STAT TURNAROUND TIME - SATELLITE AND POINT-TO-POINT TESTING

In late 1993, we decentralized critical rare and emergency room (ER) l aboratory testing services at our institution. An institutional policy that limits patients' total length of stay in the ER to 4 hours promp ted this change, as did continued complaints about the lengthy therape utic STAT turnaround time (STAT TAT) for all critical care testing. Ou r goal was to decrease therapeutic STAT TAT by simultaneous interventi on in the laboratory and nonlaboratory areas, To address the laborator y component, we decreased the laboratory STAT TAT from 1 hour to 45 mi nutes with an acceptable performance target for the ER greater than 95 %, We improved the critical care unit (CCU) testing services by implem enting satellite laboratories. Respiratory therapists now perform test ing in the new satellite laboratories under the supervision of medical technologists, Recent review of quality assurance data shouted an ave rage TAT in the ER of less than 45 minutes and an average TAT in the C CU of less than 5 minutes (ULTRASTAT) or less than 10 minutes (STAT), with acceptable performance greater than 98%.