ASCP Negotiation & Advocacy Toolbox Helps Laboratories Demonstrate Their Value

ASCP members have spoken – clinical laboratory leaders want data-driven tools, templates, presentations, and tips on how to advocate for their laboratory and staffing needs to C-Suite executives and hospital administrators. Enter ASCP’s new comprehensive resource, the Negotiation & Advocacy Toolbox available at: https://www.supportcdconelab.org/toolbox/. 

Segmented into five core pillars to help laboratory leaders demonstrate the value of their laboratory, the Negotiation & Advocacy Toolbox provides a one-stop shop of ready-to-use materials that can be adapted for laboratory advocacy efforts. Through dedicated efforts of both ASCP members and staff, the Toolbox was launched in its complete form in March after almost two years in the making. Subject matter experts (SMEs), Mr. Ihab Abumuhor, MSHCA, MSCS, MLS(ASCP)SBB, Mrs. Christy Nickel, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM, CPHQ , and Mr. Aaron Odegard M.S. MLS(ASCP)^CMSM^CM, designed and developed content for the Toolbox. Tools were either directly sourced from SMEs or developed de novo by the SME team based on identified needs.  

Each of the five core pillars includes its own toolkit of resources including an overview presentation, supplementary references, and supporting materials. Each pillar is briefly outlined below: 

• Promoting Laboratory Visibility (Pillar 1): This toolkit empowers you to get the word out (or in) about the value of the laboratory (e.g., learn how to present key laboratory KPIs to other departments, modify templates to present on the value of your laboratory, etc.).
• People & Culture (Pillar 2): This toolkit supports you to recruit and retain your laboratory Dream Team through creating a positive, collaborative culture (e.g., adapt templates that support hiring and staff pay increases, learn tactics to create opportunities for employee engagement and rounding, etc.).
• Quality (Pillar 3): This toolkit helps you connect your laboratory’s quality results and needs with patient care and outcomes (e.g., demonstrate that the laboratory’s results matter to patient care, use quality data metrics to identify and justify new staffing needs, etc.)
• Lab Finance (Pillar 4): This toolkit enables confidence in your ability to understand how your lab’s financial fit into the bigger picture for the hospital system (e.g., demonstrate and share cost efficiency of your lab operations with leadership, perform ROI analysis to understand revenue increases or cost savings conferred from new equipment or staff, etc.)
• Service & Growth (Pillar 5): This toolkit helps you shepherd your lab to the next level of excellence and growth (e.g., create a culture where clients are valued, define strategies to expand lab outreach services, etc.)

ASCP has also launched a supporting initiative called “Lab Advocacy in Action,” focused on providing support to individuals implementing Toolbox resources for their own laboratory advocacy efforts. A virtual office hours program will start on June 14 (featuring support related to Pillar 1 implementation projects). To register for the virtual office hours program, visit the Lab Advocacy in Action page here. Bring your questions related to each month’s featured pillar or join us for tips on how to navigate your laboratory advocacy efforts with our SMEs!  

Take this quick 1-minute survey to let us know what you think of this new resource! https://ascp.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aXeSa3PUUk9mMdw 

To read more articles from this issue of ePolicy, click here. To learn more about ePolicy News and access past newsletters and articles, click here.