Enhancing Clinical Lab Efficiency
The Importance of Lab Consultancy and Automation
How to Deliver Enhanced Value to Diagnostic Providers
In the ever-evolving field of healthcare, clinical laboratories play a crucial role in helping physicians diagnose and treat patients efficiently. There is an ongoing focus on “the need for speed” in bringing a higher level of automation and efficiency to laboratories due to the shortage of medical technologists.
To highlight the importance of lab consultancy and automation in improving workflows and patient care, we spoke with Fisher Healthcare Lab Optimization Specialist Anne Beall. Beall shared her expertise on how lab consultancy enables the Fisher Healthcare channel to deliver enhanced value to diagnostics providers, the unique approach lab consultants take, and the common challenges labs face today. This article explores how lab consultancy and automation can transform clinical labs, improving efficiency and accuracy.
A Q&A with Anne Beall
Q: Can you tell us about your lab consultancy role and how it enables the Fisher Healthcare channel to deliver value to laboratories and healthcare providers?
Anne Beall (AB): My role involves helping clinical and research laboratories solve problems related to efficiency, staffing, turnaround times, and space utilization. I take time to understand each lab’s unique challenges and offer tailored product and process solutions, from optimizing workflows to recommending new technologies. As part of the Fisher Healthcare team, I aim to support lab leaders by expanding their knowledge and enabling them to overcome staffing shortages and daily operational demands, ultimately improving efficiency and accuracy.
Q: How do you work with labs to assess their needs and challenges?
AB: I work closely with Fisher Healthcare customers to provide them with a value-added service. When customers express difficulties, the sales team often lets me know about their challenges. I start by conducting a thorough assessment to gain a deeper understanding of their lab’s needs and challenges. This involves on-site visits, interviews with staff, and a detailed review of their current processes and workflows. By identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies, we can develop customized solutions that address their specific needs.
Q: How does the Fisher Healthcare lab consultancy approach differ from others in the industry? What makes it unique?
AB: What makes our consultancy unique is our focus on overall laboratory operations. We aim to benefit the entire lab rather than recommending particular products. We provide holistic, end-to-end solutions that consider the total operation to add real value. Our customer-centric approach is unique because we focus on the bigger picture, integrating various aspects of the lab’s current and future operations to help ensure everything fits together seamlessly. This holistic view allows us to implement sustainable solutions that are truly beneficial to the lab’s long-term success.
Q: Can you walk us through the typical consultancy process? What steps are involved in evaluating and optimizing a lab’s workflow?
AB:
- Understand the Current State: This involves completing a comprehensive assessment of the lab, defining the impact of current challenges.
- Develop a Plan: Based on the assessment, we create a detailed plan that outlines the steps required to resolve issues or implement changes. This plan includes both short-term fixes and long-term strategies.
- Gain Alignment: We work closely with the lab’s management to align on a scope of work or proposed roadmap for changes.
- Implement and Monitor: After the plan is executed, we continuously monitor the outcomes to make sure the changes are having the desired effect.
- Present Findings: We then provide a detailed report showing the improvements made, highlighting the before and after states to demonstrate the impact of our consultancy.
Timing typically ranges from three to four weeks, depending on findings during the assessment phase and the goals and objectives we align on.
Q: What are the most common challenges you see in labs today, and how do they impact efficiency and patient care?
AB: Automation is often seen as a one-size-fits- all solution, but it only solves about 20% of problems; the rest requires process improvements. The right balance between automation and human effort is crucial for improving turnaround times and positively impacting patient care. Areas like microbiology and pathology, which are typically less automated, can be improved significantly using AI and other technologies. For instance, AI can assist in screening and categorizing abnormal results, allowing human technicians to focus on more complex cases, thus improving both efficiency and accuracy.
Q: What are some key considerations labs should keep in mind when evaluating automation solutions?
AB: It’s important to identify specific goals for automation. Knowing what you want to achieve allows you to measure success. Often, labs fail to define their goals clearly, which can lead to ineffective automation. For example, a lab might aim to reduce turnaround times for test results. By clearly defining this goal, they can then select automation solutions that specifically address this need and measure the improvement in turnaround times post-implementation.
Q: For labs with existing footprints, how does the Fisher Healthcare team support the identification and implementation of automation solutions?
AB: We assist labs in identifying limitations and finding the appropriate mix of automation that fits within their constraints. Taking a holistic approach, we help ensure the lab functions optimally. This might involve redesigning workflows, reallocating space, or integrating new technologies in a way that complements existing processes. Our goal is to enhance the lab’s overall efficiency without disrupting its operations.
Q: Beyond efficiency, what are some lesser-known benefits of lab automation?
AB: Automation provides standardization, helping to ensure tests are completed the same way every time to reduce human errors and increase traceability. It also speeds up time to results and flags issues more efficiently than manual processes. Additionally, automation can improve the overall quality of lab results by minimizing variability and enhancing reproducibility. This consistency is crucial for maintaining high standards of patient care and meeting regulatory requirements.
Q: What new challenges do you anticipate labs will face in the future, and how can consultancy help them stay ahead of the challenges?
AB: Staffing and space will be significant issues in the future. As automation requires more space, labs need to plan accordingly. Consultancy can help with space planning and determining the right level of automation. Furthermore, as technology evolves, labs will need to continuously adapt their processes and workflows to incorporate new advancements. Consultancy can provide the expertise and guidance needed for labs to make these transitions smoothly and effectively, helping to keep them at the forefront of innovation.
Q: As technology advances, how does lab consultancy evolve to meet the changing needs of healthcare and diagnostics?
AB: Effective implementation is key. Labs often struggle with implementing technology efficiently to deliver desired outcomes. Properly designed processes to accommodate new technology can make a significant difference, and consultancy can aid in this transition. For example, as AI and machine learning become more prevalent in diagnostics, consultancy can help labs integrate these technologies into their workflows to complement human expertise and enhance overall performance.
Q: If a lab is interested in exploring consultancy or automation solutions with the Fisher Healthcare channel, how can they get in touch for an evaluation?
AB: The best way to request an evaluation is to contact a Fisher Healthcare sales representative. They can provide more information and connect you with the appropriate consultancy services to begin the evaluation process.
