Milwaukee Laboratory System Improvement Program (L-SIP)

• Published in: Public health reports (1974) Vol. 128; no. 2_suppl; pp. 40 - 48
• Main Authors: Gradus, M. Stephen, Bhattacharyya, Sanjib, Murphy, Amy, Becker, Julie N., Baker, Bevan K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Association of Schools of Public Health 01.09.2013; SAGE Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Advisory Committees; Associations; Collaboration; Community health; Financing, Government; Funding; Grants; Health Planning - organization & administration; Health policy; Humans; Laboratories; Laboratories - economics; Laboratories - manpower; Laboratories - organization & administration; Laboratories - standards; Local Government; Medical laboratories; Medical practice; Medical research; Perceptions; PRACTICE; Public health; Public Health - economics; Public Health - manpower; Public Health - methods; Public Health - standards; Quality Assurance, Health Care - methods; Quality Improvement - economics; Quality Improvement - organization & administration; Research facilities; Stakeholders; Subcommittees; Wisconsin; Workforce; Milwaukee County Wisconsin
• ISSN: 0033-3549; 1468-2877
• DOI: 10.1177/00333549131280S207

The Laboratory System Improvement Program (L-SIP) of the Association of Public Health Laboratories aims to improve state public health laboratory (PHL) system performance through continuous quality improvement. We successfully applied this state assessment tool to a local PHL (LPHL) system by tailoring it to reflect local system needs and created an LPHL system definition explaining how a local system differs from, yet complements, a state system. On November 18, 2010, 75 stakeholders from 40 agencies assessed the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, PHL system, capturing themes, strengths and weaknesses of the system, and scores for each of the 10 Essential Public Health Services. A Laboratory Advisory Committee analyzed assessment results to identify a strategic focus of research and workforce development and define an action plan, which is now being carried out. Milwaukee's L-SIP process is effectively improving LPHL system research and workforce development while raising community awareness of the system.