In long-term care and post-acute healthcare settings, timely and accurate diagnostics are critical. Whether monitoring recovery from a hospital stay or identifying the early signs of infection or cognitive decline, lab testing is foundationalto clinical decision-making.
Yet many senior care providers face operational friction and missed opportunities when it comes to send-out lab testing—those tests that must be processed by external reference laboratories. Delays in results, miscommunication, and a lack of visibility into lab performance can all compromise patient outcomes.
For providers who truly view care as a calling—not just a function—the challenge is clear: how can we deliver lab services with the same compassion, attention, and rigor that define our bedside care?
The Challenge: Disconnected Lab Testing Workflows
The Issue:
Despite being essential, lab testing is often treated as a transactional back-office process. Samples may be delayed in pickup, orders get misrouted, and result reporting lacks context. For patients—especially seniors with comorbidities—this can lead to delayed treatment or unnecessary transfers to higher levels of care.
Common pain points include:
- Inconsistent turnaround times
- Lack of transparency around test status
- Errors in labeling, order entry, or transport
- Limited communication with the lab on urgent cases
These operational breakdowns also strain relationships between care staff and lab vendors, creating tension and mistrust that erodes team performance.
The Opportunity: Building Collaborative Lab Relationships
The Solution:
To transform send-out testing into a strategic asset, senior care facilities must shift from vendor management to lab partnerships. This means working with external labs not just as service providers, but as clinical collaborators.
Key steps include:
1. Standardizing Communication Protocols
Set clear expectations for how urgent results are escalated, who receives notifications, and how discrepancies are resolved. Using shared communication platforms or EHR-integrated alerts helps streamline updates and reduce phone tag.
2. Improving Specimen Handling and Logistics
Use consistent processes for sample collection, labeling, and transport to minimize errors. Partner labs can provide training or co-design workflows that reduce rejected specimens and expedite pickup schedules.
3. Monitoring Lab Performance with Shared Metrics
Track KPIs like test turnaround time, error rates, and repeat test frequency. Discuss them regularly with your lab partner to drive continuous improvement.
4. Aligning on Clinical Priorities
Work with the lab to prioritize testing panels that align with your patient population—such as infection panels, medication monitoring, or early dementia biomarkers—and to implement reflex testing where appropriate.
5. Fostering a Culture of Clinical Curiosity
Encourage clinical staff to ask questions about lab results and patterns. Bring lab representatives into care team meetings or QA rounds when possible. This breaks down silos and builds mutual respect.
Real Impact: From Results to Relationships
When senior care providers take these steps, they see more than just operational improvements—they see stronger care teams and better patient outcomes. Nurses are less frustrated. Physicians make faster decisions. Families receive more confident updates. And lab partners feel trusted and valued, which motivates them to go above and beyond.
Conclusion: Elevating Lab Testing with the Same Compassion as Bedside Care
In senior healthcare, it’s the little things—like showing up with urgency, labeling a vial correctly, or making a timely phone call—that make all the difference. That principle doesn’t stop at the bedside; it applies just as powerfully to lab workflows.
By reimagining send-out lab testing as a relational, clinical, and quality-driven process, senior care providers can turn a common pain point into a competitive advantage. Because when diagnostics are handled with heart and coordination, everyone—especially the patient—wins.
