How a Tribal Healthcare Facility Achieved Legionella Compliance

The Challenge

A critical access hospital serving Native American communities in a remote region of Arizona faced increasing regulatory pressure around water management following CMS requirements under ASHRAE 188.

Their challenges included:

• Aging plumbing infrastructure across multiple buildings
• Remote location making it difficult to access accredited testing laboratories quickly
• Need for CDC ELITE certified Legionella testing to meet compliance standards
• Limited in-house expertise in water management program development

The Solution

The facility partnered with AATLS to implement a comprehensive water quality monitoring program:

• Quarterly Legionella monitoring at all high-risk water outlets across the facility
• Full water chemistry panels to track treatment effectiveness over time
• CDC ELITE certified testing providing the gold standard in Legionella culture analysis
• Same-week turnaround on results with detailed reports and recommendations
• Ongoing consultation on water management best practices and remediation when needed

The Results

Within two quarters of implementing the monitoring program:

• 90% reduction in positive Legionella samples across the facility
• Full CMS compliance documentation for every survey period
• Zero patient exposure incidents since program inception
• Clear trending data enabling proactive intervention before issues escalate
• Cost of the entire annual program is less than a single emergency remediation event

About AATLS

American Analytical Testing Laboratory Services (AATLS) is an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited, CDC ELITE certified analytical laboratory based in Tucson, Arizona. We specialize in water quality testing, Legionella monitoring, environmental analysis, and compliance testing for healthcare facilities, hospitality properties, schools, and municipal water systems.