Laboratory Accessioner Supervisor

University of Miami•Miami, FL

About The Position

The Laboratory Accessioner Supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day activities involved with accessioning a variety of requests/samples, usually in pathology and laboratory settings. This includes inquiries, communications, and resolutions of issues with requesting clinics, clients, physicians, and patients. May also serves as a liaison between hospital administration and laboratory staff.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Minimum 3 years of relevant experience
Ability to recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form.
Ability to maintain effective interpersonal relationships.
Ability to effectively plan, delegate and/or supervise the work of others.
Ability to lead, motivate, develop and train others.
Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion.
Ability to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.

Responsibilities

Oversees general administrative support for a clinical lab operation.
Reviews logs and tracks delivery of lab specimens and ensures correct barcodes and labeling are in place.
Manages and responds to laboratory related inquiries and requests for service.
Processes samples as needed according to company SOPs and accessions incoming specimens.
Addresses urgent customer requests and escalates to department leadership for further review and resolution, as needed.
Liaises between internal and external customers including providers, the Site Disease Group, etc.
Resolves complex and unusual issues and communicates solution or requested information to the client.
Verifies completed requisitions are scanned into laboratory information system and discarded per HIPAA compliant guidelines.
Collaborates with providers and clinicians to appropriately schedule appointments considering scheduling guidelines per division/specialty/provider, resource availability, special needs, timeframes, medical necessity, and payer and contractual guidelines.
Assists leadership with the management functions of planning, organizing, controlling, and scheduling for the daily expected volumes.
Monitors patient’s self-pay responsibility including self-pay discount rates, global packages, and previous balances for both technical and professional components, serving a key role in reducing AR, bad debt, and collection costs by collecting patient’s financial responsibility upfront.
Complies and abides with all established UHealth policies and procedures related to pathology, laboratory, and state/ federal regulations.
Oversees the Medicare Secondary Payer Questionnaire (MSPQ) process in accordance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Federal regulations.
Reviews and processes information with discretion, maintaining confidentiality of all laboratory information according to laboratory policy.
Supervises the daily activities of the Laboratory Accessioner personnel.
Seeks feedback from the team and physicians in identifying performance improvement initiatives.
Identifies and maintains accountability and quality control of errors that are identified within workflows.
Adheres to University and unit-level policies and procedures and safeguards University assets.
Bone Marrow Accessioning Operations Supervise all accessioning activities related to bone marrow aspirates, core biopsies, clot sections, touch preps, and ancillary specimens (flow cytometry, cytogenetics, molecular testing). Ensure accurate specimen identification, verification of two patient identifiers, and strict compliance with requirements. Validate proper specimen labeling, container integrity, fixatives, and transport conditions upon receipt. Oversee correct test order entry in the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and CoPath, ensuring alignment between clinical orders and specimen types. Coordinate specimen routing to Hematopathology, Flow Cytometry, Cytogenetics, Molecular Diagnostics, and Histology as required. Monitor and enforce time-sensitive handling requirements for bone marrow specimens to preserve cellular viability. Resolve discrepancies related to missing orders, labeling errors, specimen quantity issues, or collection defects. Serve as the primary escalation point for clinicians, nurses, and procedural areas regarding bone marrow specimen issues.
Anatomical Pathology (AP) Accessioning Oversight Supervise accessioning of surgical pathology, biopsies, resections, cytology specimens, and consult cases. Ensure correct specimen container count, tissue description accuracy, laterality documentation, and fixation verification. Oversee specimen accessioning workflows to ensure proper case numbering, block designation, and slide tracking. Enforce adherence to institutional policies for AP specimen handling. Coordinate specimen prioritization for STAT, rush, cancer, and transplant-related cases. Ensure accurate linking of clinical history, operative notes, and diagnostic questions to the AP case in the CoPath system. Monitor accessioning turnaround times and identify process delays or bottlenecks.
Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance Implement and maintain quality control measures specific to bone marrow and AP accessioning workflows. Lead investigations and corrective actions for specimen mislabeling, near misses, and non-conformances.
Staff Supervision & Training Directly supervise bone marrow and AP accessioning staff, including scheduling, workload distribution, and productivity monitoring. Ensure cross-training to maintain operational coverage and continuity.
LIS & CoPath Data Integrity Management Ensure accurate and timely data entry in the LIS and CoPath, including: Patient demographics Provider information Specimen source and type Test orders and priorities Support downtime procedures and recovery processes.
Interdepartmental & Clinical Coordination Act as liaison between accessioning, Pathologists, Residents/Fellows, Histology, Cytology, Flow, Cytogenetics, and Molecular laboratories. Collaborate with nursing units, procedural suites, ORs, and clinics on accessioning requirements and specimen submission standards. Participate in multidisciplinary meetings related to oncology, hematology, and diagnostic services when accessioning input is required.
Operational Metrics & Continuous Improvement Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs), including: Accessioning turnaround times Error rates Specimen rejection trends Staff productivity