Beckman Coulter is using the InterSystems ensemble integration platform to streamline automated pathology services.
InterSystems has announced that Beckman Coulter is using its Ensemble to improve the way samples are processed in hospital laboratories around the UK.
Ensemble is a platform for the rapid integration and development of connectable applications.
The new Automated Sample Receipting (ASR) solution was developed in less than six months and enables an end-to-end pathology service that is significantly more streamlined than current manual processes.
Early in 2012, in the pursuit of the highest quality balanced with cost efficiency in laboratory services, Beckman Coulter decided to create functionality within one of its sample processing systems that would eliminate the manual booking of samples.
Following a review of several options including using its own technology, Beckman Coulter chose Ensemble to integrate the target data management systems with hospital laboratory information systems and order communications systems.
As a result, samples can now be automatically recorded rather than requiring staff to scan individual sample barcodes manually.
According to InterSystems, the ASR solution service provides a number of distinct benefits to hospitals and clinicians.
By reducing labour-intensive steps within laboratory processes, Beckman Coulter estimate a single laboratory can now process about 3,000 tubes daily, which translates into significant time and cost savings over manual processes.
In addition, the solution will improve the quality of results, since a significant proportion of pathology errors are related to the mishandling of samples or mismatching of patient information.
