02 Oct 08 Who’s at fault for bad health care?
I have been reading some of the comments posted by LabCorp employees in this blog. It’s interesting how many of them blame everyone else but themselves for the poor service that patients get at LabCorp centers. According to the employees posting, the doctor, the insurance company and even the patient themselves are at fault. I would have to agree with them. Everyone else but you is at fault for bad health care.
The doctor, for sending the patient to the LabCorp center in order to get a blood test. The insurance company, for going with the lowest bidder and allowing LabCorp into their network of providers. The patient, for allowing their doctor and insurance company to send them to LabCorp for blood tests. They are all at fault that Labcorp has deteriorated as a service provider. It’s their fault that the test results can’t be trusted. It’s their fault that centers close early and that employees treat the patients with such disrespect.
It’s not the fault of the mid-level manager that strives to make a quick buck so that the upper manager commends them. It’s not the Patient Services supervisor who has not idea of what “real” patient services 
means. It’s not the service center receptionist who treats patients as though they are doing them a favor by taking their blood. It’s not the laboratory personnel that quickly runs blood tests through the system so that they can meet their daily quota, disregarding the quality standards that insure the accuracy of the tests.
Employees who were sent here to defend the company, my recommendation to you is that you have all your fellow employees look in the mirror to see who is really at fault for bad health care. My recommendation to the doctors, insurance companies and patients that are causing all these problems. Stop sending, paying or going to LabCorp for tests. That should resolve all the problems.
Tags: bad health care, Bad Service Centers, billing, complaints, health care, insurance, LabCorp Doctors, LabCorp Employees, LabCorp Jobs, physicians
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I am shocked but not really with your comment about patient service.
It is true that people tend to blame everyone else but themselves. The company treats us like property and another “obstacle” to success of The Company. A letter to employees stated that they are committed to improvements in service and whatever else. The CEO (I believe) literally said they have to remove obstacles to their success. The only obstacles I can remember them moving in our lab were employees.
When I was hired, we had so much work to do and when the company bought out the lab that we were doing business as, so many doctors left us. Years later they decide we’re not doing enough work and that there is not enough business in our region thanks to competition to area teaching hospitals, Quest and MayoClinic and such. They fired all the lab aides and all of first shift in hematology and chemistry and special chem and other minor departments. The few months later they fired all customer service, IT and chemistry and hematology except two techs. A few months later they fired all of billing except for the supervisor.
Now, they want to bring in DOUBLE the workload in micro from another lab that can’t handle the workload. We are stretched to the limit. Techs are doing the work of lab aides and barely enough time to do their own jobs. The supervisor is unable to do his supervisor duties because he’s covering for holidays and vacations and sick days. This is all BEFORE the workload increase.
Did I mention that some techs are losing their earned time (PLB) because they’re unable to use it because of busy-ness.
I could complain more but I may blow an artery.
I almost forgot…
Our specimen shipping to other labs needs to get out the door by 3am. Accessioning has the authority to delay everyone else’s specimens in order to get those out the door. That means so many refrigerated specimens get left at room temperature for upwards to 6 hours?
IN DEFENSE, yes, there are many phlebs that perhaps are not extremly pleasant to patients. IN LABCORP defense, we are extremly understaffed, and we do all the paperwork, and blood work, as well as tagging and bagging of YOUR BLOOD. I treat all my patients with respect, even though people can be annoying and nasty, I let it roll off my back, and move on. I work at a very busy site, and often are pulled to other sites to help out. Our specimens are picked up 3 times a day and handled and are accounted for. Management adheres us to a very strict compliance, and it means “OUR JOB”. If you had a bad experience at one of our sites, yes, by all means let a supervisor know. I saw a blog about a child who had a bad experience. We treat children, as we do our own. It’s a scary thing for them, and we need asssitance at times from the parent to hold the child correctly, (bear hug), and sometimes they don’t which resuls in the child having to be poked again, or in a bruise. It is not our intent to harm children, we need to get the blood for the test the physician ordered. I do recommend that you go to a site that has two phlebs, as we know how to hold/restrain a child. LabCORP does not suck, and I am sure I will get feedback from this. I am proud to be part of a Corporation, who holds us accountable for our professionalism. I love my job, and feel that I can listen and have compassion for my patients that I see usually on a weekly basis (PT/Coumadin Club), they like that name I gave my special people! It’s not all bad, Long Island, Suffolk County…..we’re doing good out here!
PHOENIX, AZ
RIGHT ON, Nancy!!!!! I agree whole heartedly with you!
Nancy hit the nail on the head. The LabCorp employees are usually very dedicated, but the key to her whole presentation is “we are extremely understaffed” Any company that keeps itself “extremely understaffed” has very poor management and is much more interested in squeezing out the last penny of profit at the expense of its employees and its patients. I know from first hand experience.