This has been a topic of debate at our facility also.  My pathologists cut
their own frozens in a designated frozen section room in surgery.  I can not
get them to enter any information on a log sheet.  We talked about a time
clock and the logistics of getting them to actually do this.  We finally
came up with the idea to monitor the frozen section turn-around times twice
a year.  For a two week period, we would time all the frozens.  We would
collect the data and document the percentages as part of our Impact Care
Plan.  Does this sound like a way to comply with the CAP standard?  

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Sandimc426@aol.com [SMTP:Sandimc426@aol.com]
> Sent:	Friday, March 31, 2000 7:08 AM
> To:	histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	Frozen turnaround time
> 
> I am interested in how different labs track the frozen turnaround time. 
> Currently we have a log sheet in the frozen area, the OR nurse that brings
> 
> the specimen in is the one that logs the specimen, pt info and arrival
> time. 
> The pathologist then fills in the diagnosis, completed time and initials.
> CAP 
> says that 90% of frozens should have a turnaround of 20 min or less. How
> are 
> other labs tracking this? Are other labs tracking every frozen or just 
> periodically?
> 
> Thank you for your input,
> Sandi McCollum
> Histology Supervisor
> All Saints Hospital
> Ft. Worth, TX