Case Study
Automated processes reduced manual sorting and debagging, cutting sample wait time from 1 hour 35 minutes to 28 minutes.
Automatic capture of collection time, transport data, and temperature ensures accurate turnaround and fewer lost samples.
Faster result reporting enables timely treatment decisions, reducing unnecessary hospital visits and improving patient satisfaction.
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals (NNUH), in collaboration with James Paget University Hospitals and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, formed the Eastern Pathology Alliance (EPA) to centralize primary care sample processing. Serving over 7,200 patients and handling 17,500 tubes daily, EPA sought to optimize pre-analytical workflows and specimen reception to meet growing demand and improve turnaround times.
Partnering with Abbott, EPA implemented automated specimen reception technology to streamline operations and enhance clinical care delivery.
Eastern Pathology Alliance (EPA) faced increasing pressure from rising patient volumes and manual pre-analytical processes. Phlebotomists spent valuable time on repetitive tasks like bagging samples and manually logging collection times, limiting patient engagement. In the lab, samples experienced long wait times, up to five hours during peak periods, due to manual sorting and data entry. These delays impacted timely result reporting, often pushing abnormal results to after-hours services.
Additionally, inconsistent data capture led to inaccurate turnaround time calculations and compromised sample integrity, including false high potassium readings. EPA needed a solution to reduce bottlenecks, improve data accuracy, and support better patient outcomes.
AlinIQ Indexor helped Eastern Pathology Alliance streamline pre-laboratory workflows by automating specimen reception and enhancing data capture. Manual steps like bagging and logging collection times were replaced with automated processes, reducing handling time per sample and improving phlebotomy efficiency. The solution cut sample waiting time from over 90 minutes to 28 minutes, enabling faster analytics and same-day reporting for primary care. Automated timestamping and transport monitoring ensured accurate turnaround calculations and a complete audit trail, eliminating lost samples and reducing reporting errors.
These improvements optimized resource use, minimized bottlenecks, and supported better patient care through timely results.
Reduced arrival to analytics time from 95 to 28 minutes
Fewer touchpoints and streamlined reception
Zero samples have been lost in transport following implementation
“We gain a few seconds on every procedure… it allows us to be less hurried, engage with patients, and appear less distracted.”
Healthcare Assistant, Mile End Road Surgery
“Results often arrive before the end of the day, allowing doctors to make faster treatment decisions.”
Patient Services Manager, Mile End Road Surgery
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