HCMC’s Toxicology Laboratory receives ABFT certification

The Toxicology Laboratory at HCMC is proud to announce that they have received the prestigious Certificate of Laboratory Accreditation in Forensic Toxicology from the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT). They are the first laboratory in Minnesota and one of only five in the Midwest to be accredited by the ABFT.

“This accreditation is a great accomplishment for both the Toxicology Laboratory staff and Hennepin County Medical Center,” said Fred Apple, Ph.D., DABCC, Toxicology Laboratory Director and Medical Director of Clinical Laboratories.  “It allows our laboratory to maintain our technical expertise in the forensic sciences and grow our services through working closely with medical examiners and coroners throughout the Upper Midwest.”

HCMC’s Toxicology Lab provides a 24-hour consultative service to clinicians and other healthcare clients and provides and assists in developing testing programs for drugs of abuse including chain of custody procedures, appropriate specimen collection and interpretation of results, involving design for the most cost effective program. More than 520 specimens are processed in the lab each weekday, and approximately 260 are processed on Saturdays and Sundays.

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ABFT exists to establish, enhance, and maintain standards of qualification for laboratories that practice Postmortem Forensic Toxicology or Human Performance Toxicology, and to accredit laboratories that comply with their requirements. Accreditation is based upon compliance with professional standards as assessed by peer review, including an on-site inspection, and successful achievement in one or more alcohol and drug‐based proficiency test programs. By granting the Certificate of Laboratory Accreditation, the ABFT identified our Toxicology Laboratory as having fulfilled the requisite qualifications and competence in forensic toxicology.