Adoption of lean principles in a high-volume molecular diagnostic microbiology laboratory.
Clinical laboratories are constantly facing challenges to do more with less, enhance quality, improve test turnaround time, and reduce operational expenses. Experience with adopting and applying lean concepts and tools used extensively in the manufacturing industry is described for a high-volume clinical molecular microbiology laboratory, illustrating how operational success and benefits can be achieved.
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
P Shawn
PS
Mitchell
Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Jayawant N
JN
Mandrekar
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA jdcyao@mayo.edu.
Joseph D C
JD
Yao
D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D057188:Workflow