Cost of Quality

Every lab has endless activities that support their quality program. These tasks and responsibilities often seem mundane, time-consuming and never-ending. Many staff question the need to utilize scarce resources on these activities when that time could be spent on moving patient specimens though the laboratory process. Additionally, it is often of question why healthcare, laboratory services specifically, is so expensive. There is so much more that contributes to the cost of a laboratory test than just the cost of the materials to run said test. The costs associated with all the other tasks that need to be performed every day in a typical laboratory to ensure the end-product of a laboratory, the result, is accurate and trustworthy can be high. With medical decisions based on the results produced by the laboratory, it is easily understood why labs must ensure the results that are being produced are of high quality. Thus validating the need to incur such costs.

This presentation is going to dissect the various costs that contribute to the total cost of laboratory testing. At the very basic level, these costs can be divided into two broad categories of “Good Costs” and “Bad Costs”. Further detail on “Good Costs” will demonstrate either a preventative or appraisal approach. “Bad Costs”, which are essentially all the events that occur that negatively impact the laboratory testing process have been found to be both internal and external as related to the laboratory itself. Finally, quality activities will be allowed a new appreciation to the assurance that results produced by laboratories are accurate and ensure patient safety.