If your lab performs moderate-complexity testing, CLIA requires you to verify test performance at least twice per year. Unfortunately, this requirement consistently ranks among the Top 10 CLIA deficiencies. Why? Because it falls into a gray area: not quite PT, not daily QC, and not tied to new test validation. As a result, it often […]
Twice-Yearly Verification: Why Labs Miss It (and How to Get It Right) Read More »
In recent CMS reports, failure to assess personnel competency consistently ranks in the top 3 of frequently cited CLIA deficiencies. When lab professionals aren’t properly evaluated and trained, every result they produce may be compromised. This risks patient outcomes, your accreditation status, and your lab’s reputation. This guide breaks down what “competency assessment” means under
How to Fix the #2 CLIA Deficiency: Personnel Competency Assessment Read More »
Reagent and material storage issues are the most-cited CLIA deficiency in and for good reason. In 2024 alone, 5% of citations stemmed from issues as simple as a missing temperature log. A single oversight can compromise test accuracy, delay patient care, and land you with an avoidable deficiency citation. In this post, we’ll explore why
Building an effective on-call schedule in a healthcare setting is crucial to operational continuity. Unfortunately, without the right systems and tools in place, it can lead to confusion, fatigue, and coverage gaps. Protecting your employees from burnout and your payroll from overtime costs is vital for your organization’s practices to be sustainable long term. In
How to Build On-Call Schedules Without Creating Chaos Read More »
Medical and laboratory organizations are under ever increasing pressure to deliver faster turnaround times (TAT), minimize operational bottlenecks, and optimize staff resources. Unfortunately, they are often asked to do so without increasing their headcount or expanding their budget. For many labs, the natural choice for resolving this issue would be to purchase better workforce management
Why Staggered Start Times May Be Your Organization’s Secret Weapon Read More »
Healthcare organizations and more specifically, beleaguered schedulers, operations managers, and administrators, are under constant pressure to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve compliance. While clinical technologies get the spotlight, operational tools like automated scheduling systems can often go overlooked. Automated systems can provide overworked schedulers with the tools they need to meet deadlines, but often,
The ROI of Scheduling Automation in Clinical Settings: Why Smarter Staffing Pays Off Read More »
The ability to collaborate, communicate, think critically, manage your calendar, and manage interpersonal relationships is crucial for the ongoing operation of your organization. Unfortunately, these soft skills are not always easy to teach, and it can sometimes be difficult to justify using limited time and resources to focus on improving them when faced with an
The Importance of Soft Skill Competency in Labs Read More »
As healthcare systems consolidate and laboratories expand across campuses, regions, and states, multi-site lab networks are becoming the norm rather than the exception. But with that growth comes a familiar problem: process inconsistency. Different locations often use different instruments, workflows, SOPs, documentation formats, or even terminology. And while localized customization might feel practical in the
5 Steps for Standardizing Organizational Processes Across Multiple Sites Read More »
Laboratory audits are stressful, even with the most strenuous preparation. For many people, the worst part of the inspection isn’t the actual inspection. It’s the preparation. Administrators can spend weeks and months working to get themselves ready and even then, still feel a sense of apprehension. Inspections and audits are often viewed as a single
At StaffReady, we often write about strategies for addressing coverage with a diminished workforce, and usually the problem is framed as a low pool of staff to schedule from. However, it isn’t always a scarcity of staff, but a scarcity of skills (or skill gaps) that makes constructing schedules and rotations challenging. In today’s piece,
Addressing Skill Gaps in Your Organization Read More »
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