Blood Lead Testing Information for Clinical Laboratories and Physician Office Laboratories

All laboratories conducting blood lead testing, including those located within clinics and physician offices, must be certified, registered, and/or permitted by DOH's Wadsworth Center. In addition, all blood lead test results must be reported to DOH in accordance with NYS Public Health Law and regulations. If you are conducting blood lead testing, please become familiar with current law and regulations.

Physician Office Laboratory Evaluation Program

Certification

Individual practitioners or group private practices that conduct in-house laboratory testing on their own patients must be certified by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through the NYS DOH's Physician Office Laboratory Evaluation Program (POLEP). For additional information call (518) 485-5352, email: CLIA@health.ny.gov or visit Physician Office Laboratory Evaluation Program.

Reporting

Physician office labs that conduct lead testing must report all results to the New York State Department of Health. For additional information on reporting, please contact the DOH Lead Poisoning Prevention Program 518-402-7600 or email: LPPP@health.ny.gov.

Limited Service Laboratories

Registration

Facilities that are not private practices (e.g., off-site clinics) that conduct point-of-care testing using only CLIA-waived procedures (with or without provider-performed microscopy) must be registered as Limited Service Laboratories with the DOH Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program (CLEP). Access registration forms for Limited Service Laboratories. For additional information, call 518-485-5378, or email CLEPLTD@health.ny.gov.

Reporting

Limited Service Laboratories that conduct lead testing must report all results to DOH. For additional information on reporting, please contact the DOH Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 518-402-7600 or the Electronic Clinical Laboratory Reporting System (ECLRS) Helpdesk at 866-325-7743.

Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program (CLEP)

Permits

All other facilities that offer laboratory testing must hold a permit issued by the DOH Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program (CLEP) in the category of Toxicology – Blood Lead. For additional information, call 518-485-5378, email CLEP@.health.ny.gov.

Review standards applicable to laboratories holding a NYS permit clinical laboratory permit in Toxicology - Blood Lead.

Reporting

Permitted clinical laboratories must report all blood lead test results electronically using DOH's Electronic Clinical Laboratory Reporting System (ECLRS). For additional information on reporting via ECLRS, please call 866-325-7743.

Technical Questions and Resources for Blood Lead Testing

For all technical questions relating to analytical procedures, proficiency testing, and laboratory standards for blood lead testing, contact Wadsworth Center's Laboratory of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry at 518-474-7161.