Medica's EasyRA clinical chemistry analyzer increases on-site lab efficiency, reduces costs, and improves patient care at Maryland Oncology Hematology.
Cancer Center profile
Located in Columbia, Maryland, Maryland Oncology Hematology is a full-service outpatient cancer treatment and testing facility. Visited by 80 to 100 patients a day, the practice provides a variety of cancer treatment therapies including chemotherapy, infusion therapy, injections, and therapeutic phlebotomies. Since September 2009, the practice has housed a state-accredited clinical laboratory that provides convenient and immediate testing results for patient convenience.
Former Testing Process
A routine yet essential service performed by many medical centers across the country, including Maryland Oncology Hematology, is the testing of blood samples. Lab technicians work with the patient and their doctor to administer and review blood test results to better guide treatment. Prior to 2009, all of Maryland Oncology Hematology's blood chemistries were outsourced to an off-site contract vendor. The vendor generally produced lab results within 24 hours and rushed lab results in 4 to 5 hours. While turnaround times were often sufficient, on occasion, stat testing results would be returned after the practice had closed for the day. This delay created an inconvenience for the practice, and more importantly, for patients who needed answers quickly.
Medica's EasyRA chemistry analyzer Implementation
Faced with a growing patient load, Maryland Oncology Hematology recently moved to a new and larger facility. This relocation enabled the establishment of a new onsite clinical lab that would improve patient care, add new testing capabilities, and lower overall costs. The practice identified clinical chemistry as work that could be performed in-house. Lab Director Kendra Davies began evaluating bench top clinical chemistry analyzers that would meet their four-person lab's needs. The goal was to find an analyzer that could be integrated with the lab's workflow without requiring additional staffing. "Medica's EasyRA chemistry analyzer was the first analyzer we looked at and we loved it," said Davies.
Built for accommodating the diverse needs of small laboratories such as Maryland Oncology Hematology, the EasyRA chemistry analyzer provides a user-friendly interface that requires minimal training. Simple menus and icons guide users through analyzer operation and tasks to be completed. After a week of on-site learning, Davies and her staff were running tests. Medica also provided expert customer assistance. "If we had any problems, we called Medica and they were so helpful,"said Davies. "The support from Medica is excellent."
With a small staff conducting 25 to 45 complete metabolic panel tests per day, while also performing hundreds of Lactate Dehydrogenase tests, it was important that the EasyRA chemistry analyzer offered handsoff operation and maintenance-free performance. "You load it up, hit a button, and you walk away," said Davies. The analyzer also allows for sample changes to be made during a run. A stat sample could be added and analyzed in less than 8 minutes compared to several hours using an off-site vendor.
The results
With the installation of Medica's EasyRA chemical analyzer, Maryland Oncology Hematology has realized many benefits since the establishment of its new lab. The practice has lowered overall costs, increased the amount of in-house lab work, and most importantly, improved patient care. "The ability to conduct tests in-house means we can deliver immediate results," said Davies. "This is important since we deal with a population that needs answers quickly."
Also, with its ease of use, the EasyRA chemistry analyzer allows Davies and her staff to spend more time on other patient-focused tasks. For example, the staff now routinely helps doctors extract bone marrow samples from patients, conduct blood cell sample analysis, and provide maintenance on other lab equipment. "The EasyRA chemistry analyzer is hands free and allows us to work on the other side of the bench," said Davies. "Overall our experience with the analyzer has been quite positive."
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