The Shadow
Hot Springs, Va. — Bath Community Hospital is proud to announce that its laboratory recently completed its COLA inspection with zero citations, reflecting the department’s continued commitment to accuracy, quality, and patient safety.
COLA is a national laboratory accreditation organization whose standards help laboratories meet Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and other regulatory requirements. Accreditation is awarded to laboratories that demonstrate high standards for quality, patient safety, proficiency testing and day-to-day laboratory operations. During the inspection, more than 200 standards are reviewed, including laboratory procedures, documentation, testing processes, quality control, personnel qualifications and patient safety practices.
Achieving zero citations reflects the exceptional work performed each day by the Bath Community Hospital laboratory team and its dedication to maintaining the highest standards of care.
Bath Community Hospital is home to a full-service, CLIA-certified and COLA-accredited laboratory that uses modern instrumentation and technology to provide a broad range of testing services. These include hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation, urinalysis, bacteriology, transfusion medicine, drugs of abuse screening, and breath alcohol analysis.
The laboratory is staffed by certified medical technologists and technicians and provides support to BCH patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Laboratory testing plays an important role in helping providers diagnose conditions, monitor health, and guide treatment decisions. Bath Community Hospital’s laboratory also provides laboratory services for all Bath Community Physicians Group practices, supporting patients and providers across the organization with convenient access to testing close to home.
“Achieving zero citations is a reflection of the care, attention to detail, and commitment our laboratory team brings to their work every day,” said Michele Kenny, BSMT(ASCP), Laboratory Director. “Our patients and providers depend on accurate, timely results, and I am incredibly proud of our team for consistently upholding the standards that make that possible.”
Bath Community Hospital congratulates the entire laboratory team on this achievement and appreciates their continued commitment to providing dependable, accessible laboratory services to the community.
Accessing Laboratory Services
No appointment is necessary for laboratory services at Bath Community Hospital. Patients are seen on a walk-in, first-come, first-served basis and are encouraged to visit between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., during regular registration hours. Wait times are typically minimal.
Patients may bring a paper laboratory order to Bath Community Hospital or have their healthcare provider fax the order directly to BCH Hospital Registration. Bath Community Hospital’s laboratory also provides laboratory services for all Bath Community Physicians Group practices. For more information, call 866-839-7000 or visit bathhospital.org.
About Bath Community Hospital
Established in 1916, Bath Community Hospital is a 25-bed, not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital located in Hot Springs, Virginia, in Bath County. Bath Community Hospital provides twenty-four-hour emergency services and a select range of diagnostic services, rehabilitative services, pharmacy, general surgery, wellness center, rural health, and specialty clinics.
About COLA
COLA, Inc. is a national laboratory accreditor dedicated to promoting health and patient safety through accreditation and education. COLA has been granted deemed status by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide laboratory accreditation and evaluates laboratories for compliance with CLIA requirements and nationally recognized quality standards.
