All publications below relate specifically to quality.
Zarbo RJ. Management systems to structure continuous quality improvement. Am J Clin Pathol 2022;157:159-170. DOI: 10.1093/AJCP/AQAB109
Zarbo RJ, Copeland JR, Varney RC. Deviation management: key management subsystem driver of knowledge-based continuous improvement in the Henry Ford Production System. Am J Clin Pathol. 2017;148:354-367.
Zarbo RJ, Varney RC, Copeland JR, et al. Daily management system of the Henry Ford Production System: QTIPS to focus continuous improvements at the level of the work. Am J Clin Pathol. 2015;144:122-136.
Zarbo RJ. Creating and sustaining a Lean culture of continuous process improvement. Am J Clin Pathol. 2012;138:321-326.
Meier FA, Varney RC, Zarbo RJ: Study of amended reports to evaluate and improve surgical pathology processes. Adv Anat Pathol 18(5):406-13, 2011.
Zarbo RJ. Leaders wanted: a call to change the status quo in approaching health care quality, once again. Am J Clin Pathol. 2010;134:361-365
Cankovic M, Varney R, Whitely L, Brown R, D’Angelo R, Chitale D, Zarbo RJ: The Henry Ford Production System: LEAN process redesign improves service in the molecular diagnostic laboratory. A Paper from the 2008 William Beaumont Hospital Symposium on Molecular Pathology. J Mol Diagn 11:390–399, 2009.
Zarbo RJ, Tuthill JM, D’Angelo R, Varney R, Mahar M, Neuman C, Ormsby A: The Henry Ford Production System: Reduction of surgical pathology in-process misidentification defects by bar code-specified work process standardization. Am J Clin Pathol 131:468-477, 2009.
Meier FA, Zarbo RJ, Varney RC, Bonsal M, Schultz DS, Vrbin CM, Grzybicki DM, Raab SS: Amended Reports: Development and validation of a taxonomy of defects. Am J Clin Pathol 130:238-246, 2008.
Zarbo RJ, D’Angelo R: The Henry Ford Production System: Effective reduction of process defects and waste in surgical pathology. Am J Clin Pathol 128:1015-1022, 2007.
D’Angelo R, Zarbo RJ: The Henry Ford Production System: Measures of process defects and waste in surgical pathology as a basis for quality improvement initiatives. Am J Clin Pathol 128:423-429, 2007.
Raab SS, Grzybicki DM, Zarbo RJ, Jensen C, Geyer, SJ, Janosky JE, Meier FA, Vrbin CM, Carter G, Kim R, Geisinger KR: Frequency and outcome of cervical cancer prevention failures in the United States. Am J Clin Pathol 128(5):817-24, 2007.
Stark A, Jones BA, Chapman D, Well K, Krajenta R, Meier FA, Zarbo RJ: Clinical laboratory specimen rejection: Association with the site of patient care and patients’ characteristics. Findings from a single health care organization. Arch Pathol Lab Med 131:588-592, 2007.
Zarbo RJ, D’Angelo R: Transforming to a quality culture: The Henry Ford Production System. Am J Clin Pathol (Pathol Patterns Reviews) 126 (Suppl 1):S21-S29, 2006.
Raab SS, Grzybicki DM, Janosky JE, Zarbo RJ, Geisinger KR, Meier FA, Jensen C, Wojcik EM, Haber M, Geyer SJ: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Labs Studying Patient Safety consortium and error reduction. Am J Clin Pathol (Pathol Patterns Reviews) 126 (Suppl 1):S12-S20, 2006.
Raab SS, Tworek TA, Souers R, Zarbo RJ: The value of monitoring frozen section-permanent section correlation data over time. Arch Pathol Lab Med 130:337-342, 2006.
Raab SS, Stone CH, Wojcik EM, Geisinger KR, Dahmoush L, Garcia FU, Grzybicki DM, Janosky JE, Meier FA, Zarbo RJ: Use of a new method in reaching consensus on the cause of cytologic-histologic correlation discrepancy. Am J Clin Pathol 126:836-42, 2006.
Raab SS, Vrbin CM, Grzybicki DM, Sudilivsky D, Balassanian R, Zarbo RJ, Meier FA: Errors in thyroid gland fine needle aspiration. Am J Clin Pathol 125:873-882, 2006.
Raab SS, Meier FA, Zarbo RJ, Jensen C, Geisinger KR, Booth C, Krishnamurti U, Stone CH, Janosky JE, Grzybicki DM: The “Big Dog” effect: Variability assessment the causes of error in diagnoses of patients with lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 24:2808-2814, 2006.
Raab SS, Stone CH, Jensen CS, Zarbo RJ, Meier FA, Grzybicki DM, Vrbin CM, Ohori P, Dahmoush L: Double slide viewing as a cytology quality improvement initiative. Am J Clin Pathol 125:526-533, 2006.
Raab SS, Grzybicki DM, Janosky JE, Zarbo RJ, Meier FA, Jensen C, Geyer SJ: Clinical impact and frequency of anatomic pathology errors in cancer diagnosis. Cancer 104:2205-2213, 2005.
Zarbo RJ, Sirota R: College of American Pathologists Special Topic Symposium on Error in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine– Practical Lessons for the Pathologist. Arch Pathol Lab Med 129:1226-7, 2005.
Zarbo RJ, Meier FA, Raab SS: Error detection in anatomic pathology. Arch Pathol Lab Med 129: 1237-1245, 2005.
Raab SS, Grzybicki, Zarbo RJ, Meier F, Geyer SJ, Jensen C: Anatomic Pathology Databases and Patient Safety. Arch Pathol Lab Med 129:1246-1251, 2005.
Grzybicki DM, Vrbin CM, Reilly TL, Zarbo RJ, Raab SS: Use of physician extenders in surgical pathology practice. Arch Pathol Lab Med 128:165-172, 2004.
Zarbo RJ, Nakhleh RE, Walsh M: Customer satisfaction in anatomic pathology: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 3065 physician surveys from 94 laboratories. Arch Pathol Lab Med 127:23-29, 2003.
Zarbo RJ, Jones BA, Friedberg RC, Valenstein PN, Renner SW, Schifman RB, Walsh MK, Howanitz PJ: Q-Tracks: A College of American Pathologists Program of Continuous Laboratory Monitoring and Longitudinal Performance Tracking. Arch Pathol Lab Med 126:1036-1044, 2002.
Nakhleh RE, Zarbo RJ: Surgical pathology based outcomes assessment of breast cancer early diagnosis- A CAP Q-Probes study in 199 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 125:325-331, 2001.
Worsham MJ, Wolman SR, Zarbo RJ: Molecular approaches to identification of tissue contamination in surgical pathology sections. J Molec Diag 3:11-5, 2001.
Zarbo RJ: The oncologic pathology report: Quality by design. Arch Pathol Lab Med 124:1004-1010, 2000.
Novis DA, Zarbo RJ, Valenstein PA: Diagnostic uncertainty expressed in prostate needle biopsies: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 15,753 prostate needle biopsies in 332 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med, 123:687-692, 1999.
Nakhleh RE, Gephardt G, Zarbo RJ: Necessity of clinical information in surgical pathology. Arch Pathol Lab Med, 123:615-619, 1999.
Nakhleh RE, Baker PB, Zarbo RJ: Autopsy result utilization: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 256 laboratories. Arch Pathol Lab Med, 123:290-295, 1999.
Zarbo RJ, Baker PB, Howanitz PJ: The autopsy as a performance measurement tool – diagnostic discrepancies and unresolved clinical questions: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 2,479 autopsies from 248 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med, 123:191-198, 1999.
Zarbo RJ, Nakhleh RE: Surgical pathology specimens for gross exam only and exempt from submission- A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of current policies in 413 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 123:133-139,1999.
Novis DA, Zarbo RJ, Saladino AJ: Interinstitutional comparison of surgical biopsy diagnosis turnaround time: A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes Study of 5384 surgical biopsies in 157 small hospitals. Arch Pathol Lab Med 122:951-956, 1998.
Jones BA, Zarbo RJ: Q-Probes defines quality parameters in haematology. ACP News, NHS ’50 Commemorative Edition-Spring:24-26, 1998.
Nakhleh RE, Zarbo RJ: Amended reports in surgical pathology and implications for diagnostic error detection and avoidance: a College of American Pathologists’ Q-Probes study of 1,667,547 accessioned cases in 359 laboratories. Arch Pathol Lab Med, 122:303-309, 1998.
Novis DA, Zarbo RJ: Interinstitutional comparison of frozen section turnaround time. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 32,868 frozen sections in 700 hospitals. Arch Pathol Lab Med 121:559-567, 1997.
Nakhleh RE, Jones B, Zarbo RJ: Mammographically directed breast biopsies. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of clinical physician expectations and of specimen handling and reporting characteristics in 434 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 121:11-18, 1997.
Novis DA, Gephardt GN, Zarbo RJ: Interinstitutional comparison of frozen-section consultation in small hospitals. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 18,532 frozen section consultation diagnoses in 233 small hospitals. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:1087-1093, 1996.
Zarbo RJ: Quality assessment in anatomic pathology in the cost-conscious era. Am J Clin Pathol (Suppl 1, Pathol Patterns) 106:S3-S10, 1996.
Gephardt GN, Zarbo RJ: Extraneous tissue in surgical pathology. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 275 laboratories. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:1009-1014, 1996.
Baker PB, Zarbo RJ, Howanitz PJ: Quality assurance of autopsy face sheet reporting, final autopsy report turnaround time and autopsy rates. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 10,003 autopsies from 418 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:1003-1008, 1996.
Gephardt GN, Zarbo RJ: Interinstitutional comparison of frozen section consultations. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 90,538 cases in 461 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:804-809, 1996.
Zarbo RJ, Baker PB, Howanitz PJ: Quality assurance of autopsy permit form information, timeliness of performance and issuance of preliminary report. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 5434 autopsies from 452 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:346-352, 1996.
Zarbo RJ, Gephardt GN, Howanitz PJ: Intralaboratory timeliness of surgical pathology reports. Results of two College of American Pathologists Q-Probes Studies of biopsies and complex specimens. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:234-244, 1996.
Nakhleh RE, Zarbo RJ: Surgical pathology specimen identification and accessioning. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of 1,004,115 cases from 417 institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:227-233, 1996.
Zarbo RJ, Schmidt WA, Bachner P, Howanitz PJ, Meier FA, Schifman RB, Boone DJ, Herron RM:Indications and immediate patient outcomes of pathology intraoperative consultations. A College of American Pathologists/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outcomes working group study. Arch Pathol Lab Med 120:19-25, 1996.
Boone DJ, Steindel SJ, Herron R, Howanitz PJ, Bachner P, Meier F, Schifman R, Zarbo RJ:Transfusion Medicine Monitoring Practices. A Study of the College of American Pathologists/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Outcomes Working Group. Arch Pathol Lab Med 119:999-1006, 1995.
Zarbo RJ: Interinstitutional Assessment of Colorectal Carcinoma Surgical Pathology Report Adequacy. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes Study of Practice Patterns from 532 Laboratories and 15,940 Reports. Arch Pathol Lab Med 116:1113-1119, 1992.
Howanwitz PJ, Hoffman GG, Schifman RB, Zarbo RJ, Steindel SJ, and Walker K: A Nationwide Quality Assurance Program Can Describe Standards for the Practice of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Qual Assur in Health Care 4: 245-256, 1992.
Zarbo RJ, Fenoglio-Preiser CM: Interinstitutional Database for Comparison of Performance in Lung Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probe Study of 5,264 Cases with Histologic Correlation. Arch Pathol Lab Med 116:463-470, 1992.
Zarbo RJ, Hoffman GG, Howanitz PJ: Interinstitutional Comparison of Frozen-Section Consultation. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probe Study of 79,647 Consultations in 297 North American Institutions. Arch Pathol Lab Med 115:1187-1194, 1991.
Howanitz PJ, Bachner P, Zarbo RJ: Q-Probes, A Quality Improvement Program for Pathology. Juran Impro 91; 9: 2B-17B, 1991.
Zarbo RJ, Howanitz PJ, Bachner P: Interinstitutional Comparison of Performance in Breast Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology. A Q-Probe Quality Indicator Study. Arch Pathol Lab Med 115:743-750, 1991.
Howanitz PJ, Hoffman GG, and Zarbo RJ: The Accuracy of Frozen-Section Diagnoses in 34 Hospitals. Arch Pathol Lab Med 114:355-359,1990.