[Histonet] Pathologists' Names on H&E Labels

[Roger Heyna]

For years, our lab's information system has been set up so that the name of the pathologist assigned to a case prints on our H&E labels to assist with sorting and grouping the slides after staining. As new pathologists join our team, concerns regarding this practice have come up. The pathologists are concerned that having their names on the slides pose medical-legal liability, and they want the names removed. I've yet to hear clear ramifications involved with having doctors' names on slides. What liability is really involved?
 
We are a large, urban academic medical center with high specimen volumes. Our pathologists rotate through different sub-specialties, sometimes on a daily basis. For us, having the pathologists' names on the H&E labels seems to be the easiest way to get the H&E's to the correct pathologist.
 
Are other labs printing the names of the pathologists on their H&E labels? Is anyone aware of any legal risk involved in this practice? Would anyone mind sharing how they sort and divide the slides before submitting them to their pathologists?
 
Thank you,
 
Roger Heyna, BS, HTL(ASCP)
Loyola University Medical Center
Maywood, IL