[Histonet] Histology Workload

[Terri Braud]

Dear Amy - 
With 30+ years of experience of running an extremely tight ship, I can see how you would be drowning in work from the loads you are describing. I will email you separately, 2 articles concerning calculation and documentation of workload.  One is from CAP in conjunction with NSH, and the other is authored by Rene Buesa.  
These should help.  Additional, take the time to call and document the workload and staffing from similar sized institutions with similar billed tests.
Look for tasks that you do that other institutions do not assign within the Histology Department, such as billing and send outs.  Every little bit helps.
Then, write up your case, and present it with a specific request for "X" number of additional hours at a (Histo-tech, ass't, or office) specified level.
You need to be specific with your proof and your request for additional help.
It's the only way to be heard.  I hope this helps, Terri

Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
Anatomic Pathology Supervisor
Holy Redeemer Hospital Laboratory
1648 Huntingdon Pike
Meadowbrook, PA 19046
Ph: 215-938-3676
Fax: 215-938-3874

   2. Histology Workload (Amy Self)
   3. Re: Histology Workload (Cartun, Richard)
   4. Re: Histology Workload (Michael Ann Jones)

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2015 16:41:10 -0400
From: Amy Self <ASelf at tidelandshealth.org>
Subject: [Histonet] Histology Workload


Happy Monday to Everyone,
I have been trying[ to figure out how to justify additional help in histology - and it's been hard.  My facility staffs according to billables.  This by no means feels fair to anyone in this department.  You could have a specimen that will provide one billable CPT code but can produce as many as 20 paraffin blocks.  And now it seems like we are getting many request for molecular test that require us to mail the patients material out but we have no way of showing that we did this work - we call this free work. We get no credit for time spent preparing and packaging pathology material to send out to reference labs. Am I missing any CPT codes that can be used to show that we in fact did something in addition to routine pathology to this case.

We have 1 histotech - 1 histotech/histology supervisor and one histology assistant.
Our block load averages from 125 to 170 daily.
We also prep non-gyn cytologies.
Accession all specimens that come in that lab.
All mail-outs
The histotech/histology supervisor is responsible for all of the billing as well as keeping up with new and old policies/ requirements for CAP/ auditing billing and the list could go on.

We are drowning in our own workload but don't know how to prove that the help is needed.  Any help - advice - suggestions anything will be appreciated. How can I prove to upper management that we need more help although the billables/productivity numbers say different?

Thanks in advance,
Amy Self
Histology Lab Senior Tech
Lab
Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital
606 Black River Road
Georgetown, SC 29440
843-520-8711
ASelf at tidelandshealth.org