Background: Critical lab values are those results that require rapid notification to clinical staff so that urgent interventions can be made to avoid morbidity or mortality. The Joint Commission requires that hospitals have an effective critical lab value process in place.  The process is a time-consuming multi-step progression of phone calls with associated documentation.  The [...]

Background: Timely Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) testing is challenging but is important for faster and appropriate isolation and treatment of patients. Few studies have specifically addressed effective methods to hasten CDI testing without relying on PCR. We sought to use Quality Improvement methodologies including the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycle and Control Charts to reduce CDI testing [...]