|
Article written by Michael Haller, Quality Manager, Analytical Products Group
Complete Article from Edition 30 APG eNewsletter
This article is the second in the series highlighting The Advantage Reporting Tool. The first article, published in the March Newsletter, discussed the foundation of The Advantage Reporting Tool.
Accreditation and, consequently, accreditation management is fundamental to laboratory operations. In today's highly competitive world, employees are "asked" to take on more responsibilities. The Advantage Reporting Tool provides you with the information to quickly manage your accreditation requirements.
Accreditation Management
 As discussed in the previous article, The Advantage Reporting Tool is divided into four quadrants. Each quadrant serves a distinct function. The Accreditation Management quadrants provide a visual, point-and-click analysis of your accreditation requirements.
Make It Easy – Map Your Way
Certification is based upon the proficiency testing results sent to a state accrediting authority. How do you actually use The Advantage Reporting Tool to quickly find accreditation information? The Certification Map is the best place to begin. The Certification Map is a visual timeline of your certification history.
Using the Certification Map
 Both standard proficiency testing studies and quick turnaround (PT STAT) studies are included in the Certification Map to provide you with a complete picture. First, select a certification officer. Then, filter by analyte(s) or evaluation criteria. There are five different ways to filter data:
| All analytes |
Show all analytes |
| Last evaluation not acceptable |
Show analytes for which the evaluation reported was a not acceptable. This is beneficial for determining remediation requirements. |
| Last two evaluations not acceptable |
Two consecutive not acceptable evaluations normally requires immediate corrective action. |
| Last two of three evaluations not acceptable |
Perfect for NELAC accreditation to ensure that you are meeting the 2 of 3 rule. |
| Individual analyte |
Accreditations related to a particular analyte. |
You can customize the Certification Map using the date range fields. You can also use the date range arrows on the left and right of the Certification Map to navigate. Using the legend on the top-right of the page, you will see that acceptable evaluations are displayed in green and not acceptable evaluations are displayed in red. For wastewater programs, check for error evaluations are displayed in blue.
...And now the best part
 Place your mouse over a data point to find the evaluation, method, and study. You can click on the data point to load the analyte detail page where you can view the acceptance criteria, interlaboratory statistics, and participation summary information. The analyte name is located on the left-side of each row. Clicking on the analyte name will load the analyte trend page which provides historical percent recovery and zscore information. This is an excellent way to show continuing quality improvement. It is also excellent for showing auditors that corrective actions have been effective.
Differentiation = Business Development
In next month's article, we will discuss quality improvement and business development. The place to begin is the Performance Map.
|
