How reps can simplify their workload and keep customers’ physician office labs running smoothly.
By Jim Poggi
Whether you are dealing with a long-standing lab customer or a new moderate complexity laboratory customer, your objectives are to assure their satisfaction by assessing and addressing issues related to the big picture issues: lab performance, the quality of the customer experience and availability of needed patient lab tests to assist in creating timely and effective patient care.
So, how do you get to the big picture? By rolling up your sleeves and addressing all the elements of lab management at a sufficient level of detail to assure smooth running of the laboratory. The big picture is made up of a far larger number of individual pieces that all need to fit neatly together. In this column, I plan to provide you with my thinking on management of those pesky individual elements to simplify your workload and to keep your customers’ physician office labs running efficiently.
For a physician office lab to operate optimally, it requires frequent communication and a commitment of all parties (Lab management, lab personnel, manufacturers and you as distributor and quarterback) to manage and maintain the lab. So, what are the moving parts that go into creating an efficiently running laboratory? Granted that a new laboratory will take more of your time and that of your key manufacturing partners, but both new and established labs have all the same needs and requirements. Let’s take a closer look.
As you can see, there is a lot going on and it is your responsibility to quarterback the process and keep the customer from being overwhelmed. Close communication with your lab manufacturers is a strong asset and an example of good teamwork. As a potential best practice, I would suggest developing and communicating a checklist with your customer, your key manufacturers and any outside help you may have available. Making sure all the key activities are visible will make sure they all get timely attention.
The checklist above may be a good start, and a quick internet search or consultation with your lab manufacturer or lab specialist can also be a great starting point. Regardless of how you choose a checklist, make sure to do so and communicate it to all with a need to know. This is your activity road map and a significant key to success. It should be part of the laboratory’s procedure manual and referred to often.
Managing your action items
With so many items to manage, how do you keep it from becoming either an overwhelming chore or one that got documented but not used? I have two thoughts. First, I recommend you put a couple of checklist items (maybe test mix review) on every customer visit to keep the routine workload light. A full review of progress and open checklist items should be the subject of a specific laboratory quarterly business review. Second, I recommend paying careful and ongoing attention to the little clues on every visit: is the lab tidy, are there new techs that need training, what is the general lab morale? Does the lab seem calm and orderly? The attention you provide will position you well as an informed consultant who cares about your customer’s satisfaction and the quality of patient care they provide. In addition, frequent check-ins help to avoid surprises and crisis management activities.
I recommend you manage the quarterly lab business review as you would for any other important element of your business. Set appointment timing and agendas in advance. Request a list of questions and concerns in advance of the meeting and share as needed with your manufacturers and lab specialists. Assure availability of practice personnel including the lab director and techs. Have your needed manufacturer(s) at the meeting for technical discussions. Refer to the checklist and make sure there are personnel specifically assigned to lab tasks and that your action items are up to date.
Key areas of focus from my experience include: training, test mix assessment, QC and PT review, spend and revenue trends. The more prepared you are for the business review, the more confident you will be. It shows through to your customers who count on you as their valued lab consultant.
Finally, every good business review creates a summary of the items discussed, which ones require follow up, who has the action items and when are they due to be completed. As important as the business review may be, assuring timely closure of action items is even more important to maintain credibility with the customer and assure the continued success of their physician office laboratory. As the quarterback, it is your responsibility to take notes and communicate a summary after every business review meeting.
End game
The end game is to make sure all the three pillars of value and strong and well managed: clinical, economic and workflow. As you use a sound checklist, frequent communication with the customer and actively involve your manufacturers and lab specialists available to you, you will find management of the customer’s lab becomes a routine element of your overall business. I am also willing to bet that it not only keeps your current customers satisfied and testing, but it should also lead to referrals to other prospects in your territory. It is time well spent that pays dividends in every possible way. Make it part of your routine.
| Key lab management activities and responsibilities | ||
| Item | Responsible | Assisted by |
| Reagent and consumable order creation and updating | Your customer | You and customer service |
| Fulfillment of standing orders | You and customer service | Your manufacturer |
| Quality control result management | Your customer | Your manufacturer/LIS provider |
| Proficiency testing establishment and maintenance | Your customer | PT program personnel/key manufacturer |
| Test mix management | Your customer | You and your key manufacturer |
| Availability of all needed lab accessories and equipment | Your manufacturer | You with customer agreement |
| Scheduling and completing preventive maintenance | Your manufacturer | Your customer |
| Creating and managing lab procedure manuals | Your customer with active involvement of your manufacturer | COLA, lab consultants and some software programs offer templates that can be very useful. Here is a checklist created by Stanford University: LABORATORY & SHOP INSPECTION CHECKLIST (stanford.edu) |
| Lease termination tracking | Your customer | You and your manufacturer |
| Waste management | Your customer | You and your manufacturers |
| Calibration of pipettes and centrifuges | Your customer | Your manufacturer; various calibration services |