Trace laboratory delays from specimen receipt to verified result
An illustrative healthcare and life sciences concept connecting test orders, specimen events, laboratory queues, validation timestamps, and recollection records for healthcare laboratory turnaround.
Median laboratory turnaround time (hours)
Tests completed within agreed target (%)
Specimen rejection rate (%)
Pending tests beyond target
THE CHALLENGE
A single laboratory turnaround number hides receipt and validation bottlenecks
Stock not visible
Closing stock is reported irregularly or not at all.
Static norms
Stock norms do not change with seasonal sales velocity.
Fast-mover gaps
High-velocity SKUs run out while slow SKUs pile up.
Ordering by habit
Primary orders follow last month's quantity rather than need.
THE SOLUTION
Healthcare Laboratory Turnaround Review Framework
Specimen timeline
Collect daily or weekly closing stock from every distributor.
Velocity-based norms
Set norms from recent secondary sales velocity and lead time.
Gap identification
Compare stock with norm for every SKU and distributor.
Order suggestion
Show suggested primary quantities for sales team review.
THE APPROACH
Test Workflow Target Mapping
Standardise closing stock submissions and track missing reports.
Sales Velocity Calculation
Calculate rolling daily secondary sales by SKU and distributor.
Norm Recalculation
Recalculate days-of-cover norms with lead time and seasonality.
Below Norm Alerts
Calculate waiting and processing intervals separately instead of reporting one undifferentiated laboratory duration.
Verification Backlog Routing
Assign tests exceeding their agreed stage target to the authorized laboratory operational owner.
Laboratory Timestamp Reconciliation
Test external laboratory events, missing receipt times, and corrections without interpreting results or setting clinical priority.
THE IMPACT
Stage clarity
Teams could locate delays within the testing workflow.
Comparable turnaround
Different test categories could retain appropriate targets.
Recollection visibility
Rejected specimens could remain linked to their replacement.
Verification accountability
Completion could reflect authorized result validation.
Controlled review
Authorized teams could review aged specimens, repeated rejection reasons, and verification backlogs, with source evidence retained beside the review case.
Measurable evaluation
A pilot could establish baseline values for median laboratory turnaround time (hours) and assess changes after approved actions. The concept would not interpret laboratory results or set clinical testing priorities.
Explore Distributor Inventory And Stock Norms
Work with RUSA Analytics to connect distributor closing stock, stock norms, secondary sales velocity, and pending primary orders and create a governed workflow to review distributors below stock norm on fast movers or holding excess slow stock. Start with a scoped concept or pilot and agreed success measures.
MORE WORK
Explore other case studies