To maintain their Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification, hospitals such as Greene Memorial must take part in a proficiency testing program. As part of that program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sends test samples to labs to check whether the labs process them correctly, Greene Memorial spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said.
Greene Memorial’s lab inadvertently sent a test sample from CMS to an outside lab for help, Long said. Hospital officials discovered the error and reported it to CMS, she said. The mistake did not affect any patients, she said.
Greene Memorial has paid the fine, and has hired In Office Labs to run its lab during the next two years. Hospital employees will continue to provide lab services under the supervision of In Office staff, Long said.
The hospital declined to say how much it is paying In Office Labs.
The lab performs 400,000 billable tests each year, Long said.
To prevent such a mistake in the future, Greene Memorial and other Kettering Health Network hospitals have required their lab workers to undergo CLIA proficiency education. Greene Memorial also has put electronic safeguards in place to prevent future test samples from being sent outside the hospital.
CLIA was established to strengthen federal oversight of clinical laboratories so as to ensure accuracy and reliability of patient test results.
The Dayton Daily News on Friday requested a copy of the July 1, 2010, complaint that resulted in the Greene Memorial lab’s loss of accreditation, but CMS did not immediately provide the report.
About the Author