FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ellen Howe

April 3, 2003 509-964-2767

KVCH Pulmonary Function Lab Certified for

Black Lung Testing by U.S. Department of Labor

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Kittitas Valley Community Hospital’s (KVCH) pulmonary function laboratory recently received certification from the U.S. Department of Labor for pulmonary testing of black lung disease and is the only lab of its kind in Washington, Oregon and Idaho with this certification.

The certification process for KVCH included completion of an enrollment information questionnaire to determine if the hospital had the appropriate types of equipment required for testing and other information, according to Deborah Brunger, claims examiner at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Division of Coalmine Workers Compensation, Denver, Colo.

“We have to establish that providers can produce specific information as required for testing and produce the right kind of tracing to validate the tests. Serving as a black lung provider is an invaluable service for the people of the northwest,” said Brunger.

Under the Federal Coalmine Health and Safety Act of 1969, former coal miners suffering from occupational pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) must go to an approved clinic for testing. The Black Lung Benefits Act provides for monetary and medical benefits to the more than 67,000 black lung beneficiaries in the United States. These claims are processed and paid through the U.S. Department of Labor.

“This lab has the latest technology in pulmonary function testing,” said Jim Allen, Director of Respiratory Care at KVCH. “The equipment gives a precise measurement of the volume of air moving in and out of the lungs.”

According to Allen, the lab can determine how efficiently the lungs are functioning and how the oxygen is working as it moves from lungs to bloodstream. "It also will tell us if there is resistance in the airways, in the case of asthma, or an obstruction in the airway in the case of emphysema.”

Dr. Paul Schmidt, Dr. John Anderson and Dr. Elizabeth Wise of Cle Elum Family Medicine Center are approved physicians for the black lung testing program. Their job is to make sure the testing is done to the specifications as set out in regulations and provide read out and reports as needed.

Patients requiring lung function testing can have their tests conducted on an outpatient basis with a physician’s referral.

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