Laboratory Practice Leader

Under the direction of the Regional Director of Laboratory Quality and Compliance, ensures compliance readiness and standardizes policies, processes, and procedures for all SCAL Area laboratories to meet regulatory and accrediting agencies requirements, improve quality, patient safety and cost effectiveness. Serves as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the SCAL clinical laboratories.

• Helps to plan and lead an effective region-wide laboratory service regulatory and accreditation compliance system.  Helps lead and facilitates the improvement and standardization of laboratory services and processes to improve quality, patient safety, compliance and cost effectiveness.
• Leads and facilitates SCAL Laboratory Workgroups under the direction of the Laboratory Operations Committee and Laboratory Operations Directors. Standardizes policies, processes, and procedures for all SCAL Area laboratories to meet regulatory and accrediting agencies requirements. Supports implementation of new tests and technologies.
• Serves as an expert resource for information and interpretation of regulatory and accrediting agencies requirements including reviewing legislation proposals.  Leads in the planning, development, implementation and monitoring of quality assessments (quality indicators) to ensure regulatory compliance and quality improvement.
• Conducts internal surveys of all SCAL laboratories to ensure compliance and monitors corrective action plans as needed.  Assists with external surveys by SCAL Laboratories as needed.
• Develops and conducts as needed in-service training program for laboratory quality and compliance. Offers consultation to laboratory medical directors and pathologists who have oversight responsibilities in technical matters. Coordinates region-wide laboratory related issues and projects such as supplier contracts, quality, and services/products recalls.
• Partners with Regional Accreditation, Regulation and Licensing (AR&L) and Regional Quality & Risk Management on matters related to regulatory and quality affairs. Serves as a back-up to Regional Director of Laboratory Quality and Compliance on regulatory affairs as needed.
• Participates in committees, meetings, seminars to keep informed of new technologies and regulatory changes.
• Participates in vendor training to maintain expertise on new laboratory system. Provides guidance on the integration of new systems with laboratory workflows.