[Histonet] Weekend Coverage for Small Pathology Labs

[Bob Richmond]

Scott A. Lindrud, MLSCM(ASCP)CTCM, Histopathology Technical Specialist at
Carris Health in central Minnesota (apparently not part of the Mayo Clinic
system) asks:

>>I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share their experience with
weekend Histology coverage for smaller Pathology labs? When I say small,
I'm saying about 30,000-33,000 blocks per year (avg 130-140/day) with
automated IHC and special staining. Our lab is in a rural area where all
but one of the histotechs live between 25-50 miles away. Winter weather has
played a role in numerous instances of trying to get a histotech to the lab
on a bad weather Saturday. -- Our lab currently has a histotech come in on
Saturday morning to set up a gross for about 16-20 cases which will be put
on processing run to come off on Monday morning. The majority of the cases
are from colonoscopies, colposcopies, skin excisions, gallbladder/appendix,
and placentas. -- I'm asking this to see if there is a necessity for the
Saturday coverage for a lab our size.  If the industry standard is that
most labs of smaller size have some sort of Saturday histology coverage,
then we're good to go. But if most smaller labs aren't providing some sort
of weekend coverage, then I feel more confident talking to management for
our histotechs about the necessity of providing the Saturday coverage. I
just don't know what other smaller labs are doing.<<

Now retired at age 80, I did locum tenens coverage of a large number of
rural pathology practices in the southeastern US and adjacent states. I'm
not sure I saw any of these labs providing Saturday coverage after the
1980s, though many of them did before that.

"The majority of the cases are from colonoscopies, colposcopies, skin
excisions, gallbladder/appendix, and placentas." I don't see why it's
necessary to cut any of these on Saturday.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Maryville TN