Case Study

Scalable Testing and Fast, Accurate Results with the Alinity ci-series

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Travis Wilson:

For me, it's very important to be able to result patients out without having any errors. Making sure that they don't have to come back in, get redrawn. It's a big headache having to come to a hospital and get stuck multiple times. People don't like that. So making sure we do everything right the first time is very important to me.

Travis Wilson:

My name's Travis Wilson,

Travis Wilson:

I'm a lab shift supervisor and I've been using the

Travis Wilson:

Alinity Ci

Travis Wilson:

for almost four years.

Travis Wilson:

Day to day with the ci, I really like being able to just load specimens on the GLP system and just walk away. It'll take it exactly to the instrument it needs to go to and run the test that it needs to.

Lauren Thomas:

A couple of the factors that were important in choosing an IACC system is turnaround time. It's very important in the hospital setting for patient flow to have accurate results and quick turnaround time.

Travis Wilson:

With the ci system and the GLP track, our turnaround times have been really great.

Travis Wilson:

We have a 45-minute turnaround time for our ER and we are hitting our 90% mark for that.

Lauren Thomas:

Another main factor was the test menu. As building a reference lab, we want to be able to offer as many tests on an analyzer that we can. And then another one is the time that it takes on maintenance. It's a lot of hands-off time, walk-away time for the technologist compared to other systems.

Travis:

Using the ci daily maintenance is great.

Travis Wilson:

we'll set the instrument to do its maintenance, I'll go home for the night and then the next morning it saves 30 minutes or so. Setting it up, having it started, it really gets the techs just started into their daily QC management calibrations.

Travis Wilson:

With previous systems, the weekly would take up to an hour and a half, two hours sometimes. You felt like you were spending your whole night working on just maintaining the instrument. But with the ci system, it’s just so fast and it's so easy to do that time in general it's just...

Travis Wilson:

wonderful.

Lauren Thomas:

I would recommend Alinity ci to other labs. It is easy to use from the technologist standpoint. We're able to cross train people from different labs, even on different platforms because the software is very easy to use.

Lauren Thomas:

Maintenance time is shorter and

Lauren Thomas:

we've been able to use Alinity and scale up very easily.

Lauren Thomas:

Year over year, we've seen an increase of about 20% volume, so that is roughly half a million tests per year.

Travis Wilson:

Working in the lab, we're for sure behind-the-scenes, but our job is just as important. If we report out bad or erroneous labs, I mean, that can really affect the patient

Travis Wilson:

So making sure that we do everything right the first time is very important.

Key Takeaways

Mercy Hospital Southeast needed a diagnostic platform that could streamline workflows and keep up with rising demand
The Alinity ci-series helps the lab team run more efficiently to deliver rapid results
20% increase in annual test volume, processing 500,000 additional tests with the Alinity ci-series and GLP systems Track

The Alinity ci-series Helps Mercy Hospital Southeast Increase Capacity and Speed

Increased turnaround goal success

The lab has a 90% success rate in meeting their 45-minute Emergency Department (ED) turnaround goal.

Reduced Daily Maintenance Time

Lab staff save an average of 30 minutes in daily maintenance tasks.

Increased Test Volume

Annual test volume increased 20% with the Alinity ci-series.

Background

As a busy lab serving Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Mercy Hospital Southeast processes millions of tests each year. To keep up with rising demand and support efficient patient care, the lab needed a diagnostic platform that could streamline workflows and deliver fast, accurate results.

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Challenge

Before implementing the Alinity ci-series, the lab at Mercy Hospital Southeast faced workflow bottlenecks and growing pressure to process higher test volumes at speed.

The Emergency Department’s 45-minute turnaround test goal proved challenging to meet consistently. Extensive maintenance requirements slowed workflow and delayed results.

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Solution

Mercy Hospital Southeast adopted the Alinity ci-series alongside the GLP systems Track — the lab automation solution that moves specimens between analyzers to reduce manual handling and delays.

The Alinity ci-series is a compact, scalable system for clinical chemistry and immunoassay testing. Designed to streamline workflows, simplify operations and support high-volume labs, the Alinity ci-series maximizes testing throughput with high-quality assays to deliver efficient and accurate results for greater productivity across the lab.

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Impact

Automated daily tasks: Techs can set maintenance and walk away, saving up to 30 minutes per shift while allowing them to focus on quality control and calibration.

90% success rate with turnaround goal: The lab now meets their 45-minute ED turnaround goal 90% of the time.

20% increase in test volume: With a broad test menu and faster workflows, the lab increased its annual volume by 20%, processing an additional 500,000 tests per year.

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Mercy Hospital Southeast, located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, serves over 50 counties with eight laboratory locations, including at the hospital, a reference lab, cancer center lab and multiple draw stations.

Now with an expansive outreach lab program, their lab services 350 clients across 17 states. They looked to Abbott to support their growth while continuing to deliver compassionate and innovative care for their clients and for patients.

In our Customers' words

“It’s very important in the hospital setting for patient flow to have accurate results and quick turnaround time. … We’ve been able to use Alinity and scale up very easily. Year over year, we’ve seen an increase of about 20% volume, so that is roughly half a million tests per year.”