By Sten Westgard, MS
Healthcare is not immune to the financial straits. When the entire economy is hemorrhaging jobs at a nauseating rate, there are fewer patients who can afford to pay. So it's not surprising to hear that laboratories are being ordered to cut budgets, staff, and even more in response to the worsening economy.
What I don't remember is when the laboratory wasn't cutting its budget. For at least the last two decades, cost cutting has been the constant mantra. More than Six Sigma, Lean, and even more than compliance, the primary management approach to the laboratory has been reducing costs and staff. Aren't we lean enough yet?
When was the last time a laboratory got an adequate budget? Or the training budget needed to keep staff skills current? Or the salaries sufficient to hire staff who will stay for the long haul? All of this happened once, I guess, but it was before my time. (I realize I'm painting with a too-broad brush here, because there are institutions that make the proper investment in the laboratories, but they are the exception, not the rule.)
It's as Diana Maas says, the laboratory profession has been a victim of its own success, absorbing past cuts without complaining. And It's as Paul Epner says, the laboratory profession has been too fragmented, too quiet and too modest about the contribution it makes to healthcare.
For those of you dealing with those budget directives, our sympathy. Let's hope we can all make it through this thing without too many bruises.
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