OMER KIRAN: My scientific background – including my undergraduate degree in physics and my Lean and Six Sigma Green Belt certification – have empowered my work in Technical Solutions Design. Through my understanding of physics, I am able to combine an understanding of laboratory processes with solid analytical thinking. This enables me to build powerful models that simulate how a lab can elevate performance by implementing various operational improvements.

OMER KIRAN: Our laboratory partners recognize that even though their challenges may be specific to their market – for example, an accreditation requirement or a need for traceability – the solution requires the kind of diverse and nuanced perspective that can only be gained through intimate contact with 25-30 labs each year. By sharing insights and best practices that we have gained through this vast experience, we are able to provide personalized recommendations that support continuous improvement initiatives.

OMER KIRAN: When I think about future dynamics that laboratories should be preparing for, the most important ones that come to mind are consolidation, cost pressures, staffing shortages, and better patient engagement – the way the laboratory reaches and interacts with the patient. As more and more people take a proactive role in their health – a trend that accelerated during the pandemic – we are seeing a growing need for labs to be able to work directly with the public.  

OMER KIRAN: As laboratories and health systems develop their strategic plans, it’s important that they identify SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely) goals and KPIs that address the market dynamics that are most relevant to their businesses, and continuously track their performance. They need to build continuous improvement and performance measurement into their operating cultures.

SMART goals, by definition, are specific to each laboratory and health system. This isn’t about measuring turnaround time (TAT) because all labs are concerned with TAT. It’s about setting goals that measurably impact operational performance and integrated care within your lab and your health system. It’s about measuring things that matter. Finding the right KPI set and measuring them is not an easy task. As an example, the lab can optimize workflows, use the highest level of automation, minimize manual intervention, and measure their production capacity and production speed. However, if a certain percentage of samples they receive are being transported incorrectly, they can spend a disproportionate amount of resources and time to solve that issue based on sample integrity. So, it is all about identifying and measuring the right KPIs specific to a lab’s particular needs and going beyond the general KPI sets when needed.

This is an area where having a business intelligence solution in place can facilitate success. With all the daily challenges of running a lab, performance measurement needs to be as simple and systematic as possible. A dashboard that is configured to a lab’s specific goals can be extremely helpful.

Finally, it’s also important to ensure that you’re measuring the right things for the right reasons and that you’re leveraging opportunities for meaningful improvement. As is often said, what can be measured can be improved. What’s also true is that data by itself is interesting at best. It’s what you do with the data that impacts performance and future viability.