Summary:Background.:In 2011 a complete reorganization and rationalization of laboratory activities was undertaken at our Department of Laboratory Medicine, involving also the clinical Departments, and comprising a revision of intralaboratory logistics, instrumentation consolidation, LIS development, sample traceability, and extension of post analytical offer to the clinical Departments. We evaluated the real effect of this process on our activity by a retrospective study of two comparable periods in 2011 (before intervention) and 2012.Methods.:We compared the first three-month periods of 2011 vs 2012, considering as indicators of laboratory efficiency two different aspects of the Turn Around Time (TAT): the “clinical TAT” and the “report TAT”.Results.:A significant reduction of “clinical TAT” was observed, both concerning emergency tests and, in particular, routine tests. Furthermore, the introduction of digital signatures renders faster availability of legally valid reports to the clinical Departments.Conclusions.:The observed reduction of TAT, in particular of the “clinical TAT”, represents a satisfactory improvement, when considered from the point of view of assistance to the patients. We conclude that, in reality, this goal has been reached only by means of a complete reorganization of our laboratories, involving a total sharing of human, technological and cultural resources.