Strategies for Laboratory Professionals to Drive Lab Stewardship to Reduce Cost, Eliminate Waste, and Improve Patient Care

FREE Webinar

Held Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | 60 minutes

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Laboratory testing is typically the single highest-volume medical activity in a health system and plays a major role in driving clinical decision-making. Laboratory diagnostics are, however, highly variable and filled with opportunities for health systems to increase appropriate testing while reducing waste.

Achieving the aims of higher quality and lower cost depends on the laboratory community taking a central role in improving effective test utilization. Creating successful laboratory stewardship partnerships is critical in today’s healthcare environment and aligns with the essential healthcare pillars of quality, cost, and service.

This free webinar, Strategies for Laboratory Professionals to Drive Lab Stewardship, explores the implementation of laboratory stewardship to increase effective test use, decrease costs, and improve patient care.

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Test analytic quality alone is not enough

Laboratorians traditionally have focused quality efforts on a test’s analytic quality.  While necessary, analytic quality alone is insufficient for achieving effective test utilization, however. Clear medical justification to support the need for a particular test—with an understanding of how the results will contribute to guiding patient management—are also required. Lab test utilization that is not supported by evidence potentially puts clinical laboratories and patients at risk.

Laboratory stewardship aligned with hospital & health system leadership as a pathway forward

Improving the value of care for patients is vital. One of the ways to achieve this is through implementing a strategic laboratory stewardship initiative that considers the following:

• There is general agreement that widespread, low-value lab testing generates substantial waste and is a valid target for stewardship.
• Casting a wide net to identify inappropriate utilization that is not supported by medical evidence allows organizations to base hospital and health system laboratory stewardship objectives on specific opportunities that offer the greatest financial savings, clinical improvement, and patient care.
• Constructive and clinically grounded approaches to reducing unnecessary variation in lab testing and care delivery in hospitals and health systems have the potential to reduce the systemic weakness of low-value care.

However, the challenge is not only prioritizing, motivating, informing, and measuring the impact of laboratory stewardship efforts but also aligning stewardship with the hospital or health system’s strategic priorities.

This webinar, Strategies for Laboratory Professionals to Drive Lab Stewardship, presents an approach built on principles of change management, utilization of clinical data to drive change, and the development of necessary organizational support structures. Using this approach, clinical laboratories can take meaningful steps toward fulfilling organizational quality and cost goals while better serving our patients.

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Learning objectives

By participating in this 60-minute webinar, Strategies for Laboratory Professionals to Drive Lab Stewardship, participants will:

• Understand how laboratory stewardship takes a holistic approach to optimizing laboratory value and aligns with the broader aims of healthcare systems
• Understand the key elements required for successfully implementing a laboratory stewardship program
• Identify ways to achieve quality and cost goals via laboratory stewardship

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Who should attend?

• Lab Administrators/Directors
• Ancillary Services Leadership
• Laboratory Stewardship Committee Leaders and Members

Your registration includes:

• The opportunity to pose specific questions and connect directly with speakers during a Q&A session
• Access to the post-webinar recording

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