Sep 24, 2010 | Laboratory Pathology, News From Dark Daily
Announcement is more evidence that hospitals and clinical pathology laboratories are adopting Lean and Six Sigma methods
Guess which major healthcare organization is raising the profile of Lean and Six Sigma within its walls? It is The Joint Commission! The Joint Commission recently promoted an experienced master black belt to two key positions.
Clinical laboratory managers and pathologists will be interested to learn that Alex Vandiver, MBB, was appointed to be Director of Business Excellence, as well as Director of the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare.
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Oct 30, 2009 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Guest Commentary by: Mark Graban
Clinical laboratory professionals and leaders should be reminded that their accountability for quality and patient safety does not end at the instrument or the microscope—at least from the general public’s perception and the needs of patients.
This summer, I was walking through Boston Common and saw a woman with a homemade sign with a message about patient safety. I stopped and asked about her sign. She reminded me it was July 25, the annual observance of National Patient Safety Day.
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Sep 25, 2009 | Laboratory Management and Operations, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology, Management & Operations
Unproductive workplace dynamics retard performance improvement efforts
Some quality experts are recognizing that the true root causes of non-conforming events in clinical laboratories and pathology groups are not flaws in individual work processes. Rather, they argue the true root causes of defects are actually embedded organizational values and beliefs which management uses to justify and reinforce the way it organizes and operates the laboratory.
This perspective on management values as the true root cause of defects was articulated in 2003 in a paper titled the “Seven Deadly Sins of Quality Management.” It was published in “Quality Progress” by John Dew, Director of Continuous Quality Improvement at the University of Alabama.
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