With the multitude of waived tests available today and the growing number of Certificate of Waiver (COW) laboratories, it is no surprise that there may be some concern about the quality and patient safety related to waived tests.
That is why COLA, a national laboratory accreditor dedicated to quality in laboratory medicine and patient care, has announced the development of a new waived toolkit with guidance on COVID-19 test reporting requirements.
Healthcare workers have complex and diverse responsibilities and dedicated, well-intentioned workers may be at risk of developing poor habits when it comes to the performance of waived tests. Staff turnover, pre-analytical errors, insufficient training and a lack of understanding of the manufacturer package inserts are factors that could cumulatively lead to inaccurate waived test results.
COLA’s Waived Testing Toolkit provides guidance and tools to help staff achieve and maintain waived testing excellence. It includes regulatory information, resources, procedure templates, and documentation templates to help you stay in compliance with best practices. The Waived Testing Toolkit also comes with a self-assessment to periodically audit compliance with quality methods and manufacturer requirements.
“Since the original nine waived test systems were named in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA ’88), the number of laboratory tests that have been classified as waived has grown significantly to more than 100, through one or more waived systems, and is still growing,” said Nancy Stratton, CEO of COLA. “While these advances in technology have the potential to save time, expense and improve access to essential testing, there may be concerns about the quality and reliability of the waived testing that is now being performed in more than 200,000 COW laboratories.”
The COLA Waived Testing Toolkit is offered in three different ways:
· Waived Testing – Best Practices for Quality Results is an eight-video course with 2.0 P.A.C.E.® credits.
· Administrative Access comes with a waived manual that includes a laboratory self-assessment, procedures and log sheets to facilitate quality care and minimize costly waste.
· All-Access option comes with both the course and the waived manual, laboratory self-assessment, procedures and log sheets.
COLA’s Waived Testing Toolkit provides tips for producing accurate and reliable test results. Developed by laboratory medicine experts, it addresses the needs of diverse roles and disciplines in healthcare settings. This training resource uses a nimble, succinct methodology to meet the needs of urgent care centers, pharmacies, clinics, nursing homes, home health agencies, and more.