Hats off to the team at Memorial Hospital of Gardena for passing the College of American Pathology’s recent survey of the Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) lab.
The survey was conducted on Sept. 26. Passing means that the lab is meeting all regulatory standards and all the tests reported are valid and reliable for optimal patient care.
“When all the paperwork is completed and submitted, our accreditation will be for two years,” said Denise Anderson, director of cardiopulmonary services. “I’m really proud of the team who assisted me and ensured a successful survey.”
Anderson singled out two team members for their contributions to the lab’s survey success.
“Patricia Westenberg is a lead respiratory care practitioner, and her expertise in accessing the EMR and computer systems, as well as her experience in regulatory surveys, helped with our survey process,” Anderson said.
Westenberg has been with the Gardena hospital for 30 years.
Another staff member, Axel Marroquin, lead respiratory care practitioner, is credited with leading the reorganization of the ABG lab documentation to include quality control, skills, competencies, orientation, proficiency testing and machine maintenance. He has been with the hospital for 14 years.
“Axel’s reorganization allowed me to navigate smoothly through the survey process, addressing documentation requests with ease,” Anderson said.
According to hospital CEO Victor Carrasco, teamwork paid off.
“This survey success is an example of our staff’s focus on quality and their work as a team to ensure we’re providing quality patient care,” he said.
10.18.2023