Laboratory outreach is a business that is run from within a hospital. A well-defined outreach infrastructure includes staff to support operations, logistics, sales, marketing, finance, billing, information technology, registration, phlebotomy, and more. Fully staffing an outreach program may seem daunting, with organizational limitations on requesting new FTEs or even finding qualified staff to fill open positions. Further, as organizations become more complex, more services are being consolidated at the institutional level, which may have impacts on the laboratory. In a constrained staffing environment, how can an outreach program effectively meet customer needs?

Staffing phlebotomy for a skilled nursing facility (SNF)

Often, phlebotomy staff report for an early morning shift, perform early morning draws on the hospital floors, and then leave for several hours to draw in SNFs. This practice can be time-consuming and inefficient. If phlebotomists live near the SNF locations, consider allowing them to collect the specimens on their way to work at the hospital. Support the phlebotomist by paying for personal car mileage and providing specimen transportation materials and a spill kit. Through creativity and equipping staff, SNF staffing doesn’t need to be a challenge.

Staffing patient service centers

At a patient service center, patients are usually registered into the hospital system before their blood is drawn. Some organizations have dedicated registration staff and dedicated phlebotomists, some have cross-trained phlebotomists/registrars. Establishing and maintaining proficiency in both phlebotomy and registration is a challenge, and areas that have these staff may be prone to longer wait times or increased error rates. If retaining qualified staff is a concern, consider collaborating with the patient registration department to support laboratory registration. Don’t be afraid to explore technology solutions like requisition scanning and remote data entry to facilitate the process. 

Cross-training is not always the best solution

An outreach program benefits when there is an effective marketing and communication function. Many are not able to staff a marketing function, and laboratory employees are generally not skilled at managing this important area. Because the laboratory outreach program is an extension of the health system’s brand, it is reasonable to reach out to the corporate-level marketing department for advice and support. The organization likely has specific brand standards that should be applied to any patient-facing materials. The laboratory should collaborate with the marketing team to ensure any lab-developed communications materials are professional, effective, and aligned with the organization’s brand.

Partner with your organization’s marketing team

An outreach program benefits when there is an effective marketing and communication function. Many are not able to staff a marketing function, and laboratory employees are generally not skilled at managing this important area. Because the laboratory outreach program is an extension of the health system’s brand, it is reasonable to reach out to the corporate-level marketing department for advice and support. The organization likely has specific brand standards that should be applied to any patient-facing materials. The laboratory should collaborate with the marketing team to ensure any lab-developed communications materials are professional, effective, and aligned with the organization’s brand.

Getting the most out of institutional-level support

Ideally, the laboratory will be able to justify and hire the necessary staff to support the operations and business aspects of the outreach program. These roles could include information technology, billing, and logistics. When unable to hire dedicated employees for these functions, don’t be afraid to look to the institution and identify ways to work within and across departments, working together to meet outreach customer and patient needs. This will require training and building effective communication pathways to maintain collaborative relationships. Regardless of the model, sharing these functions can be an effective way to achieve operational efficiency.

Through creativity, collaboration, and cross-training, there can be multiple solutions to provide the level of support needed by the laboratory staff and the people they serve.