Before starting an in-house laboratory, the first question should be, “will it be cost-effective?” Healthquest performs a broad analysis that takes physical space, staff needs, and the anticipated test menu and test volume into consideration. A comprehensive cost analysis is performed for each proposed test to ensure the test is appropriate for the laboratory. Reimbursement revenue is estimated based upon the insurance mix of the current patient population. Each test study concludes with a summary of revenue and expenses and a profitability estimate.
The Laboratory Management Solution
It is no secret that providing office-based testing is a proven way to streamline the patient experience and supplement your practice with increased profitability. But the difficulties in running your own office-based laboratory can mount quickly, leaving your practice vulnerable to unnecessary scrutiny.
Healthquest Laboratory Management is a fully integrated office-based laboratory operated and managed by Healthquest at the specific direction of the physician partners. More than just equipment and supplies, Healthquest provides all the services necessary to run a successful laboratory. This includes analyzers, supplies, personnel, coding & reimbursement training, compliance tracking, quality assurance monitoring.
Our Laboratory Management services allow physician practices to expand their ancillary services quickly without any upfront capital investment or extended financial commitments.
Laboratory concept to laboratory operation is a four-step process –
Remote, At-Home And Managed Testing Programs For All Your Needs
Customized Feasibility Analysis
- Comprehensive analysis of current test volume, payer mix, patient base and space availability.
- Equipment needs and staffing levels are determined based on the feasibility analysis.
Equipment and Laboratory Design
- Healthquest recommends a suitable location for the lab and the lab space is designed based on the data from the feasibility analysis and the needs of the practice.
- The Healthquest team ensures a smooth start-up phase of equipment validation, calibration, and implementation.
Setup, Implementation and Operation
- Healthquest begins to recruit, train, and ultimately employ the appropriate lab staff.
- Healthquest experts will coordinate the entire licensing and inspection process to ensure total regulatory compliance.
- Healthquest provides on-site consultation and training for the group’s billing department.
- Once the lab begins operation, Healthquest invoices the group semi-monthly on a simple fee-per-test basis. There are no other operational costs from Healthquest.
Ongoing Support and Guidance
- Healthquest continually monitors lab operations to ensure the needs of the practice are being met.
- Healthquest maintains all equipment and reagent costs that are included in the fee-per-test invoicing.
- To ensure that lab downtime is minimized, Healthquest will provide temporary staffing should the assigned staff become unavailable for any reason.
- Group staff training on specimen collection and handling, safety or HIPAA is available from Healthquest at any time.
Successful Laboratory Management Solutions
Successful labs are run by knowledgeable and experienced professionals. To set up a successful lab, seeking guidance from people with experience in the industry is crucial. From initial setup and validations to business operations, our team of experts offer laboratory management solutions that guide our clients and deliver peace of mind to their laboratory operations.
From laboratory build-out and test validations to testing your first specimen and beyond, put our experience in successfully managing 200+ labs across the country to work for you with our laboratory management services. Look below to see for yourself our successes and the experience we offer.
Here's What We Offer
Accreditation is not an easy process; it was not meant to be. Healthquest will help physicians and their staff better understand the accreditation process, especially the accreditation standards, as well as to interpret the intent of standards with recommended strategy.
Let Healthquest expedite the often-lengthy application process – we will complete all the necessary forms and expedite its path through the appropriate Federal and State Department of Health offices.
Procedure manuals are required by CLIA and state agencies. They convey vital information for staff training, producing reliable test results, and achieving an efficient operation. Laboratory Manuals written by Healthquest have been inspected by numerous regulating and accrediting agencies and have been praised for their simplicity and effectiveness. All Healthquest Quality and Operating System Manuals are copyrighted and are designed for use by both technical and non-technical personnel.
Finding the right personnel with the appropriate licenses and qualifications is challenging at best, mind-numbingly frustrating at worst. Healthquest has an extensive network of medical technologists, billers, lab assistants, and even pathologists, so. Healthquest will review résumés and screen applicants to find the individual(s) with the appropriate experience to meet the needs of the client. We can either conduct or monitor the interview process, as desired.
Healthquest provides initial training upon hiring new staff members and supplemental training when new test systems are added. Most test equipment vendors provide initial training for their systems but provide no on-going training as new personnel are hired. Proper training helps integrate the employee into the lab operation faster, which usually means less down time and greater productivity. Routine competency assessments are also included as part of the program.
New CLIA regulations took effect April 24, 2003. Even labs performing moderate complexity testing must show the accuracy, precision, and reportable range for each method plus establish or verify reference ranges for its own patient population. Healthquest guides our clients through this tangled, bureaucratic process, providing peace of mind and inspection-ready documentation.
CLIA and most states agencies require laboratories performing any non-waived testing to maintain a comprehensive Quality Assessment Plan. In this patient-centered approach, it is critically important that all lab results reliably measure what they are intended to measure. A well-written QA Plan provides the laboratory a road map to continually improving the overall quality and efficiency of the laboratory’s services. The Healthquest Quality Assessment Program assures accurate, reliable, and prompt performance of tests and test results.
With years of experience behind you, your business should be running like a well-oiled machine, right? That is not always the case. As a laboratory continues to grow, it is easy to get tied up in the day-to-day activities then forget to step back and take a financial snapshot of how the laboratory is functioning. The contracts and expenses that affect the critical areas of the laboratory should be reviewed to assess where changes and improvements can be made. Healthquest focuses on seven key review areas that every laboratory should address at least once a year.
As new regulations crop up, we will be there to walk you through the changes and ensure compliance. We will advise you on the most effective method of meeting new regulations without complicating systems that are already in place. Healthquest will perform a pre-inspection as your regulatory inspection draws near. We will compile a list of possible deficiencies and help to correct them when possible.
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