OCM medical director receives AANEM's accreditation for electrodiagnostic lab in NJ

One Call Medical (OCM), the nation's leading provider of specialty services to insurance payers, today announced that its medical director, Dr. John Robinton, received recognition by the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) as having the first accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory in the state of New Jersey—and the additional distinction of "Accreditation with Exemplary Status."

Dr. Robinton is a neurologist based in Montclair, New Jersey. His laboratory is now one of only 17 EMG laboratories nationwide to achieve the AANEM's peer-reviewed accreditation, exceeding a rigorous set of measures on clinical excellence.

AANEM executive director, Shirlyn Adkins, JD, said, "Dr. Robinton's lab is the first to receive this commendation in New Jersey. We are very proud of his efforts. We believe accreditation is a key step to patients receiving quality electrodiagnostic care. It is important that patients have their tests performed by trained physicians to reduce testing errors and inappropriate treatments including unnecessary surgeries."

Dr. John Robinton replied, "Receiving 'Exemplary Status' is a great honor. The accreditation confirms my commitment to ensuring quality care. In electrodiagnostic medicine, this begins with providing medically useful exams, which assist the treating physician in making an accurate diagnosis that then directs the patient's treatment and recovery."

Dr. Robinton graduated from Princeton University and went on to receive his medical degree from Cornell. Following medical school, Dr. Robinton completed a Neuromuscular Fellowship at Tufts, New England Medical Center in Boston. He is now one of only five percent of physicians across the country boarded in both Electrodiagnostic Medicine (ABEM) and Clinical Neurophysiology (ABPN-CN), and he is one of three practicing physicians in New Jersey who is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Robinton also served as a consultant for the attorney general of the State of New Jersey concerning issues regarding Electromyography (EMG) fraud and abuse, and currently serves on a committee appointed by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance to write a protocol for pain management procedures, which will be used within the state of New Jersey. Dr. Robinton previously served as the director of the EMG lab at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).

Last year, Dr. Robinton co-authored a study of workers' compensation injury cases, which found that the EMG and Nerve Conduction Studies (NCSs), performed by physicians who were not evaluated and pre-determined to meet a certain level of quality, were highly unreliable. In workers' compensation, EMG and NCSs are essential in determining the existence and extent of muscle and nerve damage in injured employees.

In his role as medical director and chairman of the Neurodiagnostic Medical Advisory Board at One Call Medical, Dr. Robinton has established a rigorous provider credentialing process. As a result, OCM is the only company with a network of quality EMG and NCS providers that specifically serves the workers' compensation industry. OCM selects only the best neurologists and physiatrists, who meet and continually adhere to quality standards. By using this network, workers' compensation payers can better ensure the medical usefulness of EMG and NCSs.

Source: One Call Medical, Inc.