COLA Resources, Inc.® Conference to Help Labs Transition to New CMS Guidelines
COLUMBIA, MD, September 12, 2013 – The educational subsidiary of COLA, COLA Resources Inc.,® (CRI) will sponsor a Symposium for Clinical Laboratories October 23-26 at the Hyatt Regency
St. Louis at the Arch, St. Louis, MO. The conference is expected to draw professionals from every area of laboratory medicine – including physicians operating an office laboratory, diagnostic laboratory staff, physician assistants, nurses and other medical personnel – for a series of educational and networking opportunities.
The CRI symposium will feature keynote speakers from leading healthcare facilities, speaking on a variety of topics of interest to the physician office and hospital laboratory, such as preparing for laboratory inspections, regulatory compliance, the business of laboratory medicine, and practical tools such as improving processes and procedures, preventing errors, and improving patient care.
The conference will also highlight the impact of national healthcare reform on laboratories, and update attendees on federal regulatory issues, including a workshop on the new Individualized Quality Control Plan (IQCP) guidelines recently introduced by CMS, and scheduled to go into effect in 2016. A two-year transition period will begin January 1, 2014.
Among the many speakers are:
- Diana Fairbanks, MT (ASCP), Laboratory Consultant, Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services, Region VII, IQCP Workshop
- Edward J. Peterson, Jr., MBA, MT (ASCP), Director of Laboratories for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO, Healthcare Reform and More
- Jeanne Mumford, MT(ASCP,)Laboratory Quality Assurance Specialist, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Quality, Safety and Services
- Siby Sebastian, Ph.D., DABMG; DABCC, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology- Duke University Medical Center, Associate Director, Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Duke University Health System, Clinical Molecular Diagnostics: The Past, Present and Future
- Verlin Janzen, MD, FAAFP, Hutchinson Clinic and Hutchinson Hospital, Hutchinson, KS, Basics of Laboratory Medicine for Physicians and more
- Donna Sweet, MD, MACP, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita, KS, HIV Diagnosis and Treatment
The symposium (formerly known as the Physician Office Laboratory Symposium) is designed to meet the education and networking needs of physicians and healthcare professionals in the office laboratory industry, while providing Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits.
“CRI Symposia are key educational events, promoting ongoing development in healthcare quality systems and lab accreditation,” said Rose Mary Casados, President of CRI. “This conference is particularly important because it will offer attendees a workshop on how to implement CMS’s new IQCP quality control guidelines in the clinical lab. We encourage laboratory professionals at all levels, from physicians who manage office laboratories to clinical laboratory personnel, nurses and other personnel who perform quality control procedures, to take advantage of this major educational opportunity.”
CRI, through its parent company COLA, offers continuing education credits through the following COLA-approved providers: American Academy of Family Physicians (C.M.E.); the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) P.A.C.E.® Program; the Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel, Division of Medical Quality Assurance at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration; and the California Division of Laboratory Science, Department of Laboratory Field Services.
For more information on the Symposium for Clinical Laboratories, visit www.cola.org/symposia.
About COLA
COLA accredits nearly 8,000 medical laboratories and provides the clinical laboratory with a program of education, consultation, and accreditation. The organization is an independent, non-profit accreditor whose education program and standards enable clinical laboratories and staff to meet U.S. CLIA and other regulatory requirements. COLA’s program is endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP), and the American College of Physicians (ACP) and it is recognized by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (TJC). For more information about COLA accreditation services and educational products, and online educational opportunities, call 800-981-9883 or visit COLA's web sites at www.cola.org or www.colainsider.org.
About COLA Resources, Inc. (CRI)
CRI is a leader in online continuing education for physicians, laboratory personnel and allied health professionals. CRI offers continuing education through online courses, informational products in both electronic and hard copy form, webinars on cutting-edge technology and regulatory issues, and CRI on-site Symposia for Clinical Laboratories, providing live educational sessions and interactive workshops with leading industry organizations. For more information, visit their website at www.labuniversity.org, or call 1-800-981-9883.
Contact:
Melissa Nichols
Alvare Associates
610-520-6140 x 204
[email protected]
www.alvare.com