RUSSELL SPRINGS Everyone loves a good comeback story. Many patients making their own triumphant return from pain, addiction, or depression can immediately relate, and as their trusted physicians guiding them on the path of healing, you can most certainly sympathize: recovery can be arduous, but victory over trial is so sweet.
PremierTox Laboratory – a CAP-accredited, toxicology reference laboratory in Russell Springs, Ky. – is no stranger to turning wounds into wisdom since we made the local news a few years back for missteps by former leadership that ultimately led to a total overhaul of our business operations – including a complete change of ownership and management. Now, through a renewed commitment to quality testing processes, integrity in billing, and keeping our promises: PremierTox is back.
Plotting a New Course
When I became president of PremierTox Laboratory, we had inherited the seemingly impossible. But truly, this team, by the grace of God, has overcome what would have sunk any lesser company, any lesser lab. I couldn’t be prouder of where we are now.
PremierTox’s journey comes right out of any experienced clinician’s playbook for recovery: getting back to the basics, fixing pain points with better processes, and bringing on the needed expertise to facilitate positive change.
For the last couple years, the long road of recovery meant looking inward first; developing in-house solutions for monitoring testing quality and timely results in the lab; bringing on exceptionally qualified expertise – including a chief laboratory officer, compliance officer, and new sales, billing, and operations leadership; and developing proprietary testing options that meet or exceed the standards put forth by Medicare/Medicaid. Ultimately, all this hard work culminated in national accreditation by CAP (College of American Pathologists) earlier this year, solidifying our standing amongst worldwide elite laboratories. We’ve worked hard, and CAP accreditation is an endorsement of the impeccable quality of our services, our people, our integrity, and our highest standard of care for patients.
It is a belief echoed by our Chief Laboratory Officer James E. Meeker, PhD, who says, “Physicians, especially in this region, are hard hit by prescription drug abuse and need accurate drug tests in the shortest time possible to make the right decisions for the best possible outcomes. CAP accreditation reflects the intense attention our dedicated team gives every test, every detail. At PremierTox, it’s always more than a test result to us: it’s a patient; it’s the physician’s practice on the line. We’re focused on keeping promises to our customers.”
Testing That Helps Improve Outcomes
PremierTox provides drugs of abuse testing services that help clinicians personalize medication therapy and treatment monitoring to improve patient outcomes. Powerful, addictive medications that are often vital for adequate treatment, potentially deadly drug-drug interactions, and rampant illicit drug use in their communities are just a few of the reasons providers are finding themselves reluctantly on the front lines for identifying prescription abuse or diversion. Monitoring controlled drugs throughout the course of therapy with PremierTox testing services not only helps clinicians enhance medication therapy, but provides objective, clinically actionable data to inform their decision-making.
Industry-Leading Services
CAP accreditation reflects the quality of our testing and proven accuracy. In addition to trusted results, PremierTox has been winning over providers in the region with our testing speed and reduced cost to the patient. By getting results to our customers fast – typically the next business day – I believe that PremierTox equips providers in Kentucky and beyond with the information they need, when they need it. With all that’s going on in this area with drug misuse, having to wait three-to-five days for a complete toxicology result is often an inconvenience that physicians can’t accept these days. With PremierTox, you can rest assured that accurate results will be delivered quickly, at a low cost that isn’t a burden to your patients or the already financially strained healthcare system.
Clinicians Are Not Alone
For many providers in our region, just knowing they have a partner in a local lab that’s been through it all, with wisdom from hard-fought experience, is often what makes the greatest difference. After all, recovery from any bottom isn’t a solo act; PremierTox intends on helping many more Kentucky patients in their own comeback story.
Please contact me if I can be of service to you.
Steven Klipp is president of PremierTox Laboratory. He can be reached at 877.412.8330.