HCPro.com: Laboratory Compliance Insider

Each month with Laboratory Compliance Insider you get more of our exclusive working tools: model guidelines, policies, forms, etc., that you can use to comply with OIG and CMS, reduce claim denials, and get paid in full and on time.

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April 2008 (Volume 5, Issue 4)	view entire issue

Tips to ensure older workers' well-being
The baby boomer generation is reaching retirement age, but many boomers are opting to remain in the workplace, says Terry Jo Gile, MT(ASCP), MA, Ed, The Safety Lady®, a laboratory safety expert in North Fort Myers, FL. Some stay in the work force to retain health benefits in addition to Medicare; some did not save for retirement and need the money; and others want to remain with colleagues who have become close friends over the years, Gile says.

Communicate custom reflex test policies and procedures
Reflex testing poses some complicated compliance and billing concerns for your laboratory. But if done right, reflex tests enhance patient care, save physicians' time, and improve overall laboratory performance. Reflex tests are either standard or customized. Standard reflex tests include any test that automatically results in the ordering of one or more secondary laboratory tests based on preset criteria applied to the primary, or initial, test.

Four safety goals from The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission's 2008 National Patient Safety Goals have significant implications for laboratories. The goals highlight problematic areas in healthcare and describe evidence- and expert-based solutions to these problems. "The goals focus on areas to improve patient safety in the laboratory," says Kenneth A. Powers, a Joint Commission media relations manager. The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) assesses compliance with the requirements throughout its regular accreditation cycle in on-site surveys and its periodic performance review.

Other recently-published articles from Laboratory Compliance Insider:

Quality control, compliance in the genomics era

OIG addresses lab concerns in its 2009 Work Plan

Signature requirements cause labs headaches

Debate over licensing for technologists continues

Keep the chargemaster from being a taskmaster

Joint Commission offers options to combat disruptive acts

Incident-to rules rescinded, laboratories need not worry

Genetic testing raises questions about laboratory tests

CoP rule hardens blood safety requirements

Laboratories celebrate landmark victory

Secrets to success in processing medical necessity paperwork

A proactive approach to self-disclosure protocols

Five tips to ensure medical necessity compliance

Court orders CMS to stop flawed bidding process

What you need to know about CAP inspection time frames

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