AUDIT COMMITTEE SUMMARY
September 18, 2018
Audit of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District Lab Operations
Report Issued September 7, 2018
Audit Objective
Determine if Metro Health laboratories are operating in compliance with regulations and they are operating efficiently and effectively.
Background
The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) is the public health agency charged by State law, City code, and County resolution with the responsibility for providing public health programs in San Antonio and unincorporated areas of Bexar County.
A key service Metro Health offers is laboratory services. The laboratory operates out of three separate locations and provides testing services which include:
* water bacteriology,
* frozen dessert, milk, and dairy,
* sexually transmitted diseases,
* rabies, and
* tuberculosis
In addition, the laboratory provides influenza surveillance for the region and support activities that reach out to 60 surrounding counties. These services are funded via a combination of the general fund, grant funding, Medicaid, and private pay.
The laboratory also provides biomedical waste treatment and disposal services and acts as the main support laboratory for the Department of State Health Services which includes providing milk and dairy testing for farmers in the region and providing data related to infectious diseases for identification, vaccine research, and regional surveillance.
Metro Health utilizes the StarLIMS system to document laboratory testing and results, as well as for reporting requirements. Additionally, StarLIMS is used to meet the retention requirements of electronic records.
Audit Scope & Methodology
The audit scope was fiscal year 2017 through May 2018.
To establish our test criteria, we reviewed state and federal regulations, Metro Health policies and procedures, and grant agreements. To gain an understanding of the internal controls related to lab operations, we interviewed key personnel in the Metr...
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