1026 Laboratories approved to determine blood alcohol content under the Clinical Laboratory Act, the Vehicle Code, the Fish and Boat Code and the Game and Wildlife Code

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Laboratories Approved to Determine Blood Alcohol Content Under the Clinical Laboratory Act, the Vehicle Code, the Fish and Boat Code and the Game and Wildlife Code

[28 Pa.B. 2962]

   The following laboratories are licensed by the Department of Health under the Clinical Laboratory Act (35 P. S. §§ 2151--2165) and are currently approved by the Department under 28 Pa. Code §§ 5.50 and 5.103 (relating to approval to provide special analytical services; and blood tests for blood alcohol content) to perform alcohol analyses of blood and/or serum and plasma. This approval is based on demonstrated proficiency in periodic tests conducted by the Department's Bureau of Laboratories. Since procedures for determining the alcohol content of serum and plasma are identical and results obtained from serum or plasma derived from a blood sample are the same, laboratories that demonstrate reliability in the analysis of serum proficiency testing specimens are approved to analyze both serum and plasma. These laboratories are also approved and designated under the provisions of the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1547 and 3755 (relating to chemical testing to determine amount of alcohol or controlled substance; and reports by emergency room personnel), the Fish and Boat Code, 30 Pa.C.S. § 5125 (relating to chemical testing to determine amount of alcohol or controlled substance) and the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S. § 2502, (relating to hunting or furtaking under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance) as qualified to perform the types of specialized services which will reflect the presence of alcohol in blood and/or serum and plasma. Laboratories located outside this Commonwealth may not provide blood and/or serum and plasma alcohol testing services in Pennsylvania unless they are specifically licensed by the Department under the Clinical Laboratory Act.

   Persons seeking forensic blood and/or serum and plasma analysis services from the following designated laboratories should determine that the laboratory employs techniques and procedures acceptable for forensic purposes, and that the director of the facility is agreeable to performing determinations for this purpose. The list of approved laboratories will be revised semiannually and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

   The Department's blood alcohol and serum/plasma alcohol proficiency testing programs are approved by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in accordance with the requirements contained in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (42 CFR 493.901 and 493.937) which are administered by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). Participation in these programs may therefore be used to demonstrate acceptable performance for approval purposes under both Federal and Commonwealth statutes.

   Questions regarding this list should be directed to Dr. M. Jeffery Shoemaker, Division of Chemistry and Toxicology, Department of Health, Bureau of Laboratories, P. O. Box 500, Exton, PA 19341-0500, [phone]. Persons with a disability may submit questions to Dr. Shoemaker in alternative formats, such as by audio tape, braille or using TDD: [phone]. Persons with a disability who require an alternative format of this document (for example, large print, audiotape, braille), should contact Dr. Shoemaker so that he may make the necessary arrangements.

   The symbols S and B indicate the following:

   S = approved for serum and plasma analyses
   B = approved for blood analyses
   SB = approved for serum, plasma and blood analyses

Abington Memorial Hospital-S