Patent ID: 7711503

Claim:
A system for integrating the internal and external quality control programs of a laboratory utilizing control rules for specified laboratory tests, comprising: at least one storage device located at a laboratory; at least one processor located at the laboratory that is operable to: maintain in the storage device at least one database identifying a plurality of laboratory tests and corresponding group statistical summary data, the database also identifying the plurality of laboratory tests and corresponding control rules expressed as a function of the group statistical summary data; calculate a control range for a specified one of the laboratory tests by applying the group statistical summary data for the specified laboratory test to the control rule for the specified laboratory test whereby the calculated control range defines an acceptable range of test result values for the specified laboratory test; receive a test result from a laboratory instrument at the laboratory for the specified one of the laboratory tests; determine whether the test result falls within the calculated control range for the specified laboratory test; receive updated group statistical summary data from a central agency and determine the variance between the updated group statistical summary data and the group statistical summary data; and display the updated group statistical summary data for user review if the variance between the updated group statistical summary data and the group statistical summary data exceeds a specified percentage.