[Histonet] Cost Analysis:

[Rene J Buesa]

Costs have to include MATERIALS and SALARY component so you have to do several things:1- determine the "hands-on" time preparing the slide to go the IHC procedure. For example: if you do IHC automated there is time in handling the slides to complete HIER (even when the HIER time itself does not require actual handling). There is time needed to take the slides from HIER to be placed in the automated instrument, and so on, There is always a certain amount of time involved in handling the slides, even if you do IHC manually the time of incubation cannot be included because the tech can do other things while the sections are incubated. Every and all steps requiring the handling of the slides has to be known and that will be the TIME component. You then will have to determine HOW MANY SLIDES can be handled in that time frame and, depending on the hourly salary of the tech doing IHC that will be the salary component for EACH BATCH of slides. Divide the BATCH cost/number of slides = COST/SLIDE in the salary component.
2- determine the materials costs per slide: keep track of how many slides can be completed with EACH material component (either from a kit or from "lab made" reagents). If you use only kits the task is simpler because you know the cost of each kit: determine the date it was open and the date when it is used up and you have to keep track of all the slides it was used for. Add-up ALL the costa of ALL the kits and divide the TOTAL COST / ALL the slides = material cost/slide.If you prepare your own reagents or if you use Ab concentrates, you have to consider the components costs remembering to use the cost of the Ab diluents if using concentrates and, again, you have to keep track of the slides processed.
At the end you add-up the cost/slide found in steps "1" and "2" and you will get an idea of the total IHC cost / slide.Consider also that in "cost/slide 1" (salary component) nothing about the "benefits" components (Social Security, insurance, vacations and any other benefits your institution incorporates into the salary) will be included. You will get the 'GROSS SALARY component/slide".
In the preparation of the slides you have also to include the dewaxing→hydrating steps of the sections and its time (either manual or automated).
Now, how you keep track of all these times and materials used, is up to you, but you have to develop that system that will allow you to determine, as accurately as possible, the time and materials used in preparing each finished IHC slide, that will have to include also: dehydrating→clearing→coverlipping→labelling (if not labeled at the start)→sorting→matcing with the paper work→delivering to the pathologists.
EVERY task, its time and material component for EACH slide has to be determined to get an idea of your costs/slide.
Under separate cover I will send you an article with the results I obtained in the lab I last worked.René J. 

     On Friday, January 16, 2015 6:28 PM, Jb <craigak12 <@t> gmail.com> wrote:
   

 Hello Histonet,

Can someone please help me with a formula to figure out cost/analysis of IHC antibody per slide, detection system per slide?  

I am trying to break down all of our current lab costs (even processing) and I am new at this any help is greatly appreciated. 

Sent from my iPhone
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