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If you are a healthcare system executive or a leader of a community hospital within range of other smaller hospitals, chances are you have considered, or are currently considering, integrating laboratories and creating a larger reference laboratory to service your system for non-time dependent testing by either converting or building out an existing lab or by creating a full reference laboratory nearby.
Alverno has been through its share of integrations. The first took place in 1999 when the then Sisters of St. Francis Services integrated testing from six hospitals to its reference laboratory in Hammond, IN. Knowing how to structure your integration is the foundation of a success. After five additional integrations, Alverno’s team knows how to guide you through the process. Each merger taught us how to create a strategic plan that considered all facets, from formation documents to staffing, logistics to pathologist buy-in, to rapid response test menus and everything in-between. The list is long and not having experience can make navigation difficult.
Alverno Laboratories has experts in both setting up new laboratories and creating a reference laboratory; learn more and consider contacting Alverno to chat with our exceptional leaders.
Meet Our Consulting Team
Alverno’s President and CEO, Sam Terese, has more than 40 years of experience in just about all laboratory settings. This level of experience extends to his senior and mid-level staff, each of whom is an expert in his or her area. Our quality team offers a vast amount of knowledge in Lean concepts, policy and procedure management and equipment standardization. Our experience with managing laboratory staffing in a hospital and large reference lab makes Alverno the perfect guide to creating your employee deployment strategies. The Alverno integration team also knows how to structure information technologies if disparate laboratory information systems are in place.
Don Lair
Director of Quality Assurance and PMO
Before beginning his role as Director of Quality Assurance and PMO in 2014, Don began his laboratory career as a Medical Laboratory Scientist in August 2000 at Franciscan Alliance, moving with the transition to Alverno in 2005. His 20+ years of laboratory experience are backed by multiple degrees including an Associate’s in Medical Technology, a BS in Health Sciences, an MBA and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Don Lair
Director of Quality Assurance and PMO
Before beginning his role as Director of Quality Assurance and PMO in 2014, Don began his laboratory career as a Medical Laboratory Scientist in August 2000 at Franciscan Alliance, moving with the transition to Alverno in 2005. His 20+ years of laboratory experience are backed by multiple degrees including an Associate’s in Medical Technology, a BS in Health Sciences, an MBA and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Maja Risteska
Manager of Point of Care Testing
Since joining Alverno in 2008, Maja has held multiple positions in the company including serving as a Laboratory Scientist and Point of Care Coordinator. She is well versed in laboratory accrediting agencies, including CAP, CLIA and COLA. She has been serving in her current role as Manager of Point of Care Testing and Alverno Safety Committee Chairperson since 2019. Her 14+ years of laboratory experience are supported by her BS in Biology from Purdue University. Maja also received her Master’s in Health Care Administration from University of Saint Francis.
Christina Smith
System Quality Program Coordinator
Christina joined the Quality team as a System Quality Program Coordinator in 2020. She has also served as a Histology Coordinator, Cytotechnologist, and an Anatomic Pathology Clinical Instructor. As an Instructor, Christina designed and implemented the Alverno Histo Trainee Program. She is a certified Histotechnician (HT), Cytotechnologist (CT), and possesses a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification (LSSGB).
Christina Smith
System Quality Program Coordinator
Christina joined the Quality team as a System Quality Program Coordinator in 2020. She has also served as a Histology Coordinator, Cytotechnologist, and an Anatomic Pathology Clinical Instructor. As an Instructor, Christina designed and implemented the Alverno Histo Trainee Program. She is a certified Histotechnician (HT), Cytotechnologist (CT), and possesses a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification (LSSGB).
Elizabeth Madura
System Quality Program Coordinator
Beginning her laboratory career in 1990 as an Immunohematologist, Elizabeth has also held roles as an ASCP certified Medical Technologist – Generalist, MLS and MLT Clinical Instructor, MT Trainer, and now serves as one of Alverno’s System Quality Program Coordinators. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago and possesses a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from the University of Michigan.
Dale Kahn
VP of Operations
With over 35 years of laboratory experience and a Bachelor of Science degree from Manchester College, Dale began his career by specializing in the Chemistry field and the IT area of the laboratory with Franciscan Alliance. He moved into management early in his career and was heavily involved in the planning and design team that originally built Alverno in 1999. He accepted the role as Central Laboratory Director for Alverno in 2002 and more recently as Vice President of Operations.
Dale Kahn
VP of Operations
With over 35 years of laboratory experience and a Bachelor of Science degree from Manchester College, Dale began his career by specializing in the Chemistry field and the IT area of the laboratory with Franciscan Alliance. He moved into management early in his career and was heavily involved in the planning and design team that originally built Alverno in 1999. He accepted the role as Central Laboratory Director for Alverno in 2002 and more recently as Vice President of Operations.
Sam Terese
CEO and President
Sam Terese, MBA, MT (ASCP), has over 40 years of healthcare leadership experience and began his role as Alverno’s CEO and President in 2011. Since joining Alverno in 2005, Terese has served as a member of the senior executive team, facilitating the testing integration of multiple hospital laboratories. Terese’s skills include business development, marketing, financial, planning, strategic planning, and other management tools along with being well versed in quality assurance practices, principles of Lean, Six Sigma, developing teams, and laboratory operations and health system operations. He holds Six Sigma black belt, an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago in Strategic Planning and Marketing, and bachelor’s degrees in Medical Technology from Rosalind Franklin University Chicago and Biology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
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