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Healthcare Experts Say Consumers Are Ready for Self-Test Flu Kits, But Are Physicians and Clinical Laboratories Ready to Let That Cat Out of the Bag?     

Clinical laboratories could play a key role in helping users collect their samples correctly, interpret results, and transfer flu test data to their health records

Clinical laboratories may have another opportunity to provide service to their clients and the physicians who treat them. With the success of at-home COVID-19 testing, consumer demand for self-tests is changing and advances in diagnostic technology now make it feasible to make more influenza (flu) tests available for consumers to buy and use at home.

At-home tests for SARS-CoV-2 can be found at pharmacies all across America. But that’s not the case with tests for influenza.

Should self-test flu kits eventually become available and common, clinical laboratories could offer the service of helping consumers understand:

  • that the test was conducted correctly (specimen collection and analysis),
  • that the result is accurate and reproducible, and
  • how to understand the results.

Clinical laboratories also could collect and input the results into their laboratory information system (LIS), then send those results to the patients’ electronic health record (EHR) at their physician’s clinic.

Christina Yen, MD

“Home flu testing would ensure that those who do need and receive antiviral medication for influenza are the ones who need it the most,” and that “we are making our treatment decisions based on data,” infectious disease specialist Christina Yen, MD (above), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, told STAT News. At-home flu self-tests could also bring opportunities for clinical laboratories to provide service to healthcare consumers and the physicians who treat them. (Photo copyright: UT Southwestern Medical Center.)

Pros and Cons of Consumers Doing At-home Influenza Testing

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 and influenza are both upper respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms. So, why don’t we have more at-home flu tests available? Partly because at-home testing is a relatively new phenomenon in modern healthcare.

“It’s really rare, and it’s really new that people are allowed to know about what’s happening inside their body without a physician in the middle,” Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina, MD, PhD, told STAT News. The article uses the example of at-home pregnancy tests. Despite a prototype for an at-home pregnancy test being created in 1967, it took another decade before an over-the-counter pregnancy test became available to the public.

“The general thinking was, ‘How could a woman possibly know what to do if she found out she was pregnant on her own without a doctor in the room?’ That is a ridiculous concern because women have been doing that for millions of years,” Mina added.

So, why be cautious when it comes to giving patients the option of at-home flu testing?

There are some cons to at-home influenza tests. Average citizens are not clinical laboratory professionals. They might obtain too little sample for an accurate reading or read the results incorrectly. Then, there is the possibility for false-negatives or false-positives.

An at-home test user is not likely to consider the possibility of a false result, however clinicians look at the situation with more nuance. If the patient was still symptomatic or in a high-risk community, the provider could administer a more sensitive medical laboratory test to confirm the previous test results.

There are other concerns about at-home testing as well. Another STAT News article titled, “Growing Use of Home COVID-19 Tests Leaves Health Agencies in the Dark about Unreported Cases,” reported on a superspreading event that health officials did not know about: a Phish concert on Halloween.

“In a Facebook post from mid-November with hundreds of responses, concertgoers compared symptoms and positive test results, many of those from tests taken at home. But those data weren’t added to state public health tallies of COVID’s spread,” STAT News noted.

The larger concern is that samples obtained by at-home self-test users are not submitted for genomic sequencing. This could lead to incomplete data and delay identifying new variants of the coronavirus in communities.

“If nobody’s reporting the tests, are we really getting the information we need?” Atul Grover, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute, told STAT News. “We have no idea what the true positivity rate is.”

Another barrier to at-home flu testing is that rapid influenza diagnostic testing can be unreliable. In 2009, the rapid influenza tests could only detect the H1N1 influenza virus in a mere 11% of samples, STAT News reported. Because of this, the FDA now requires manufacturers to test their rapid tests against eight different strains that change every year depending upon which strains are prevalent. This could present a problem if individuals use leftover tests from the previous flu season.

Do Pros of At-home Testing Outweigh the Cons?

At-home testing is convenient and makes testing more accessible to patients who may not be able to get to a clinic. Being able to test at home also encourages individuals to take precautions necessary to stop the spread of whichever illness they may have. Given the similarities in symptoms between influenza and COVID-19, people could benefit from having tools at home that correctly identify their illness.

At-home COVID-19 tests are here to stay, and at-home influenza tests may be on the way soon. Clinical laboratories could play an important role in educating the public on the correct handling of these tests.

Ashley Croce

Related Information:

Why Doesn’t the U.S. Have At-Home Flu Tests?

What Is the Difference between Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19?

We Still Don’t Have At-Home Testing for the Flu—But COVID-19 Has Changed the Stakes

Growing Use of Home COVID-19 Tests Leaves Health Agencies in the Dark about Unreported Cases

Forbes Ranks Epic’s Judith Faulkner the Richest Woman in Healthcare in Its 2021 List of 100 Richest Self-Made Women in US

Within the in vitro diagnostics and clinical laboratory space, Bio-Rad’s Alice Schwartz and 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki also were recognized by Forbes

At $6.5 billion net worth, Forbes, in its 2021 list of the 100 richest self-made women in the US, ranked Judith Faulkner, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Epic Systems Corp., in second place overall. But in the industry of healthcare, she tops the list by far. The next nearest healthcare-related “richest woman” is Alice Schwartz, co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, at $2.9 billion.

Faulkner was surpassed on Forbes’ list only by roofing material magnate Diane Hendricks, co-founder of ABC Supply Co., whose net worth of $11 billion puts her squarely in the top spot.

Richest Self-Made Women in Healthcare

Becker’s Hospital Review highlighted the seven richest “self-made” women who ran healthcare-related companies. They include:

Also listed by Forbes was Anne Wojcicki, CEO and founder of 23andMe, a personal genomics and biotechnology company. Wojcicki’s net worth of $1.1 billion puts her in the 25th position, according to Forbes.

In “Genetic Test Company 23andMe Completes Merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp., Stock Now Trades on NASDAQ,” Dark Daily noted that since the Sunnyvale, Calif. direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing company will now be filing quarterly earnings reports, pathologists and clinical laboratory managers will have the opportunity to learn more about how 23andMe serves the consumer market for genetic types and how it is generating revenue from its huge database containing the genetic sequences from millions of people.

Judith Faulkner and Alice Schwartz

Judith Faulkner (left), founder and CEO of Epic Systems Corp., and Alice Schwartz (right), co-founder of Bio-Rad Laboratories, ranked 2nd and 10th respectively in Forbes’ list of the top 100 richest self-made women. In healthcare, Faulkner ranks 1st and Schwartz 2nd. Clinical laboratory personnel will likely be familiar with Epic Beaker, which, according to Healthcare IT Leaders, “is Epic’s laboratory information system (LIS) for hospitals, clinics, patient service centers, and reference labs. The software supports common workflows for clinical pathology (CP) labs as well as anatomic pathology (AP) labs.”  (Photo copyrights: HIT Consultant/Science History Institute.)

How did Faulkner Make Epic So Epic?

It all started in 1979 when Faulkner and a colleague invested $70,000 to launch Human Services Computing, which became Epic, noted Forbes in “The Billionaire Who Controls Your Medical Records.”

“I always liked making things out of clay. And the computer was clay of the mind. Instead of physical, it was mental,” Faulkner, who is 77, told Forbes.

Company milestones noted by Forbes include:

  • Inking a deal in 2004 with Kaiser Permanente for a three-year, $400-million project.
  • Moving in 2005 to a corporate campus in southern Wisconsin—an “adult Disney World” with the largest underground auditoriums and more “fantastical” buildings.
  • More recently, AdventHealth of Altamonte Springs, Fla., contracted with Epic for a $650 million remote build and installation.

“Epic’s system has tentacles that go out through amazing networks. You can actually help a person get the care they need wherever they need to get it,” AdventHealth’s CEO Terry Shaw told Forbes.

In about two years, Epic plans to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) Electronic Health Record (EHR) documentation tool aimed at transcribing clinician and patient conversations in real-time, EHR Intelligence reported.

However, Epic may face competition from IT startups in areas including ancillary services, where clinical laboratories, for example, are seeking genomic data storage and introducing new genetic tests, according to Becker’s Hospital Review in its report on analysis by CB Insights, titled, “Unbundling Epic: How The Electronic Health Record Market Is Being Disrupted.”

“I think that what will happen is that a few of them will do very well. And the majority of them won’t. “It’s not us as much as the health systems who have to respond to the patient saying, ‘Send my data here,’ or ‘Send my data there,’” Faulkner told Forbes.

Bio-Rad’s Alice Schwartz an IVD ‘Pioneer’

As Faulkner rose to prominence in healthcare IT, Alice Schwartz of Bio-Rad Laboratories found massive success in the in vitro diagnostics industry.

She and her late husband, David, started Bio-Rad with $720 in 1952 in Berkeley, Calif. They were intent on offering life science products and services aimed at identifying, separating, purifying, and analyzing chemical and biological materials, notes the company’s website.

“They were at the right place and at the right time as they became pioneers in the industry,” International Business Times (IBT) stated.

Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO and BIOb) of Hercules, Calif., offers life science research and clinical diagnostic products. The company’s second quarter (Q2) 2021 net sales were $715.9 million, an increase of about 33% compared to $536.9 million in Q2 2020, according to a news release. Its Clinical Diagnostics segment Q2 sales were $380 million, an increase of 34% compared to 2020.

Norman Schwartz, the founders’ son, is Bio-Rad’s Chairman of the Board,

President, and CEO. However, at age 94, Alice Schwartz, the oldest person on Forbes’ richest self-made women list, “has no sign of stopping soon,” IBT reported.

Lists are fun. Medical laboratory and diagnostics professionals may admire such foresight and perseverance. Judith Faulkner and Alice Schwartz are extraordinary examples of innovative thinkers in healthcare. There are others­—many in clinical laboratories and pathology groups.

Donna Marie Pocius

Related Information

Forbes’ Ranking of the Country’s Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs and Executives 2021

Healthcare’s Richest Self-Made Women, Per Forbes

Epic Systems Founder-CEO Judy Faulkner Wields Great Power and Responsibility in Healthcare IT

Unbundling Epic: How the Electronic Health Record Market is Being Disrupted

The Billionaire Who Controls Your Medical Records

Epic in Process of Developing AI EHR Documentation Assistant

Epic’s Revenue Hit $3.3B in 2020; 10 ways the EHR Giant’s Dominance is Opening Doors for Competition

Bio-Rad Reports Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Alice Schwartz Net Worth: Oldest, Richest Woman in U.S. is Worth $2.2B

Genetic Test Company 23andMe Completes Merger with Richard Branson’s VG Acquisition Corp; Stock Now Trades on NASDAQ

Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Trial Delayed Again, This Time Due to COVID-19 Restrictions, as Lawyers Battle Over Destroyed Clinical Laboratory Test Evidence

Government prosecutors allege destruction of LIS database and point to Holmes’ extravagant lifestyle as evidence of fraud motive

There is a new twist in the federal criminal fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, co-founder and former CEO of now defunct clinical laboratory testing company Theranos. Once again, the trial has been delayed. In the meantime, however, dueling court filings between prosecutors and defense lawyers have shed additional light on the allegations against Holmes and co-defendant Ramesh Balwani, the company’s chief operating officer. The revelations will be of interest to medical laboratory leaders.

According to The Mercury News, United States District Judge Edward J. Davila cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in his December 18 ruling that postponed the start of Holmes’ trial to July 13, 2021.

In his ruling, Judge Davila wrote, “The court notes sadly, the impact on our lives is grim. California is in the midst of an unprecedented surge in cases and hospitalizations.”

The judge also noted the prospects for widespread public vaccination in the coming months. “All of this supports continuing the trial [of Holmes] to a time when our community is safer,” he added. “The court recognizes that a continuance of the trial will cause great inconvenience to victims who would like their day in court, as well as Defendant, who wishes a speedy opportunity to defend against the charges. All of these rights are important, but paramount to the court is the safety and health of the community.”

On February 9, Law360 reported that Balwani’s trial was delayed even further, with jury selection now set to begin on January 11, 2022.

Wall Street Journal Exposé of Theranos and its Flawed Clinical Lab Testing

As Dark Daily reported in “For Embattled Medical Laboratory Company Theranos, Bad News Keeps on Coming After Two Federal Inspections Show Problems in Certain Lab Practices,” back in the fall of 2013 Holmes became a star of the business world with claims that Theranos had developed ground-breaking blood-testing technology.

In “Elizabeth Holmes: The Breakthrough of Instant Diagnosis,” the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) put Holmes squarely in the public eye. It could be credibly asserted that the paper’s fawning coverage helped boost her credibility when no one knew who she was. Thus, it is ironic that just two years later it was the WSJ that, in a series of articles, exposed the alleged misrepresentation and fraud committed by Holmes, Balwani, and Theranos.

By 2015, the company had a stock valuation of $9 billion, but it all came crashing down after WSJ investigative journalist John Carreyrou revealed serious problems with the company’s management and technology.

In a public notification from the US Attorney’s Office Northern District of California, the government alleged that Holmes and former Theranos president Balwani promoted the company’s blood-testing technology despite knowing that it was likely to produce unreliable results.

The defendants now face 12 federal felony counts related to wire fraud. They have pleaded not guilty. According to The Mercury News, if found guilty of all charges, “Holmes faces a potential 20-year prison sentence, up to $2.75 million in fines, and possible restitution to investors the government alleges lost more than $700 million.”

Elizabeth Holmes walking outside with her lawyers.
Elizabeth Holmes (above), former CEO of now defunct clinical laboratory testing company Theranos, will now stand trial starting in July. Due to risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, jurors will be required to wear masks and to socially distance during the trial, CNBC reported. What will be of great interest to clinical laboratories are statements by federal prosecutors that testing data stored on the company’s laboratory information system was destroyed before it could be accessed by investigators, even though it had been subpoenaed months earlier by a federal grand jury. (Photo copyright: Forbes/Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images.)

Missing Clinical Laboratory Data

Though the trial has been delayed, attorneys on both sides have been busy. Last November, after failing to have the charges dismissed, defense attorneys filed a flurry of motions seeking to exclude much of the government’s evidence, The Mercury News reported. This included expert witnesses, testimony about inaccurate test results, and numerous news articles about the company and its tests.

Prosecutors responded to the motions in January, further illuminating their case while providing more fodder for media coverage.

In a January 11 filing [doc-682], the government alleged that a Theranos laboratory information system (LIS) containing patient test results and quality control data was destroyed “on or about August 31, 2018—three months after a federal grand jury issued a subpoena requesting a working copy of this database.” News of the allegation was first reported by The Register, a UK-based IT publication.

Previously, the prosecutors alleged, Theranos, with assistance from an IT contractor, had provided a backup copy of the database to the government but without a password needed for decryption. “All subsequent efforts by the government to access the data on this hard drive have failed,” even with assistance from a computer forensics expert, they wrote.

Then, the original database was permanently destroyed in August when Theranos moved out of its facility in Newark, Calif., the government alleged in its filing. “On or about August 31, 2018—three months after a federal grand jury issued a subpoena requesting a working copy of this database—the LIS was destroyed. The government has never been provided with the complete records contained in the LIS, nor been given the tools, which were available within the database, to search for such critical evidence as all Theranos blood tests with validation errors,” the filing read.

The January 11 filing was in response to a Theranos motion [doc-563] seeking to exclude evidence of “anecdotal test results.”

“The data disappeared. Defendant should be barred from arguing the government’s case is anecdotal when Theranos (and others) destroyed this data,” the prosecutors argued.

Furthermore, prosecutors wrote, “the government’s case is hardly ‘anecdotal.’ The reliability and accuracy problems in Theranos’ clinical lab were well-documented when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) investigated the lab, discovered the accuracy and reliability problems, and determined Theranos could not safely administer its tests on patients. Whistleblowers will also testify about Theranos’ accuracy and reliability problems. And patients themselves experienced these problems, receiving incorrect results that affected their treatment and deprived them of the benefit of the purportedly reliable blood tests for which they had paid.”

And Then There’s Her Lifestyle

Prosecutors also claimed in their filing that Holmes’ activities—which included “travel on private jets, stays in luxury hotels, and access to multiple assistants … [who] handled a range of non-business tasks for Defendant, including personal clothes and jewelry shopping, home decorating, food and grocery buying, and other items”—shows that Holmes was “funding an extravagant lifestyle … through company money,” CNBC reported.

And so, the saga of Theranos continues. Will Elizabeth Holmes succeed in her defense? Could a clinical laboratory phoenix bird rise from the ashes of this failed lab test company? Who knows? Probably not. But until there is a resolution, we will keep reporting on the case.

—Stephen Beale

Related Information:

Prosecutors Allege Theranos Fraud Fueled Elizabeth Holmes’ Lifestyle

Theranos Destroyed Crucial Subpoenaed SQL Blood Test Database, Can’t Unlock Backups, Prosecutors Say

Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes’ Criminal Fraud Trial Delayed Again

Theranos Founder Holmes’ Trial to Go Ahead with Socially Distanced Jury: Judge

Theranos Founder Holmes’ Lawyers Claim Profane Chants in Company Meetings Are ‘Normal’

Theranos Founder Holmes Fights to Bar Jurors from Hearing Lavish-Lifestyle Claims

Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Tries to Block Evidence

Theranos Case: Feds Hit Back at Elizabeth Holmes’ Bid to Nix Charges

Theranos: Scientist Who Worked for Elizabeth Holmes Fired from New Job Over Trial Subpoena, Lawsuit Claims

Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes’ Scattershot Bid to Nix Charges Goes Down Hard

Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes to Claim Mental Condition Affecting ‘Issue of Guilt’

For Embattled Medical Laboratory Company Theranos, Bad News Keeps on Coming After Two Federal Inspections Show Problems in Certain Lab Practices

In the Field, Clinical Laboratory Specimen Transportation is Being Complicated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lab leaders who adopt best practices in courier services will help ensure their lab’s supply chains remain secure

Hospital and health systems using courier services to transport patients’ biological specimens from doctors’ offices and other locations to clinical laboratories for testing and reporting are finding those services delayed or disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Limited office hours, closed physician practices, and the need for drivers to take time for symptom checking on healthcare campuses are among the growing challenges faced by couriers transporting medical laboratory specimens during this pandemic, experts told Dark Daily.

All these developments require courier operations and logistics companies to think outside the box for solutions that address the unique challenges triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that have disrupted the normal operations of physicians’ offices, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. For example, many clinical labs struggle to obtain enough specimen collection and specimen transport supplies to sustain both their nascent COVID-19 testing programs and their routine testing operations.

One national logistics company recognized that it could help labs with the disruption in the supply chain for laboratory supplies caused by the coronavirus outbreak. In the early weeks of the pandemic, West Haven, Conn.-based Lab Logistics and its sister company Path-Tec, took the initiative to develop collaborations and strategic partnerships with several established manufacturers of medical laboratory supplies. Now it could not only be a source of much-needed supplies for its clients, but its network of couriers could supply the increase in services for all the locations where such supplies were needed.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus outbreak caused widespread disruption to the daily activities of hospitals, health systems, physician’s offices, and other providers. According to Susan Uihlein, Senior Vice President Business Development-Hospital Couriers at Lab Logistics—a company that creates, implements, and manages courier models customized to medical laboratory, hospitals, and health systems—in response to the pandemic, there was an immediate need by one of the largest multi-regional Health Systems in New York to align courier and logistics services to meet the new realities of how its facilities would respond to patient needs. It was also necessary that logistics solutions be complementary with the health systems’ COVID-19 policies.

“This health system requested that Lab Logistics’ drivers access the hospital’s personnel tracking application upon arrival,” explained Uihlein. “The health system’s new COVID-19 policy required everyone wishing to enter the health system campus to complete a coronavirus screening process—including having a temperature reading taken—and then receive a status confirmation on a smartphone screen. This obviously impacted the couriers’ progress on their routes.”

“We have 2,600 medical-specific couriers throughout the United States, and although all couriers undergo extensive orientation regarding known infectious transport, this current situation has spotlighted how important (COVID-19) is to our clients,” Brian McArdle, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lab Logistics, told Dark Daily.

“The couriers represent us and our clients,” he continued. “They are out in the field, they are picking up, delivering, and rolling with the punches as far as what a healthcare system or a clinical laboratory needs from them—from photo IDs to wearing masks and gloves. The process keeps evolving. And we have evolved with it.”

 “Our operations team makes sure that we work with each client to flexibly react to changes in that day’s pickups and deliveries, as appropriate. There has been much optimization and on-the-fly changes,” said Uihlein.

In fact, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a 26% increase in requests for specimen delivery, PPE, and COVID-19 related supply chain movement, according to data on the California, Louisiana, and New York City healthcare markets provided by Lab Logistics.

“Every day there have been changes to what is open and closed. We had to manage that through our proprietary healthcare dispatch system and with the couriers,” Susan Uihlein (above), Senior Vice President Business Development-Hospital Couriers at Lab Logistics, told Dark Daily. Lab Logistics transports medical specimens, supplies, and pharma for more than 350 US hospitals, healthcare systems, and clinical laboratories. (Photo copyright: LinkedIn.)

Clinical Laboratories Should Review Specimen Transport Procedures

Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting unique stresses on the logistics and transportation services operated by hospital systems, medical labs and anatomic pathology groups. That why it would be timely and appropriate for lab leaders to review/update best practices and necessary requirements that ensure efficient management of clinical laboratory specimens.

“The COVID-19 pandemic triggered heightened risks in security, custody, and transit tracking of specimens so as to maintain a heightened biosafety level, while at the same time, the pandemic dramatically reduced the daily volume of more routine lab samples,” notes a Special Edition White Paper Dark Daily produced in partnership with Lab Logistics, titled, “Specimen Management and Logistics Issues to Evaluate for Continuous Quality Improvement—3 High-Risk Medical Courier Support Services.”

Topics covered in this highly-informative white paper include:

  • Handling and tracking laboratory specimen samples;
  • Confirming medical security, chain of custody, and transit tracking;
  • Coordinating test kits, supplies, reagents, lab equipment, and instruments;
  • Approaching a medical courier service conversion.

“By utilizing a logistics system that includes a dedicated courier, medical laboratories and healthcare systems can manage all aspects of transportation specimen transport, including handling and tracking of specimens, medical security, chain of custody, tracking supply inventory, and delivery. Successfully executed, all of these functions can generate financial improvements,” notes the white paper.

Tracking Specimen Arrival and Predicting Which Tests Will Be Needed

One technology that lab and healthcare system leaders can use to control costs and staffing involves online real-time tracking of drivers to enhance test turnaround time and determine when tests will be performed.

Lab Logistics’ version of this technology uses barcode scanning, GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking, and an online portal that enables its clients to view the routes and stops a driver has made for the lab. Lab leaders can determine how many specimens are expected, and what type of tests will be required, before the specimens arrive.

“They can see the volume coming in and they can staff-up based on the information we are giving them and not over-staff. It’s really good information,” Uihlein said.

Lab Logistics’ platform also integrates with a hospital’s laboratory information system (LIS) through the lab’s barcode. “The integration makes it possible for labs to get faster information from the field into their systems and create accessioning,” Uihlein explained.

Specimen Management Improved through Route Tracking

Tracking their drivers has enabled some labs to find new routes with less stops. Mike Napolitano, former General Manager for Constitution Diagnostics Network, Sunrise Medical Laboratory, and Sonic Healthcare, discovered that modified routes enhanced his lab’s efficiency. 

“We found that some drivers were doing daily pickups and we were not getting any specimens. Some clients were on vacation, stopped using the laboratory altogether, or weren’t doing that type of laboratory work anymore,” Napolitano told the white paper researchers.

Driver tracking also enabled Ochsner Health System in Louisiana to avoid “hot shots”—one-time delivery pickups which could be 90 miles away from the lab, explained Lloyd Gravois, Assistant Vice President of Logistics-Supply Chain, in the white paper. 

Medical laboratory leaders who wish to enhance their lab’s specimen management and solve logistics issues during and after the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to download a copy of the Free Special Edition white paper by clicking here, or by placing this URL in their web browsers: https://www.darkdaily.com/free-special-edition-white-paper-specimen-management-and-logistics-issues-to-evaluate-for-continuous-quality-improvement-3-high-risk-medical-courier-support-services/.

—Donna Marie Pocius

Related Information:

Specimen Management and Logistics Issues to Evaluate for Continuous Quality Improvement: 3 High-Risk Medical Courier Support Services

Clinical Laboratory Information System Implementation Brief: What You Need to Know About LIS Installations, Conversions, and Interface Projects

Clinical Laboratory Information System Implementation Brief: What You Need to Know About LIS Installations, Conversions, and Interface Projects

Clinical Laboratory System Implementation BriefA recent LIS market report shows that demand for a modern LIS is driven by a number of factors: acceleration of laboratory automation, the need for improved lab efficiency, advances in integrated functionality, importance of compliance with regulatory requirements, and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases.

Indeed, because all laboratories are now routinely being asked to do more with less, these and numerous other urgent reasons are compelling independent and hospital laboratories to invest resources in a major laboratory information implementation or upgrade.

Dark Daily is pleased to offer a new FREE White Paper providing practical insights and indispensable how-to’s regarding the enormous challenges associated with installing, converting, and interfacing a laboratory information system. This paper, written by an expert who has experienced (and overcome) these challenges, outlines for you a multi-step plan for bringing your laboratory team together toward the common goal of a modern LIS, thus expanding your lab’s capabilities, ensuring efficient operations, and yielding quality improvement.

 


This White Paper specifically addresses:

  • Questions to ask when researching a laboratory information system
  • Finding the right project manager who will mesh well with your laboratory and put into place the steps necessary to make your LIS installation or conversion a success
  • Building a realistic budget for your project, including important considerations not directly related to your implementation
  • Events important to include in your project plan that are often overlooked
  • Reasons, many not obvious, for eliminating as many variables, non-essential tasks, and complicated workflows as possible—pre go-live
  • And much more!


Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Components of a Clinical Laboratory Information System Implementation

             Phase 1: Project Initiation, LIS Preparation, Gap Analysis, and New Software

             Phase 2: Installing the Laboratory Information System, Configuration, Data, Interfaces

PART 2: Critical LIS Testing and Parallels: Can We Achieve a ‘Non-Event’ at LIVE?

             Phase 3: Laboratory Information System Testing and Training

             Phase 4: Laboratory Information System LIVE and Support

Key Takeaways

The right LIS is key to your laboratory’s quality operations. And when it comes to LIS installations, conversions, and interface projects, there are a multitude of issues to consider. Achieving the successful implementation will not only streamline your laboratory processes, it will also provide the added benefits of improved staff morale and stronger relationships with your clients and investors.

As a member of your laboratory’s leadership team, learn what you need to know during every phase of LIS change —download your FREE copy of Clinical Laboratory Information System Implementation Briefbelow!

Download the White Paper now by completing the form below.

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