title: Consolidation of the North Shore-LIJ Health System anatomic pathology services: the challenge of subspecialization, operations, quality management, staffing, and education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe our experience, both in meeting challenges and in reporting outcomes, of the consolidation of anatomic pathology services in the North Shore-LIJ Health System in February 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  We addressed issues of governance, personnel, physical plant, quality programming, connectivity, and education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The highly regulated nature of the laboratory industry and the fact that patient care necessarily never pauses require that such a consolidation take place without a break in service or degradation in turnaround time and quality while engaging personnel at all levels in the extra duties related to consolidation. Subspecialization has allowed us to better meet the needs of our in-system health care community while increasing our access to the competitive outreach marketplace.
authors.affiliation: North Shore-LIJ Laboratories, 5 Dakota Drive, Suite 308, Lake Success, NY 11042, USA. dgroppi@nshs.edu
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Groppi
authors.forename: Claudine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Alexis
authors.forename: Chiara F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Sugrue
authors.forename: Cynthia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Bevis
authors.forename: Tawfiqul A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bhuiya
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000592:standards*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D008490:Medical Informatics; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel / Q000193:education*; D009518:New York; D010336:Pathology / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D010337:Pathology Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D010338:Pathology, Clinical / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D010340:Pathology, Surgical / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D013038:Specialization; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
keywords: Anatomic pathology; Consolidation; Governance; Quality assurance; Quality management; Subspecialization; Workforce integration