A Framework for Utilization of Turnaround Time as a Quality Metric in Surgical Pathology

Abstract Timeliness of surgical pathology result reporting is a critical quality metric for patients and treating clinicians. Over the past several decades, studies have sought to define laboratory turnaround time (TAT) in the context of the surgical pathology workflow, investigate the various factors that influence TAT, and develop a framework to monitor, measure, and track TAT within and across laboratories. However, the complexity of health care delivery and health information technology creates barriers to tracking TAT that should be considered in the context of local environments. We seek to provide background and context as well as a framework for tracking TAT as a key quality metric in surgical pathology. We outline a roadmap to monitoring local TAT to maximize efficiency and customer satisfaction while reducing diagnostic error and near-miss safety events.