Live Webinar | May 21, 2026
Accelerating Stroke Care: Lessons from a High‑Volume Health System
In this webinar, we will explore how WakeMed transformed its stroke care processes through interdisciplinary collaboration, EMS integration, and workflow optimization to improve efficiency, meet accreditation standards, and enhance patient outcomes. (1 credit)
- Thursday, May 21, 2026
- 1:00 PM EST / 12:00 PM CST
- 1 hour
- 1 credit
- Supported by Beckman Coulter
- Free
Summary
This webinar will highlight WakeMed’s decade-long transformation of its stroke care processes, focusing on how interdisciplinary collaboration, EMS integration, laboratory workflow redesign, and automation enabled the system to improve turnaround times, standardize pre‑analytical practices, and meet rigorous accreditation requirements from organizations such as The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association. Using real-world examples from high-volume emergency and laboratory environments, the session will demonstrate how targeted operational changes and continuous quality monitoring can enhance stroke care efficiency, regulatory compliance, and ultimately patient outcomes.
Learning Objectives
- Describe how laboratory operations contribute to timely and effective acute stroke care within an interdisciplinary emergency department setting.
- Identify key workflow elements, from pre‑analytical collection to result reporting, that influence laboratory turnaround times for stroke-related testing.
- Explain how systemwide process improvements and collaboration with EMS and clinical partners support compliance with national stroke accreditation standards.
Presented by
Megan Elmblad, MPH, MLT(ASCP)CMMCM
Lab Manager,
WakeMed Health and Hospitals
Megan L. Elmblad is a highly experienced laboratory professional with over 11 years in clinical laboratory management and operations. Currently, she serves as the Lab Manager for the Core Lab at WakeMed Health and Hospitals, where she oversees comprehensive lab operations, manages budgets, and ensures regulatory compliance.
Certified as a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT(ASCP)CM), a Technologist in Microbiology (M (ASCP)CM), and a CAP Inspector, Megan brings extensive expertise in all core laboratory disciplines, microbiology, molecular diagnostics, and quality assurance. Megan holds a Master of Public Health, an A.S. in Clinical Laboratory Science, and a B.S. in Biology, complementing her practical experience with a robust academic foundation.
Supported in part through an unrestricted educational grant by:
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Endeavor Business Media is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program.