CLC Case Analysis & Practical Application 2

Question 1

A hospital laboratory consultant reviews turnaround time (TAT) data and finds STAT troponin results average 87 minutes, exceeding the 60-minute benchmark. Which action should be prioritized first?

Accepted Answer

Perform a workflow time-motion study to identify bottlenecks

Answer

A time-motion study identifies the root cause of TAT delays before committing resources to a solution.

Question 2

A laboratory consultant is asked to evaluate whether to bring microbiology culture testing in-house from a reference lab. Which financial metric is most critical to assess first?

Accepted Answer

Break-even volume analysis

Answer

Break-even volume analysis determines how many tests must be performed to justify the capital and operational costs of in-house testing.

Question 3

During a CLIA inspection preparation, a consultant discovers that the laboratory has been using reagents 3 weeks beyond the manufacturer's expiration date. What is the immediate corrective action?

Accepted Answer

Remove expired reagents, quarantine affected results for review, and implement an expiration monitoring log

Answer

Expired reagents must be immediately removed and affected results reviewed to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance.

Question 4

A consultant evaluating a physician office laboratory (POL) finds that a waived-test glucose meter lacks any quality control documentation for the past six months. Under CLIA, what is the correct classification of this deficiency?

Accepted Answer

Condition-level deficiency

Answer

Failure to perform manufacturer-recommended QC on waived tests is a condition-level deficiency under CLIA that must be corrected.

Question 5

A clinical laboratory consultant is analyzing staffing productivity metrics. The laboratory reports 1,200 billable tests per FTE per day. Compared to the MGMA benchmark of 900, what does this most likely indicate?

Accepted Answer

Understaffing with excessive overtime costs

Answer

A billable test per FTE significantly above benchmark typically signals understaffing, where staff are overworked to compensate for insufficient headcount.

(CLC) Certified Laboratory Consultant Practice Test

(CLC) Certified Laboratory Consultant Practice Test

CLC Case Analysis & Practical Application 2