WOOSTER COMMUNITY HOSPITAL JOB DESCRIPTION

Manager, Laboratory Services

MAIN FUNCTION:

The Laboratory Manager must work in conjunction with the Laboratory Administrative Director and under the direction Medical Director to ensure compliance with CLIA, CAP, DNV and CMS and to accomplish department responsibilities and goals. Is accountable for creating and maintaining a process which cultivates the participation of the team in the assessment, planning and implementation of a high quality and reliable laboratory. Daily, the Manager must supervise all technical and non-technical Laboratory staff and create and/or approve work schedules for all Laboratory Service employees. Assists in the evaluation of and completion of Performance Appraisals for Laboratory employees. The Manager participates in the fiscal management of the department as requested and acts as Administrative Director in the absence of the Director. Oversees the Laboratory Computer System including the Chargemaster system and assures smooth operation of laboratory registration, billing, test coding, and report processing. Works as a collaborative team member with revenue cycle to ensure optimization of charge revenue and responsible for assuring compliance with all applicable laboratory billing and coding laws.

RESPONSIBLE TO: Director, Laboratory Services

MUST HAVE REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a chemical, physical, biological, or clinical laboratory science or Medical Technology from an accredited institution (or the equivalent experience in a laboratory as deemed appropriate by ASCP or CLIA criteria).

• Board Certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) or equivalent registry such as AMT or NAACLS.

• Minimum of five years experience in the clinical laboratory.

• Basic computer skills.

• No written disciplinary action within the last 12 months.

PREFERRED ATTRIBUTES:

• Previous supervisory experience.

• Prior work experience in a clinical laboratory setting, including recent experience in multiple areas.

• Familiarity with DNV-GL and CAP accreditation.

• Experience in Performance and Process improvement such as DMAIC and/or Lean Methodologies

• Exposure to Meditech hospital information system

• Computer skills in Microsoft products such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Employee in this position may be exposed to blood, body fluids and/or airborne pathogens and is required to wear personal protective equipment.

• Employees in this position must be able to push, pull, lift, carry, turn, crouch, and bend as necessary to complete laboratory tasks.

POSITION EXPECTATIONS: All expectations detailed below are considered ADA (American Disabilities Act) essential.

Leadership

• Demonstrates support of employee involvement through reward and recognition activities, both formal and informal, on a hospital wide and unit level (e-mails, gain sharing, etc.) Seeks out innovative ways to recognize and encourage staff
• Promotes team building with staff and other departments
• Responds to change productively, promotes enthusiasm for change
• Role models professional Laboratory practice and behavior
• Demonstrates conflict resolution skills
• Maintains awareness of professional standards for Laboratory, ongoing health care policies and economics, maintains awareness of future trends and implications of research for improving nursing practice
• Demonstrates clinical expertise in daily operations and role modeling for staff
• Participates on assigned teams & / or committees: unit, departmental and hospital based
• Demonstrates initiative and responsibility to develop personal, leadership and professional goals/objectives and determines methods to meet these goals and objectives

Communication

In conjunction with the Director:

• Maintains awareness of verbal / nonverbal communication in interactions with staff, other departments, physicians, patients, families and students
• Collaborates and communicates effectively with all members of the health care team; shares information to ensure staff, physicians, and affected areas are aware of departmental changes
• Maintains patient, staff and hospital confidentiality in all communication interactions: written, verbal, electronic and digital
• Demonstrates ability to initiate and manage crucial conversations and coach leadership team/staff in same; resolves and manages conflict
• Makes department and patient rounds frequently to keep channels of communication open. Gives appropriate feedback in a timely manner to questions and concerns.
• Acts as a liaison between personnel, Administration, and the Medical Staff.
• Monitors and promotes good relations with other departments and coordinates the activities of the Laboratory with other departments as needed for high quality patient care.
• Maintains and promotes good personnel relations and handles inquiries and problems arising from departmental personnel.
• Demonstrates conflict resolution skills. Mentors Technical Specialists and staff in development of communication and conflict resolution skills
• Addresses conflict in a manner that supports team development.
• Conducts and documents staff meetings/communication sessions conjunction with Director
• Maintain formal and informal methods of communication of changes in practice, policies, procedures, expectations, performance improvement. Ex: unit bulletin boards, email, Intranet, departmental sites, educational sessions.
• Facilitates staff debriefing after significant critical event
• Interacts with clinical students in positive, productive manner
• In conjunction with the department manager develops, implements, and communicates policies and procedures which effectively meet regulatory, human resources, quality and risk management requirements

Operations

• Acts as the Laboratory Director in the absence of the Laboratory Director

In coordination with the Director, plans, directs, and coordinates operations of the department:

• Oversees daily flow of the department including scheduling, assessment of departmental needs, and develops methods of communication and monitoring the off-shift activities
• Oversees the continuing education and documentation of continuing education of laboratory staff
• Responsible for ongoing competence assessment of staff and organizing annual competence activities
• Investigates issues of sample integrity or result quality including the follow up of such incidents in Quantros.
• Oversees Technical Specialists to ensure compliance with CAP Checklists/Accreditation.
• Assists in strategic planning and implementing Laboratory goals.
• Performs inspections at other sites (CAP).
• Assists with actively reviewing, maintaining, and in updating laboratory policy and procedure manuals.
• Maintains records of all Meditech and Chargemaster updates. Develops periodic testing of LIS and Chargemaster for functionality and consistency.
• Performs all on-going monitoring of LIS / Chargemaster systems. Acts as a liaison between IS, Revenue Cycle and the Laboratory. Assures that all compliance guidelines are maintained.
• In conjunction with LIS T/S assures compliance and functionality of all instrument interfaces. Works with IS for problem resolution. Builds and maintains all LIS dictionaries for all departments which include: Chemistry, Immunology, Serology, Blood Bank, Molecular, Hematology, Urinalysis, Microbiology, Histology, Pathology and testing menus.
• Serves as a consultant to field questions and concerns from physicians and their office staff
• Work with physician office managers to assure quality control issues regarding specimen handling and patient result reporting, electronic reporting and/or interfaces are working appropriately.
• Oversees ongoing monitoring of quality control results noting trends, shifts or variations from expected ranges. Oversees in the fundamental applications of statistics in QC. Conducts studies, implements projects under direction of the Lab Director to assure continued quality of care.
• Participates in review of lab processes in order to develop process improvement strategies.

Customer Service

• Displays positive attitude. Treats others with honesty and respect. Speaks positively in all customer interactions internal and external.
• Assess customer satisfaction when rounding on patients and use appropriate chain of command for unresolved issues or problems
• Optimize the patient’s experience by reducing the patient and family’s anxiety and increasing the patient’s compliance
• Develop positive relationships with other departments to foster patient satisfaction.
• Intervene with patients /staff using crucial conversation skills in situations in which customer needs have not been met to determine a positive, mutually agreeable resolution
• Assesses customer service by reviewing and responding to patient satisfaction surveys

Staff Development / Professional Growth:

In conjunction with the department director:

• Facilitates the ongoing educational and professional growth opportunities for all employees including employee orientation, PI education and required hospital in-services
• Annual / ongoing competency validation to assure proficiency in performing assigned tasks
• Promotes and monitors staff compliance with hospital expectations. Counsels staff and documents deficiencies, sets improvement objectives, completes follow-up
• Completes assigned performance evaluations within specific time limits
• Facilitates positive student experiences
• Demonstrate professional growth by attending conferences, leading committees / department projects and ongoing educational activities.
• Demonstrates initiative and accepts responsibility for personal / professional growth

• Identifies own learning needs, develops and implements a plan to address those needs
• Seeks guidance / input from peers to identify areas for growth

• Accepts feedback as opportunity for growth
• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of new policies and procedures, practices, changes in practice, and initiatives. Obtains this knowledge via staff meeting attendance, reading of communication, required hospital education, discussion with departmental leadership and peers.

Performance Improvement

In conjunction with the Director:

• Develops unit key measures with input from all employees
• Consistently utilizes PI principles for inter/intra departmental interactions
• Develops tools and collects data as indicated
• Uses data to drive Performance Improvement: able to compile data and present information so that the laboratory team can determine a course of action.
• Initiate/ communicate changes in practice based upon PI data
• Maintain mechanism to inform staff of PI processes and data
• Leads or participates in multidisciplinary PI teams improving WCH processes
• Develop and maintain awareness of DNV, CMS (Centers for Medicare Services) and other required quality and safety measures
• Develop and maintain ongoing understanding of nursing best practices for the types of patients for which care is provided

Revised Dates: 8/21

Approved by Human Resources