Transcript Slide 1

Title: Sending unattended cases to file
Owner: AP Lab Ops Group
Background: We have experienced a number of “lost” cases that have mysteriously ended up in file without
a verified report. Cases stall at various stages of progression (e.g. blocks in file without having been cut,
slides in file apparently reviewed as evidenced by dots but without a dictated diagnosis, cases with dictated
diagnoses that were never verified, and cases with slides in file that were apparently never reviewed).
Investigation/current state:
Email received from Dr. Anthony Opipari on 2/5/10 regarding a patient who underwent a diagnostic and
therapeutic excision of her uterine cervix on 10/30/09 and for whom no pathology report was available in
CareWeb. Email sent after receiving no response to earlier phone conversation with “someone on your staff”.
2/8/10
Friday, 10/30/09 EAA
Recommendations:
1. Develop standard work using web based tracking tool to monitor pending
work in real time for all signout activities.
2. Task a team to assess and make recommendations for use of the stalled
cases report.
• New Gross
• Diagnosis
• Verified
3+ MONTHS!
Bx performed at EAA OR
Goal
No slides or blocks will be returned to file without proof of case progression.
Friday, 10/30/09 EAA
NOV - FEB
COE
• GA09-56050 @ 13:25
• GA09-56050 canceled @ 13:26
• GS09-56052 @ 1327
Case surfaces on
stalled case report
resident/staff
changeover
Friday, 10/30/09
Friday,
10/30/09
Monday,
11/2/09
History and gross dictated @ EAA
by TV, transcribed at 20:33
Blocks created @
20:24
Slides scanned out
of histol @ 07:18*
Analysis/root cause:
2/5/10
Phone call/email
alert from Dr.
Opipari
*20/21 GS cases scanned out of histol on 11/2 from
07:18–07:20 verified on 11/3 (17) or 11/4 (3)
People
Environment
lack of visual clarity in
signout rooms
lack of training/accountability for
core competencies (e.g. residents
to rotations, admin assists to
stalled case report)
opportunity to place slides to be
reviewed in “to be filed” location
no mechanism for holding faculty
accountable for assigned cases
no standard tool/method for
monitoring specific daily demand
no tool/mechanism to close the loop
when cases delivered to signout
rooms
case dictated under wrong patient identifier?
hand-offs during rotation changeovers
pending cases not visible to signing
faculty in CSO until diagnosis
entered cases diverted from usual workflow (e.g. consult,
recuts) disappear from view/attention
Method
Plan:
1. John Perrin and John Hamilton demonstrated online tool (Laboratory
Portal) to residents & fellows (4MAR10) and faculty (8MAR10).
• use of the Laboratory Portal will be piloted in the GI (GA) Room
and lessons learned shared at April faculty meeting with the goal
of gaining consensus regarding standard work/expectations
2. Stalled cases report team (Chris Rigney, John Perrin, Paulette Dozier,
Steve Mandell, Raja Rabah, Steve Marshall, Beth Minors) to bring
recommendations to AP Ops first week in May for further input,
revision, and endorsement.
case
returned to
file without
reporting
Next steps:
1. Members of AP Ops will return to list of potential
countermeasures at next regularly scheduled meeting.
2. Laboratory Portal piloted in GI/GA Room for month of March.