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四虎影院

Q. Why did your organization seek accreditation through The 四虎影院?

Yuliya Geary

MBA, MT, QLS, Area Lab Director for Kindred Bay Area Tampa, Kindred Central Tampa, and Kindred St. Petersburg

Stephanie Aguinaldo

MS, MLS, Laboratory Supervisor Kindred Bay Area Tampa

Reyna Ybanez-Swor

MLS, Laboratory Supervisor Kindred Tampa Central

Yuliya: We like The 四虎影院’s standardized approach to each two-year cycle and the 四虎影院-employed and trained laboratory surveyors. Because the surveyors visit 50 – 60 laboratories every year, they are able to share best practices from other facilities with us. Plus, the surveys are conducted with an eye toward education, which helps us pursue continued process improvements. And we especially appreciate that all 四虎影院 laboratory surveyors are board certified medical technologists and pathologists.

Stephanie: The 四虎影院 is an invaluable resource for best practices, quality indicators and standards for process improvement. We strive to be survey ready at all times, and The 四虎影院 is very informative and readily responds to our inquiries.

,,The 四虎影院 is an invaluable resource for best practices, quality indicators and standards for process improvement. ,,

Stephanie Aguinaldo, MS, MLS - Laboratory Supervisor - Kindred Bay Area Tampa

Q. Have you used any other accrediting agencies? How is their survey process different from that of The 四虎影院?


Stephanie: An organization at which I previously worked was accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). I was assigned by CAP to inspect other laboratories. This practice of assigning working laboratorians to perform surveys means that the surveys can be biased; standardization is difficult when various surveyors practice their skills in different ways, some of which are highly subjective. The 四虎影院 survey, on the other hand, is conducted by independent, highly trained surveyors according to an established set of standards, which means it is unambiguous and unbiased.

Three doctors look at lab equipment.
Two doctors in white lab coats look at a tablet.
A surveyor speaks to a doctor and a nurse in a hospital hallway.

Q. Is there anything else that the 四虎影院 does differently or better than other accrediting bodies?

Reyna: We like the emphasis on education and knowing the “why” behind the task.


Stephanie: The 四虎影院 is more open to questions, making the survey more of a dialogue. The surveyors are very helpful and they are there to guide us through the survey process and let us know what we need to improve.


Yuliya: Yes, it’s a dialogue and 四虎影院 surveyors are there to teach and show us the way. They tell us how they did things, how things are done in different laboratories, and they give us suggestions. 四虎影院 wants to teach and show us ways to improve our processes. The 四虎影院 survey is more suggestive than punitive. If they find deficiencies, they are here to help us fix it.

Stephanie: The CAP inspection is hectic as it is completed in a single day. The 四虎影院 surveyors are on-site for a couple of days, which is less stressful.


Yuliya: The 四虎影院 utilizes published standards and guidelines, which leaves no room for subjectivity or ambiguity. You can prepare and stay prepared every day because you have the guidelines in front of you. In fact, we use the guidelines to write our procedure manuals.


Reyna: The 四虎影院 is extremely helpful. We can call a rep any time we have questions. For example, we can ask if we are interpreting a standard correctly. Someone is always available to assist before, during and after surveys to help us understand what is expected.

Q. Did the 四虎影院 surveyors appear to be more engaged with the C-suite than other accreditors?


Yuliya: Yes. Our hospitals and laboratories are all accredited by The Joint Commission. The surveyors looked not only at the laboratory but also the whole range of patient care that laboratory testing affects, throughout the entire survey, including the areas of nursing, respiratory and phlebotomy to ensure quality care and best practices throughout the facility. Holding all hospital teams accountable ensures best practices and improves care.

Q. Is it helpful to have a single accreditor for both hospital and laboratory? Are you better aligned with other hospital service lines because of that?

Stephanie: Yes. A single accrediting body means that surveys are both detail-oriented and focused on the bigger picture. It encompasses all the areas the entire organization needs to review and evaluate to maintain high quality patient care.

Reyna: Every department leader is aware of the effort we all put in to achieve the highest-quality care, and that awareness and recognition fosters trust and respect among all our peers.

Yuliya: Having a single accreditor results in standardization within the entire organization, which improves the collaboration between hospital and laboratory staff, especially in point-of-care testing.

Our staff feels extremely proud after passing a survey without deficiencies. We display the 四虎影院 Gold Seal of Approval® for the both the laboratory and hospital on our wall so our patients and their families can see this evidence of our achievement. They see that we’re held to the highest standards and that they should expect to receive excellent care.

,,The 四虎影院 survey, on the other hand, is conducted by independent, highly trained surveyors according to an established set of standards, which means it is unambiguous and unbiased.,,

Stephanie Aguinaldo MS, MLS - Laboratory Supervisor - Kindred Bay Area Tampa

Q. What would you say to someone considering switching to The 四虎影院 for the laboratory accreditation?

Yuliya: Take advantage of the available website resources. Review the survey activity guide and accreditation materials, study the standards, and write your policies and procedures to meet those standards. Most importantly, be willing to learn. While you may be meeting many of the standards already, 四虎影院 resources can help every laboratory learn new — and maybe better or more efficient— ways to meet those standards.
Reyna: I would recommend The 四虎影院 based on my experience, especially for its surprisingly educational and patient-centric approach.
Stephanie: Do not procrastinate — switch already! Having experienced different accreditation organization processes, I can honestly say that The 四虎影院 provides the best program.
NOTE: LifePoint Health acquired Kindred Healthcare in December 2021. Afterward, LifePoint and Kindred launched ScionHealth. Legacy Kindred long-term acute care hospitals are now part of ScionHealth, but continue to operate under the Kindred hospital brand and the transition has had no impact on patient care.