Westgard QC

09/11/2026

Do you repeat controls for love?

Maybe after a hard day at work in the lab, you go home and, on your own time, you run some new controls, because it’s such a pleasure?

Or you and your colleagues stay late after work, just so you can recalibrate some methods even though it’s not really necessary, just for the sheer joy of it.

Have you ever boasted to your spouse, your partner, your children, your family, about how many controls you've repeated in your career? "Today, I repeated it 5 times, a new record!"

Probably not.

That’s because QC isn’t fun. And doing more QC than you have to is no fun at all. No one repeats controls because it’s their hobby, or their passion, or their calling. Not even the Westgards.

So if it’s not fun, and it’s not necessary, why are you doing it?

Cut. Your. QC. September 25th.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F5IRlqySRR6eRcrm9Zz9mQ

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Thermo Fisher LabLink 360, you can register for free. Join more than 1,500 of your colleagues in finding a saner way to run QC.

09/08/2026

Serial repeaters, you don't want to attend this webinar.

Chronic recalibrators, you don't want to attend this webinar.

Tech support on holders, you don't want to attend this webinar.

If you enjoy the status quo of outliers, repeats, recals, and frustration, this is NOT the webinar for you.

It is, however, the webinar that 1,200 of your colleagues are already registered for... Cut Your QC, September 25th, noon EST.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F5IRlqySRR6eRcrm9Zz9mQ

09/02/2026

More than 1,000 of your laboratory colleagues have already registered. Don't miss out! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F5IRlqySRR6eRcrm9Zz9mQ

But look, if you LOVE running QC, if you secretly have been wanting to run even more controls and levels in your laboratory, if you enjoy repeating controls, and repeating them and repeating them, and running new controls, and repeating them, if recalibration over and over again is a thrill, if you enjoy waiting on technical support lines and begging for maintenance support, this isn't the webinar for you.

This is the webinar where we REDUCE your QC burden. Let's stop wasting more and more on QC, particularly if we cannot justify the expense or value.

You don't need to be out-of-control every day.

08/31/2026

Eventually, if you troubleshoot too often, you're the trouble that's getting shot. Fixing your troubleshooting starts with a fundamental rethinking of how you set up your QC. Join us September 25th.
Over 900 of your colleagues are already signed up.

Most labs haven’t changed their QC in decades. The way they run QC remains lodged in the past. A global survey of laboratories has found many labs are chronically out of control, constantly repeating new controls, and wasting time and money because of it. Using new insights from LabLink 360 peer g...

08/28/2026

The next Westgard Webinar is September 25th, noon EST.
CUT. YOUR. QC.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F5IRlqySRR6eRcrm9Zz9mQ

06/08/2026

Sun, sand, surf, and... Six Sigma?

For those seeking a different beach experience, check out our savings for online training. Use code SIXSIGMASUMMER to save significantly...

https://westgard.com/courses/guruprograms/3-course-catalog/15-six-sigma-metrics.html

This course page serves as a syllabus, and has links to all the different courses/lessons.Course Lesson1. Introduction to Six SigmaIn this lesson, we introduce the concepts behind Six Sigma, the history of the development of this quality management technique, and highlight applications of Six Sigma....

05/27/2026

This month's Westgard newsletter tackles the trouble behind hematology performance. A growing number of papers are finding that CLIA 2025 goals are very hard to hit. Did CLIA go too far? Are instruments not up to the demand? Is reality in conflict with the goal? This, plus other articles on Europe's attempt to undo IVDR, and the prospect of imposing "desperation premiums" in laboratory testing.

In April 2026, we reached a total of 82,000 laboratory professionals belonging to the website membership. For over 30 years, Westgard QC has offered free lessons, essays, applications, training and tools on all things laboratory quality. We're thankful so many of you have walked with us on this path...

05/27/2026

Recently benchmarked an anonymous hematology analyzer detailed in a paper from Indonesia. Completely understand why they didn't disclose the name of this instrument...
https://westgard.com/blog/indonesian-hematology-analyzer-that-cant-hit-anything.html

05/18/2026

I came across a "mini-review" of Six Sigma in clinical biochemistry:

"[T]he available evidence supports Six Sigma as a powerful analytical tool for performance evaluation rather than a standalone, comprehensive quality management solution....Six Sigma should not be viewed as a replacement for broader quality assurance systems....When used as a complementary analytical tool embedded within a comprehensive quality management strategy, Six Sigma can significantly strengthen laboratory performance and promote a culture of data-driven quality improvement."

I don't disagree with these conclusions, but I think we should differentiate "analytical Sigma metrics" from "Six Sigma" in general. The mini-review is looking at analytical Sigma metrics, not the broader quality management system of Six Sigma. I also agree that larger Six Sigma approach is always best as a complement, not a replacement to anything.

https://www.jpediahealth.org/abstractArticleContentBrowse/JPHS/162/1/1/44987/abstractArticle/Article

04/29/2026

One of our strategic partners is hosting a webinar on new QC software. We encourage to join them and see features that have never been available before in a QC program. Analytical sigma metrics have never been easier to implement with LabLink 360.

Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time.