What brought you to Cornerstone Diagnostics, and how long have you been here?
At 33, I had reached the level of an administrative director in a hospital setting. A few years later doors opened with our organization and I had the opportunity to pursue a career in a reference laboratory. Which included the chance to help build a laboratory from the ground up. The prospect to obtain additional knowledge in the specialty of toxicology and with LCMS technology intrigued me as well. I have been with Cornerstone Diagnostics for 11 years.
What is your current role and what does a work day look like for you?
Serving as the laboratory administrator is my primary role and responsibility. Much of my time is spent maintaining the laboratory’s accreditations and certifications; as well as staying compliant with the guidelines that each of the accrediting or governing agency sets forth. A significant amount of time is also spent monitoring and ensuring that our quality and turnaround time goals are met and exceeded.
How does the work you do benefit providers and patients?
I offer a service to providers that assists them with custom testing based on their patient’s needs, this custom testing assists the provider in identifying the cause of their patient symptoms and also monitoring their care and recovery. At Cornerstone Diagnostics we ensure that providers have what they need to provide patient-centered care, improving health outcomes and overall public health. We strive to be the most cost effective, least invasive source of objective information used in decision-making by providers. Due to the statistic that “70% of all medical decisions are based on laboratory data and 70% of a patient's medical record is made up of laboratory data,” I know that the benefits that Cornerstone Diagnostics offer are very valuable to both providers and patients.
Is there anything about your role that people might find surprising or unexpected?
I have been working in a clinical laboratory setting for 27 years.
What part of your job do you find the most challenging?
The ever-changing landscape of governmental regulations and reimbursement policies/practices has been the most challenging.
What gives you meaning and purpose in your work?
I enjoy the collaboration with other leaders and stakeholders to set goals for the organization and then planning and working to achieve those goals.