External and Internal QC for Blood Gases

Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) in the clinical lab have changed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has embraced a voluntary QC option for meeting CLIA quality control standards called Individualized Quality Control Plan (IQCP), which was implemented in January 2016 for all labs that have been utilizing Equivalent Quality Control (EQC). CLIA QC regulations will remain the same as published in 2003. All of the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical systems requirements in the CLIA regulations will remain in effect.

There are many different aspects of the IQCP for laboratories to consider. This article will cover the minimum requirements for use of external quality controls with regard to blood gas QC.

Minimum guidelines

The minimum guidelines according to CLIA 88 (2003) require laboratories to perform external quality control at least one time per eight-hour shift.1 The IQCP does not change this requirement. In addition to the daily QC requirement, the laboratory is also responsible for calibration verification for all non-waived “moderate to high-complexity” test systems.

Read more: External and Internal QC for Blood Gases

Source: mlo-online

Data Analytics in the Clinical Laboratory

Managing test utilization reveals opportunities for improved laboratory performance and better patient care

The laboratory reimbursement market is shifting away from consumption-, fee-for-service-, and transaction-based paradigms to models based on the quality and value of the services provided by clinical labs. Payors are increasingly asking health systems and their providers to respond by providing high-quality care while being mindful of financial performance.

In turn, the move away from fee-for-service payments in favor of other models of reimbursement—especially bundled payment models—is causing lab managers to take a hard look at how they can reduce unnecessary testing.

Read more: Data Analytics in the Clinical Laboratory

Source: clpmag