Increasing Access to Skilled Labor for Clinical Testing Labs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70 percent of medical decisions are made based on lab test results. However, the sheer volume of tests—over 13 billion diagnostic tests conducted annually in approximately 250,000 certified clinical labs—introduces the risk of diagnostic error. According to a 2014 report in BMJ Quality and Safety, around 12 million adults in the United States experience outpatient diagnostic errors each year, half of which are potentially harmful. These statistics emphasize why clinical labs must prioritize safety, efficiency, and accuracy throughout their processes. 

Testing labs face numerous challenges, including competition from large corporations and the rise of direct-to-consumer testing models. Additionally, some labs have their own collection sites, which provides them with a competitive advantage over those dependent on outsourcing skilled labor for specimen collection. This reliance introduces significant time and resource costs, accounting for 60 to 70 percent of a clinical lab’s total expense budget, making cost minimization difficult. Furthermore, sourcing skilled labor is complicated by strict compliance standards.

Clinical labs are turning to innovative solutions to navigate these challenges, including a connectivity platform from My One Medical Source® (MOMS). By leveraging a platform that prioritizes compliance, convenience, and quality control, users can simplify access to skilled labor and transform their workflows. This approach allows clinical labs to focus on delivering accurate and timely results, ultimately enhancing their ability to support high-quality patient care.

Ensuring compliance

Compliance within a clinical lab is governed by numerous regulations, including Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA). Stark Law, for instance, prohibits physicians from referring patients to entities they have a financial relationship with for certain health services paid for by Medicare, including clinical lab services. 

This law creates challenges when forming partnerships and finding skilled labor, as companies can’t partner with anyone in a position to refer their test. “There are certain labs we can’t partner with for a variety of reasons, like [labs that are] physician-owned or considered competitors . . . We also can’t, for example, hire a mobile phlebotomist who works in our clinic because it would result in double dipping. That clinic is getting paid via Natera, and then we’d also be paying them separately to draw,” explained a business operations manager at Natera. 

To navigate these regulations and expand its testing network, Natera partnered with a connectivity platform, which acts as a mediator, enabling access to a broader range of providers. “We are contracted with MOMS, not with the vendor . . . This allows us access to way more providers than we otherwise would if we needed to get an agreement with the vendor directly,” said the business operations manager. By partnering with a third-party service, clinical testing labs can enhance compliance and expand their operations.

Boosting convenience and operational efficiency

Convenience and efficiency are fundamental for sustaining clinical testing lab activities in an increasingly competitive field. Efficient operations help labs maximize limited resources, reduce turnaround times for test results, and minimize the potential for error, which is critical for patient care and the lab’s reputation. 

Integrating a connectivity platform that connects clinical labs with skilled labor can simplify specimen collection workflows and reduce time and resource investments in administrative tasks. “Invoicing is a challenge for a lot of test sites. I often get emails from them after our accounting team has paid since they didn’t reconcile the invoice on their end. Now MOMS handles our invoicing, so when a patient goes for a lab test, our account gets charged directly, taking that burden off our plate,” shared Natera’s business operations manager. “[Overall] they take on a huge list of things that I used to have to do manually . . . which frees me up to do [a lot of] other things.” This shift allows labs to allocate their attention and resources better, boosting productivity. 

Prioritizing quality control

Although clinical labs work under strict regulations, mistakes can still happen. In a clinical lab, diagnostic error—a delayed, wrong, or missed diagnosis—can stem from several issues, such as false positives and negatives, technological malfunctions, improper sample handling, delays in reporting, and misinterpretation of results by the clinician. While often beyond the control of lab personnel, these errors can result in unnecessary costs and other serious consequences ranging from misdiagnosis and exacerbated conditions to, in the worst cases, death. A 2019 study published in BMJ found that around six percent of patients across medical care settings are exposed to preventable harm, with 12 percent of these cases leading to prolonged, permanent disability or death.

A critical tool for reducing error rates is investing in or upgrading lab quality practices aimed at improving the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of test results. While this can be a cost-prohibitive process, the cost of not investing in quality control can be much higher. One way to improve these processes is with a robust Quality Management System (QMS). A QMS provides a comprehensive framework to provide consistent quality in test results. For clinical testing labs, this should be established throughout all workflows, from specimen handling to instrument performance validation. Additionally, labs must maintain detailed records, critically evaluate data, and perform internal audits to ensure SOP compliance. Overall, implementing a quality control system can help labs reduce errors, meet client expectations, and align with compliance regulations. 

A quality-driven connectivity platform can further support labs in enhancing their quality control processes. Such systems manage data to facilitate report generation and maintain high-quality standards throughout specimen collection, ensuring testing sites are fully equipped for proper collection, processing, and preparation. “With MOMS, I can see a detailed report of patient information, the kit code, [and more],” explained the business operations manager at Natera. “Before, we weren’t tracking that information because sometimes, like with patient walk-ins, [testing] labs weren’t getting the proper information. Now, patients have to make an appointment in the MOMS portal, which lets us capture all the [necessary] information.” This advanced data management process provides comprehensive information capture and streamlines sample handling, directly contributing to the goal of bolstering quality control within the clinical lab environment. 

How MOMS helps clinical testing labs

MOMS is an innovative platform that empowers clinical labs to connect with a skilled labor network consisting of brick-and-mortar draw solutions and mobile phlebotomy providers, known as the MAPs: Medical Access Points/Providers™ network. This new model provides a greater patient reach for clinical labs and ensures the delivery of high-quality services. 

The MOMS network spans over 1,400 active MAPs, spread across all 50 states and 100 of the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas, and continues to grow. This facilitates the formation of compliant, convenient, and mutually beneficial relationships between labs/clients and MAPs in the MOMS network. Such widespread access streamlines the specimen collection process and contributes to the growth and scalability of clinical labs, which positively impacts the healthcare system. 

A standout feature of the MOMS platform is its capacity to automate several time-consuming administrative tasks, such as managing agreements, fees, scheduling, and reporting. By alleviating these administrative burdens, MOMS reduces lab workloads and lessens the costs and resources required, marking a significant step forward in streamlining clinical lab operations. 

To learn more, visit myonemedicalsource.com