Date: May 21, 2026 | 1:00 PM EST / 12:00 PM CST
Duration: 1 Hour
Credits: 1
Presenter: Megan Elmblad, MPH, MLT(ASCP)CMMCM
Sponsor: Beckman Coulter
Cost: Free
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
At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- 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.
About the Presenter
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.
Course Includes
- 1 Lesson
- Course Certificate
MLO and Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, IL, are co-sponsors in offering continuing education units (CEUs) for this issue’s CE article. CEUs or contact hours are granted by the College of Health and Human Sciences at Northern Illinois University, which has been approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® program. Continuing education credits awarded for successful completion of this test are acceptable for the ASCP Board of Registry Continuing Competence Recognition Program. Readers who pass the test successfully (scoring 70% or higher) will receive a certificate for 1 contact hour of P.A.C.E.® credit. The fee for this continuing education test is $20. This test was prepared by Amanda Voelker, MPH, MT(ASCP), MLS, Clinical Education Coordinator, School of Health Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Passing scores of 70 percent or higher are eligible for 1 contact hour of P.A.C.E. credit. This test is no longer valid for CEUs after May 20, 2026.
NIU is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program.