British Columbia has 25 hospital-based Pulmonary Function (PF) laboratories (formerly known as “Category III Pulmonary Function Laboratories”). These laboratories perform, in addition to regular quality control checks on their instrumentation, a variety of pulmonary function tests on a healthy non-smoking subject (known as the Biological Normal or BioQC) once per month. The laboratories then submit the numerical results to the DAP for analysis. The results give an indication of any areas of concern with the instrumentation or performance of the tests.
The Diagnostic Accreditation Program has retained the services of Carl Mottram and Susan Blonshine to review and provide recommendations for Pulmonary Function Quality Control since January 2008. Both individuals are dedicated to fostering quality in the Pulmonary Function Lab and the continuing education of Respiratory Therapists.
Carl Mottram, BA, RRT, RPFT, FAARC
Director – Mayo Clinic Pulmonary Function Labs & Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
Associate Professor of Medicine – Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Mr. Mottram is the Director of the Mayo Clinic Pulmonary Function Laboratories and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and holds the academic rank of Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine as well as Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota Respiratory Therapy Program. He is the Past-Chair of the American Association for Respiratory Care’s (AARC) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee and is currently the Chair of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute’s (CLSI, formally NCCLS) Quality Systems and Laboratory Practices Committee. He is a consultant for the National Board for Respiratory Care, an exam item writer for the National Asthma Education Certification Board and a NIOSH Spirometry course director, instructor and advisory committee member. Among other activities in the pulmonary function field he also travels as visiting professor throughout the United States as well as Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.
Mr. Mottram is a contributing author of several book chapters including chapters in the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Pulmonary Function Laboratory Function Management and Procedure Manual as well as author of a multitude of published articles.
Susan Blonshine, BS, RRT, RPFT, FAARC, AE-C
President/CEO of TechEd Consultants, Inc. Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics Specialists.
Ms Blonshine, President and CEO of TechEd Consultants, Inc., provides training, education and consultant services specializing in cardiopulmonary diagnostics, asthma disease management, quality systems, and related clinical research activities. As well, she is the Technical Director of the Michigan State University Pediatric Pulmonary Function Laboratory. She was a member of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, formerly NCCLS) Board of directors for 8 years and past member and chair of the National Asthma Educator Board of Directors. Currently Ms Blonshine is Co-chair on the National Lung Health Education Program Subcommittee for Spirometry Equipment Evaluation, a fellow of the American Association for Respiratory Care and lifetime member of the AARC. In addition to being the AARC’s representative to the CLSI, she has worked on the AARC’s Clinical Guidelines Task Force for Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics and is their representative to the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee on Clinical Laboratory Testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems.
Ms Blonshine provides consultative support in the development of quality control and quality systems for pulmonary function laboratories as well as monitoring quality control activities in PF laboratories globally. She is currently working with a committee developing guidelines for the global accreditation of PF laboratories.
Ms. Blonshine has co-authored ‘Spirometry Quality: The Essentials’, contributed chapters to several other textbooks as well as contributing to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Pulmonary Function Laboratory Function Management and Procedure Manual. She has authored several articles related to quality systems in pulmonary function testing. In addition, she contributes to various medical journals, presents at professional conferences and meetings, and has developed several multimedia training references.