title: A worksheet summary system for clinical laboratory management.
abstract: This article describes a simple method for summarizing total activity from the worksheets used at each workstation in a clinical laboratory. Monthly reports display day-to-day trends in total workload, as well as changes in the ratio between charged and total tests. Cumulative summaries of the monthly reports display month-to-month trends of total workload, as well as the ratio between charged and total tests. These reports also provide: (1) a simple method to calculate "lost revenue" (difference between total "chargeable" work and credited revenue); (2) more rapid and more uniform calculation of CAP workload units. In the author's laboratory, time required to maintain this data base and calculate CAP workload units has been less than the time previously required for calculation of CAP workload units alone.
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003626:Data Display; D004526:Efficiency; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science; D009934:Organization and Administration; D010336:Pathology; D010414:Pennsylvania; D000078329:Workforce