Physician Office Laboratory Evaluation
Program (POLEP) - In the News
Lead Poisoning Prevention Awareness Stressed by Health Commissioner Daines (June 2009)
The Health Department is committed to advancing Governor Paterson's new initiatives to eliminate childhood lead poisoning. The Department has updated lead poisoning prevention regulations and issued good laboratory practice guidelines for health care providers using point-of-care waived lead screening devices in physician office laboratories (POLs). A pamphlet explaining the meaning of blood lead test results to practitioner’s patients is also available for copying and use within your practice. More information about lead poisoning and prevention can be found Department’s Lead website.
Access to blood lead testing has potential to expand greatly with the availability to health care providers of point-of-care devices for use in POLs. The Department has issued a standards of practice document outlining good laboratory practices for blood lead screening using waived devices and strongly recommends that all POLs performing lead screenings review and implement these guidelines to ensure accurate and reliable lead screening results.
Medicaid reimbursement for blood lead screenings performed in POLs will commence on September 1, 2009. At that time, POLs seeking reimbursement from Medicaid for in-office lead screening tests will be required to implement the practices outlined in the guidance document as a condition for reimbursement. Further information on reimbursement from Medicaid is available on the NYS Department of Health’s Medicaid Update webpage.