No matter your diagnostic lab’s size or volume, there’s one risk you can’t escape—error.
There are laboratory errors happening that may be impacting your productivity and, potentially, patient care. Errors can cost a typical U.S. hospital up to $1.2M1. If left unchecked, how will those errors impact your lab this year or five years into the future?
First factor: There is a personnel shortage, in part due to an aging workforce. Many experienced medical lab technicians are retiring or planning to retire. The average expected five-year overall retirement rate for all departments in a recent ASCP vacancy survey was 19.4%.2 In addition, retirement impacts educational programs and, as a result, training of the next generation of technologists. More than 40% of program directors for clinical laboratory science education will be retiring in five years.3 Adding to the problem: more than 40,000 U.S. lab jobs are already vacant.4
