Recent Articles

Effective Laboratory Utilization - Part 2

Developing an effective laboratory utilization plan for your practice does not have to be difficult. You can successfully implement utilization activities in the ambulatory setting with four major components.  These mayor keys to your success include:

    • Physician champion
    • Primary focus on patient...

Effective Laboratory Utilization - Part 1

The changing healthcare environment has brought appropriate lab utilization to the forefront in medical practices.  I will review effective lab test utilization in a four part webinar series.  Join us for Part 1 - the “why” of laboratory utilization.

Cost Effective Laboratory Management: Right-sizing Your Instrumentation and Test Menus

"Cost-Effectiveness” has become the key standard when evaluating the role of the clinical laboratory in the healthcare continuum.  This is not just cost-containment; it is not just about efficiency; it is about value, defined as quality per unit of cost.   This represents the total picture of the...

Cost Effective Laboratory Management: Sustaining Quality

While the mission of the laboratory will always be to provide the highest quality patient care, the environment within which the lab operates is undergoing rapid regulatory and technological change. These include changes to reimbursement, test utilization protocols based on patient outcomes, and...

Cost Effective Laboratory Management: Staffing Strategies

Labor accounts for 50% to 70% of direct clinical laboratory cost; thus the management of staffing levels is central to overall laboratory management expenses. With too high a staffing level, laboratory operations are inefficient; too low a staffing level increases the potential for errors or slow...