In today’s changing healthcare landscape, testing labs realize that their performance, competitiveness, and sustainable success are heavily linked to their ability to deliver reliable results quickly.
This supports timely and appropriate clinical decisions, which potentially lead to more effective disease management strategies, high quality of care, and ultimately, improved patient satisfaction. 1,2
What to look for in your next analyzer purchase to maximize lab performance
Invest in equipment and systems that offer:
Implementation of newer, more advanced systems with automated technology can improve operational efficiencies to enable better patient care, as well as reduce workflow demands and free up staff for other, more critical tasks.3
Reliability of your equipment and vendor are not just a convenience — they are critical to maximizing lab performance and maintaining standards of care.
Unplanned system breakdowns not only cause stress but can also result in a lack of confidence in results and time-consuming, hands-on workarounds that reduce the overall productivity in the lab.
The importance of reliability
For today's leading labs, reliability is the foundation for everything they do:4
Accurate results
Fast and predictable turnaround times
Cost, time, and workflow efficiency
Maximum revenue
High team morale & engagement
Clinician and patient satisfaction
Tips in purchasing your next analyzer:
A new analyzer is a major, long term investment. But it's not just about the product — it's about the vendor, too. Make sure to investigate and obtain published data on these top criteria to assure that your purchase is the right one:
High instrument mean time between failure (MTBF)
Thorough pre-launch evaluation studies in real lab settings
Large installation base
Leading service and support
Tasks requiring staff intervention are time consuming and costly. These include manual, repetitive jobs such as reagent preparation, calibration, and maintenance.
Potential benefits of automating manual tasks4
Decreased test errors
Improved sample turnaround time
Enhanced team engagement due to the possibility to focus on more meaningful tasks
Tips in purchasing your next analyzer:
When purchasing a new instrument, it is important to consider the availability of automated features that may decrease manual manipulation and improve the workflow:
Automated system maintenance
Automated guidance on reagent supplies needed to operate the instrument without interruption for a predetermined amount of time
Automated calibration
The Center of Disease Control (CDC) defines lab standardization as when “test results with the same, high levels of accuracy and precision can be reproduced across measurement systems, laboratories, and over time.”4
Standardization provides labs with unified platforms, which are the foundation for more efficient operations and workflow. Without lab standardization, true efficiency cannot exist.
Potential benefits of standardization:4
Alleviates need to re-baseline and reinterpret results, saving time and resources
Allows patient result comparability across various instruments in a lab network
Simplifies staff training, workflows, and inventory management with common operability, processes, and disposables
Solutions work seamlessly together for optimal compatibility and reliability (e.g. pre-analytics, analytics, middleware IT)
Simplified support and invested partner to troubleshoot challenges with
Supports higher-level goals, such as interpreting greater health trends for population health management.
Tips in purchasing your next analyzer:
While many labs are seeking the benefits of standardization, every vendor defines standardization differently. For example, some vendors may define standardization as vendor consolidation. However, this may not align with the benefits of true standardization, as a single vendor may not use a single analytical platform across labs of different sizes.
Therefore, it is imperative to look closely at the level of standardization offered and select a partner that offers:
Common reagents and consumables across the systems in your lab network to simplify workflows and inventory management
One common user interface to simplify the training of your team and enable them to work across different locations and support each other through absences
Pre-analytic and analytic tools to maximize standardization, comparability, and reliability
References
Neal RD, Tharmanathan P, France B, et al. (2015). Br J Cancer 112, S92–S107
Doyle C, Lennox L, Bell D. (2013). BMJ Open 3, e001570
Roche Diagnostics, North America. (2019). Report available from https://diagnostics.roche.com/content/dam/diagnostics/us/en/LandingPages/Campaigns/ChangeMadePossible/Key-Strategies-for-Leading-Healthcare-Transformation.pdf [Accessed August 2022]
Roche Diagnostics International Ltd. (2015). The essential guide to maximizing lab performance with your next analyzer purchase. Data on file
Agarwal A. (2014). Lab Med 45, e80–e88
Plebani M. (2006). Errors in clinical laboratories or errors in laboratory medicine. Clin Chem Lab Med 44, 750–759
Batt R and Colvin AJ. (2011). Acad Manag J 54, 695-717
Smith S. (2016). Article available from https://www.ehstoday.com/health/engaged-employees-work-and-play-harder [Accessed August 2022]
Hedges K. (2018). Article available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/01/20/8-common-causes-of-workplace-demotivation/#4167e51d42c6 [Accessed August 2022]
Cronan R. (2017). Article available from https://www.businessadministrationinformation.com/work-smarter/feeling-disconnected-at-work-may-lead-to-disengagement [Accessed August 2022]
Gallup Inc. (2013). Report available from https://www.hr.uci.edu/partnership/survey/pdf/03-Gallup-Q12-Research.pdf [Accessed August 2022]
