO 15189. Register now so that you can hear and learn from North America’s leading experts in ISO 15189!
THE DARK REPORT AUDIO CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE
- DATE: Thursday, January 20, 2011
- TIME: 1 p.m. EST; 12 p.m. CST; 11 a.m. MST; 10 a.m. PST
- PLACE: Your telephone or speakerphone
- COST: $195 per dial-in site (unlimited attendance per site) through 1/12/11; $245 thereafter
- TO REGISTER NOW: Click here or call 1-800-560-6363 toll-free!
For one low price—just $195 (through 1/12/11, $245 thereafter)—you and your entire team can take part in this fast-paced, insightful audio conference. Best of all, you’ll be able to connect personally with either of the panelists when we open up the phone lines for live Q&A.
Related Information:
Avera McKennan Laboratory is the First Hospital Lab in U.S. to Gain ISO 15189 Accreditation
Spectra Laboratories – Rockleigh, N.J. earns ISO 15189
ISO 15189 Proves to Be a “Hot Topic” for Clinical Pathology Laboratories at Lab Quality Confab
The A-to-Z of ISO 15189: How to Boost Your Lab’s Clinical and Financial Performance
ISO 15189 Laboratory Accreditation
