Local Hospital Passes Lab Accreditation Survey with Flying Colors

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center’s laboratory has been re-accredited by the College of American Pathologists, which conducts site surveys to assess a hospital’s compliance to federal standards for laboratory testing.

“I’m very pleased to announce that we just completed one of the most successful site surveys of our laboratory. The surveyors commented that the overall quality of our laboratory is robust and inspiring,” says C. Michael Weldon-Linne, MD, a clinical pathologist, chair of the pathology department and medical director of Masonic’s laboratory. “Our survey results are a testament to the work being done every day by our very dedicated and knowledgeable laboratory associates, in collaboration with nursing staff, advanced practice providers and physicians.”

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted the College of American Pathologists deeming authority to conduct these surveys and determine a hospital’s compliance to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). CLIA sets standards designed to improve quality in all laboratory testing and includes specifications for quality control, quality assurance, patient test management, personnel and proficiency testing.

Soobia Ashraf, director of Masonic’s laboratory, describes several foundational elements that allow the laboratory to operate safely and efficiently, arguably the most important of these being associate engagement.

“When you pull together a team of associates who are satisfied and engaged, you get results,” Ashraf says.

While associate engagement is a key component of the laboratory’s success, the team also focuses much of their time and attention to ensuring patients are satisfied with their services and that every process and protocol aligns with CLIA’s strict standards of excellence.

“Maintaining an accredited laboratory is very much a journey and not one that happens by accident,” Ashraf says. “Under the leadership of Dr. Weldon-Linne, we’ll continue to focus on engaging our associates, achieving excellent results, keeping our customers happy and adhering to CLIA regulations. We will also take what we’ve learned here and bring it back to our sister sites so that our laboratory services are improving across the Advocate Health Care system.”

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About Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is a 397-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in the Lake View neighborhood on Chicago's North Side. The medical center has a Level I Trauma Center and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the highest designations awarded by the state of Illinois, and offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care, including cardiovascular, oncology, digestive health and neurosciences services. A recipient of numerous awards for quality and clinical excellence, Advocate Illinois Masonic has achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The medical center has also been named a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign's Healthcare Equality Index. Advocate Illinois Masonic is part of Advocate Health Care, the largest fully integrated health system in Illinois. For more information, visit www.advocatehealth.com/masonic.