By Mike Bush
The new manager of the laboratory at Roswell Regional Hospital said happy employees is the key to his — and the lab’s — success.
“Happy employees create positive results, and positive experiences for our patients and their families here at Roswell Regional Hospital,” said Ted Bates, who became lab manager Aug. 31.
As manager of the hospital’s laboratory, Bates oversees 10 employees, 5 phlebotomists and 5 medical technicians.
“I oversee the daily operations of the laboratory,” he said. “With the assistance of my testing staff, we set normal ranges for the population of Roswell that helps assist their physicians in diagnosing why they might be in need of medical help.
“We also perform daily maintenance and running of quality-control material to make sure that our instrumentation is performing correctly. We believe that quality results lead to better outcomes for our patients.”
The main types of tests the lab runs include complete blood count (CBC), blood-chemistry tests and cardiac tests.
“For cardiac testing, we’re testing the patient’s blood to see if the patient is having a heart attack or had a heart attack three or four days previous, which is a common occurrence in New Mexico, especially for men,” he said. A typical example is a man who had chest pain three days previously but decides to “tough it out” and after a couple of days is still not feeling quite right, so he decides to go see a doctor, only to find out he had a heart attack.”
The Roswell Regional Hospital lab also does outpatient work for the community, “and I would potentially like us to do more, to increase that service to the community,” he added. “Part of working with our community physicians is with working with their staff members to make sure they get patient results prior to their appointments with their patients.
“Unfortunately, this does not always happen. When this does occur it is my responsibility to make sure that the doctor gets the results over to them right away if available. If results are not available, then I need to find out why and then fix the problem.”
Bates routinely makes rounds in patient care areas, to ensure that the lab is doing its job.
“We go up to a patient’s room and introduce ourselves: ‘Hi, we are from the laboratory. How’s your stay? How was your blood draw this morning? Is there anything we can do for you?’” he said. “We are trying to enhance the patient’s stay. We want the community to let us know how we are performing in the care we provide. If we don’t round, we cannot get that information.
Bates uses the information he gathers to tell his employees how the lab can improve patient care.
“I do my job here the best I can, to make sure that the product we deliver is good, and is correct,” he said.
He said the hospital is a great place.
“It’s like staying in a hotel, and when you’re here we want you to be comfortable and relaxed and not worry about what’s going on, so that you heal better, quicker,” he added.
Bates grew up in Roswell, attending El Capital Elementary and Sierra Middle schools. Then his family moved to Dexter, where he graduated from Dexter High School in 1988.
Bates received a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the University of New Mexico. He worked for Quest Diagnostics Inc. in Las Vegas, Nev., for five years, and then moved back to Albuquerque to work for SED Laboratories.
Bates’ family is still in the Albuquerque area, where he goes on weekends. His wife, Katherine, is a math teacher in Rio Rancho and wants to finish the first semester before moving to Roswell.
The Bates’ have three daughters, Meghan, 10, and twins Courtney and Emily, 6.
Bates coaches his daughters’ soccer team and plans to get more involved in the Roswell community.
Roswell Regional Hospital CEO Rod Schumacher said Bates as been a good addition to the hospital staff.
“I have known Ted for 25 years,” Schumacher added. “He is a man of integrity and incredible ability. We are fortunate to have him at RRH, and in our community.”