Nancy Stratton, MBA.

COLA, Columbia, Md, the nation’s premier clinical laboratory accreditation provider, has announced the appointment of Nancy Stratton, MBA, as chief executive officer. A senior executive with more than 35 years of experience in laboratory management, Stratton will be responsible for driving the organization’s continued growth as it furthers its mission to promote excellence in laboratory medicine and patient care.

Stratton was most recently CEO of Clinical Pathology Laboratories (CPL), the largest division of Sonic Healthcare. She first joined CPL in 1995 as a bench technologist and advanced through a variety of management positions, helping CPL to achieve new levels of excellence in quality management, customer service, human resources, risk management, regulatory, and medical and legal compliance. She was promoted to CEO in 2016. Prior to joining CPL, she started her career as a medical technologist in a variety of laboratory settings, including hospitals and physicians’ offices.

In addition to having extensive experience in all aspects of laboratory operations, Stratton is highly regarded for her commitment to high-quality patient care, her collaborative leadership style, and her ability to cultivate meaningful relationships with employees, physicians, hospitals, and community partners.

“In Nancy, our organization gains a leader with an unmatched breadth of experience in the clinical laboratory field, understanding of the healthcare landscape, and reputation for developing and implementing strategic plans that produce positive results,” says Richard S. Eisenstaedt, MD, chair of the COLA board of directors. “We are extremely fortunate to have her at our helm as we work to help more laboratories across the country improve their practices.”

“I have long been impressed with COLA as a champion for patient safety,” says Stratton. “I am honored to be a part of this mission to work in collaboration with our customers to ensure excellence in laboratory medicine on behalf of the patients.”

Stratton takes the helm at COLA after the recent retirement of CEO Douglas A. Beigel, who was with the organization for more than 29 years. Stratton is green belt-certified in the Six Sigma style of management. She holds a master’s degree in business administration with a specialty in operations management, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration, from St. Edwards University.

COLA accredits nearly 8,000 medical laboratories and provides clinical laboratories with a program of education, consultation, and accreditation. The organization is an independent, nonprofit accreditor whose education program and standards enable clinical laboratories and staff to meet US and other regulatory requirements. COLA is recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a deemed accrediting organization. COLA’s program is endorsed by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, and the American Medical Association, and is recognized by the Joint Commission.

For more information, visit COLA.