Loma Linda University
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What prompted you to accredit your lab initially?
Our EMG lab is located in a large academic medical center in the Inland Empire (in the Southeastern portion of Southern California, which borders Los Angeles County to the West). The goal of our EMG laboratory is to demonstrate clinical excellence. Our main lab at Loma Linda University Healthcare and satellite lab at Riverside University Medical Center are the only ABEM accredited labs covering a large catchment area with patients often traveling 1-3 hours to be seen at our facility as we are their nearest accredited lab. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for our patients and our lab performs high quality and complex studies for accurate and precise electrodiagnostic assessments whilst providing excellent training for our residents and fellows.
What value or benefits have you seen from accreditation?
By pursuing accreditation, we have implemented higher quality improvement assessments, staff training, and reassessment of protocols and reports based on AANEM publications. This ensures we promote exemplary electrodiagnostic assessments and patient care that reflects our organizational mission. We believe our reputation as a high quality electrodiagnostic laboratory is enhanced by our AANEM accreditation and as a result we have patients travel across the state and out-of-state for EMG studies and comprehensive neuromuscular diagnostic care and treatment.
How did going through the accreditation process help you shore up or improve processes and procedures?
Due to the accreditation process, we have developed continual quality improvement assessments. Our electrodiagnostic faculty meet twice weekly with our residents and fellows whereby we review electrodiagnostic criteria, electrodiagnostic cases, internally review provider EMG reports, and adjust electrodiagnostic assessments and reports to reflect the most recent AANEM guidelines/recommendations.
What did you learn by going through the accreditation process?
The accreditation process has demonstrated the importance of having high quality, consistent, and reliable standards to electrodiagnostic assessments and reports.
What was the most challenging portion of the application?
It was initially a bit time-consuming to find our organization’s policies related to fire, power, disaster response, electrical, etc. The same relates to consolidating each EMGers training and licensing numbers into a single document. However, once these were consolidated they are only updated during re-accreditation and it is an essential exercise.
Why should others accredit their laboratory?
The AANEM laboratory standards ensure that labs meet the proper standards for quality electrodiagnostic studies, including proper education and supervision, verifying safety policies and standards, ensuring equipment standards, consistent record holding, and ensuring accurate and reporting of electrodiagnostic studies. As a result, this promotes excellent and consistent standard of care for electrodiagnostic assessments, and ensure both local and national recognition for electrodiagnostic assessments.
