[Histonet] Re: tracking turnaround time of intraoperative consultations

[Andrea Grantham]

Some years ago (before electronic ordering systems) when I worked in  
the clinical lab the specimen for frozen was time stamped when it came  
into the lab and the pathologist stamped it - or more likely the  
pathologist gave it to a histotech for this - when the result was  
communicated to the surgeon.


Andrea Grantham, HT (ASCP)
Senior Research Specialist
University of Arizona
Cell Biology and Anatomy
Histology Service Laboratory
P.O.Box 245044
Tucson, AZ 85724

algranth <@t> email.arizona.edu
Tel: 520.626.4415     Fax: 520.626.2097

"happy slicing and dicing and may all your stains work perfectly" -  
Paula Sicurello
P Please consider the environment before printing this email.



On Jun 24, 2009, at 2:14 PM, Della Speranza, Vinnie wrote:

> Thanks Dr. Richmond. CAP's turnaround time requirement for frozen  
> sections is unchanged.
>
> My question was prompted by the fact that we have an individual  
> internal to our organization pushing for measuring turnaround from  
> time of order to time result is issued, which muddies the water, at  
> least for us as we do not have electronic ordering from the OR. This  
> is prompted by JCAHO's requirement that turnaround time for critical  
> tests be measured (Frozen section is considered a critical test by  
> this organization)
>
> As far as I know, there is no national standard to be met if one  
> measures turnaround from time of order, so the data then is up to  
> the institution's interpretation for what is acceptable.
>
> One of the respondents indicated that they consider the time the  
> sample gets to pathology as the time the test was ordered. Of those  
> who responded to my query, one lab has electronic order entry and is  
> just beginning to track both the in lab turnaround time and the time  
> from order to result.
>
> Vinnie Della Speranza
> Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
> Medical University of South Carolina
> 165 Ashley Avenue  Suite 309
> Charleston, South Carolina 29425
> Tel: (843) 792-6353
> Fax: (843) 792-8974
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
> ] On Behalf Of Robert Richmond
> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 1:29 PM
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] Re: tracking turnaround time of intraoperative  
> consultations
>
> Vinnie Della Speranza, Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services Medical
> University of South Carolina
> Charleston SC asks about tracking turnaround time of frozen sections  
> (note
> that not every intraoperative consultation requires a frozen section).
>
> The few services I've worked on that attempted to track turnaround  
> time
> timed them from time of receipt in the laboratory (using a time  
> stamp for
> that) to telephoning the report (the pathologist had to write down  
> the time
> on the hand-scribbled report). The prescribed maximum turnaround was  
> 20
> minutes, which is pretty easy to meet. Cases with multiple frozen  
> sections
> were not timed.
>
> Has there been some change in the CAP requirements for recording  
> turnaround
> time of frozen sections in the last three years?
>
> Bob Richmond
> Samurai Pathologist
> Knoxville TN
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