Clinical Lab Consultant for Manchester, Nashua, Concord & Southern New Hampshire

POLs, urgent care, specialty practices, and independent labs along the I-93 and Route 3 corridor.

Short answer: Labs in Manchester, Nashua, Concord, and Derry follow the same statewide rules: CLIA through NH DHHS HFA in Concord, plus He-P 808 licensing for testing labs and He-P 817 for draw sites unless an RSA 151:2, II office exemption applies. Sound Lab Consultants works with these practices on certificates, validations, survey preparation, and director coverage.

Common southern NH projects

Physician office labs adding moderate-complexity chemistry or hematology
Urgent care and walk-in centers (often licensed under He-P 806) adding testing
Toxicology and molecular start-ups near Manchester and Nashua
Patient service centers needing He-P 817 local sign-offs
COLA or CAP survey preparation and CMS-2567 response

Which license applies?

Your New Hampshire setting	State license under RSA 151?	What usually applies
Independent or reference lab testing human specimens (moderate/high complexity)	Yes — RSA 151:2, I(c); He-P 808	CLIA Certificate of Compliance or Accreditation plus a state lab license application and fee. If CLIA-inspected, RSA 151:5-b, II treats the lab as deemed licensed for those inspected activities and exempts it from state RSA 151:6-a inspections.
Lab running only CLIA-waived tests or PPM	Yes, unless another exemption applies	The RSA 151:5-b deemed-license route does not cover waived or PPM labs, so He-P 808 licensing and state inspection apply in full.
Physician office, office of another NH-licensed health professional, or community health clinic	No — RSA 151:2, II(e)–(g)	Still needs the correct CLIA certificate (CMS-116) through NH DHHS HFA.
Hospital lab on the licensed hospital premises	Covered by the hospital license — He-P 808.02(g)	CLIA certificate; hospital rules under He-P 802.
Patient service center / draw site that only collects specimens	Yes — collection station, He-P 817	Floor plan, local health/building/zoning/fire sign-offs dated within 90 days, administrator résumé, fee. Mobile vans follow He-P 817.21. Not needed if the site is already licensed under He-P 808 or He-P 806.
Forensic-only, state-operated, or EMS (RSA 153-A) testing; waived tests solely for risk assessment	Exempt — He-P 808.02	Confirm CLIA status separately.

New Hampshire rules that shape every clinical lab project

RSA 151:2, I(c) — laboratories testing human samples and collection stations must be licensed; RSA 151:2, II(e)–(g) excludes physician offices, offices of other NH-licensed health professionals, and community health clinics.
RSA 151:5-b, II — a CLIA lab with compliance or accreditation inspections is deemed licensed for those activities and exempt from RSA 151:6-a state inspections, but still files the application and fee. Waived and PPM labs cannot use this route.
He-P 808 Laboratories and Laboratory Services Rules — licensing, inspections, records, test requisitions and reports, infection control, and physical environment. State lab license fee under RSA 151 is $150 per year for each category of testing licensed.
He-P 817 Collection Station Rules (readopted effective March 31, 2026) — draw sites and mobile collection vans.
NH DHHS Health Facilities Administration CLIA program — 129 Pleasant Street, Concord; CMS-116 filings, certificate changes, and electronic certificates after March 1, 2026.
He-P 301 communicable disease reporting and the NH Public Health Laboratories at 29 Hazen Drive, Concord — shipping a specimen to the state lab does not by itself satisfy the reporting duty.
Env-Sw 904 infectious waste — labeled containers, secured storage, a 72-hour room-temperature storage limit, and transfer only to authorized facilities.
42 CFR Part 493 — federal CLIA personnel, QC, proficiency testing, and quality system requirements.

Where we work in New Hampshire

Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth and the Seacoast, Dover, Rochester, Derry, Keene, Lebanon and the Upper Valley — plus surrounding Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford, Cheshire, and Grafton County communities.

Frequently asked questions

Does New Hampshire require a state laboratory license in addition to CLIA?

Yes for most labs. RSA 151:2, I(c) requires a license for laboratories that test human samples and for collection stations, administered under He-P 808 and He-P 817. Physician offices, offices of other NH-licensed health professionals, and community health clinics are carved out by RSA 151:2, II. CLIA-inspected labs are deemed licensed under RSA 151:5-b, II but still file the application and fee.

Does Sound Lab Consultants have a New Hampshire office?

Sound Lab Consultants is headquartered at 25 Arizona Pl, Chandler, AZ 85225 and works with New Hampshire clinical laboratories remotely and on-site, from Manchester and Nashua to the Seacoast and the Upper Valley.

Does a Nashua physician office lab need a state license?

Physicians' offices are excluded from RSA 151 licensing by RSA 151:2, II(e), but they still need the correct CLIA certificate filed with NH DHHS HFA.

Work with a New Hampshire clinical lab consultant

Sound Lab Consultants is headquartered at 25 Arizona Pl, Chandler, AZ 85225 and works with New Hampshire clinical laboratories remotely and on-site. We are an independent consulting firm with no affiliation to NH DHHS, CMS, CDC, FDA, CAP, COLA, or The Joint Commission.

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Last reviewed: November 2026. Rules cited from official New Hampshire and federal sources; confirm current versions before filing.