By Robert Michel, from the Volume XVII No. 1 - January 4, 2010 issue
CEO SUMMARY: In presenting this list of macro trends for clinical laboratories, several themes are in play. They range from a continued emphasis on improving lab operations to the need to acquire and deploy sophisticated information technology. During the next few years, the long-predicted retirement of Baby Boomers will kick in. That will aggravate the
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XVI No. 14 October 12, 2009 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Laboratories in the United States are knowledgeable about the use of quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) programs. But QC and QA represent only two small parts of a comprehensive quality management system (QMS), says Lucia Berte, an expert in lab quality. One benefit for clinical laboratories using a QMS is that
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XV No. 2 - February 11, 2008 issue
CEO SUMMARY: THE DARK REPORT presents its newest biannual review of macro trends reshaping the anatomic pathology profession. These macro trends reveal a profession undergoing change and transformation on multiple fronts. New competitors are crowding into the market, payers and accrediting agencies are demanding higher standards of performance, and a host of new technologies are
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No.16 - November 19, 2007 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Australia just conducted its first summit meeting on laboratory management and a near sell-out crowd showed up to learn the best and latest. For the Americans in the audience, there were several surprises. First, Australia has a highly-competitive laboratory sector, comparable in many aspects to the private sector here in the United States.
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No. 14 - October 8, 2007 issue
CEO SUMMARY: With almost 300 speakers, attendees, and vendors in attendance from seven countries, Lab Quality Confab was a significant milestone for the global lab industry. On one level, it was a sign that the quality improvement trend has come of age. On another level, it provided ample and powerful evidence that labs using Lean
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No. 13 - September 17, 2007 issue
CEO SUMMARY: It’s an important milestone for the clinical laboratory profession. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated South Florida, based in Deerfield Beach, Florida, earned the 2007 Florida Governor’s Sterling Award for quality. This is only the second laboratory in this country to win a state quality award. But that’s just part of the story. Guided by the
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No. 10 - July 16, 2007 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Across healthcare, laboratories, hospitals, and health systems are leading the drive to incorporate quality management methods into clinical services and daily operations. This fall, in Atlanta, the Lab Quality Confab will provide a detailed look at this trend, with 50 speakers, master classes, case studies, full-day workshops, an exhibit hall, and even Lean
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No. 8 - June 4, 2007 issue
When the Lab Quality Confab convenes in Atlanta on September 19-20, 2007, it will feature 40 speakers and sessions on how labs and pathology groups are using quality management methods to improve the performance of their lab organizations. If your laboratory would like to showcase its success or participate in poster sessions on Lean Six
By Robert Michel, from the Volume XIV No. 1 - January 8, 2007 issue
CEO SUMMARY: Technology plays an ever-growing role in reshaping the organization and operation of clinical laboratories. New technologies figure prominently in THE DARK REPORT’S 2007 list of key trends in the clinical laboratory industry. Technological advances in instrument systems, informatics, and molecular diagnostics are giving laboratories new tools to improve clinical services and streamline lab
CEO SUMMARY: As part of a major restructuring program under way at Christian Hospital in St. Louis, Laboratory Administrator Bette J. Stanley decided to apply Lean quality management methods in projects to improve work processes in phlebotomy and the chemistry department. Using internal quality consultants from the parent health system, the laboratory staff applied Lean
