Southwest Regional Medical Center Laboratory Awarded Accreditation

WAYNESBURG, PA – Accreditation for a hospital is like receiving a seal of approval. Southwest Regional Medical Center was recently accredited by The Joint Commission, and just a short time later, the laboratory made an equally important announcement.

On June 16, the lab was accredited by the College of American Pathologists. According to laboratory director Kimberly Swinchock, CAP accreditation is an important process to undergo. “CAP sets standards of excellence that recognize hospitals that provide exceptional quality,” said Swinchock. “It shows our patients they are receiving the highest quality of results and care.”

The accreditation program helps advance the quality of pathology and laboratory services through education and standard setting. It improves patient safety by ensuring laboratories meet or exceed regulatory requirements, and also advances laboratory practice excellence.

The lab encompasses many departments, including hematology, chemistry, transfusion medicine, hemostasis, microbiology and immunology. All employees and department directors were required to follow the necessary guidelines for CAP accreditation during a six-month time span. “Everyone was given projects and deadlines they had to complete,” said Swinchock. “All employees were given standard checklist questions and were responsible for answering them.” Swinchock met every week with the various department heads, managers and lead phlebotomists to ensure guidelines were followed. “Inspectors check everything to make sure instruments are performing at top standards for our patients,” said Swinchock. According to Swinchock, more insurance companies will recognize the laboratory services because of the CAP accreditation, and the seal of approval shows the community that the laboratory meets the highest standards.

“Because of the high standards of excellence, I would recommend this laboratory to anybody to have their blood work done here,” said a CAP inspector, according to Swinchock. Swinchock said she is very proud of her staff for all their hard work in reaching this benchmark in quality care.

In addition to the CAP accreditation, Southwest Regional also received The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™. The Joint Commission sets the national standards for health care quality and safety. The hospital’s home health agency, Southwestern Home Care, also received accreditation in March.