2.82 Million Annual CBC Tests: Mindray Hematology Solution Empowers Large Laboratory with Better Performance

"Tick-tock"
Fabiana Gomes Lancellotti, Hematology Department Supervisor at CientíficaLab, finished collecting the last sample from the track as the clock pointed to 7 pm. Getting off work at such an early time would have been rare before.

In recent years, third-party private labs have been developing and expanding, complementing public medical institutions' diagnosis capacity. Owned by one of the largest diagnostic laboratory chains globally, CientíficaLab provides clinical analysis service to 26 hospitals and 883 outpatient units in the Brazilian public sector. CientfifaLab's headquarters alone performs 3,000,000 different tests per month, with up to 9,000 hematology tests each day- totaling nearly 2,820,000 a year. However, due to the low gross profit margins and large volumes of samples, there is stiff competition between labs. Strengthening testing capability while increasing revenue is a priority for laboratories.

Previously, technicians at the hematology department at CientíficaLab worked with only 13 stand-alone hematology analyzers and 2 blood slide makers. Work efficiency was low. It took 10-12 staff working on three shifts to complete the samples of the day. And outdated devices were often down, waiting for repairments and recalibration. As a result, it could take as long as 10 hours to complete all tests – 2-3 hours longer than the industry average. When there was an abnormal sample, staff had to transfer the piece to slide makers while printing the paper report, running between two sets of devices some distance apart. A backup of slides awaiting testing could occur in this process, and the staff was soon overwhelmed. The lab was weighed down by the outdated equipment and a badly-structured workflow.

After several visits to the customer's work scenario, Mindray project team decided that the most urgent task was to upgrade the hematology equipment to provide higher throughput and more efficient sample processing. Installing two sets of CAL 8000 Cellular Analysis Lines, each connecting 4 units of BC-6800Plus Auto Hematology Analyzers and 1 unit of SC-120 Auto Slide Maker Stainer, allows technicians to efficiently complete the seamless workflow from sample loading, testing, to abnormal sample review.

In addition to testing efficiency, test results' accuracy and reliability also help third-party labs obtain public hospitals' recognition. Mindray CAL 8000's labXpert data analysis software can automatically detect abnormal samples. Its large-screen alarm and flagging features effectively improve testing accuracy so that technicians can feel confident in doing daily testing without distraction.

But laboratories' requirements go far beyond this. To gain accurate results, a lab needs to make testing quality controllable and process traceable. Mindray team customized the slide machine barcode software on the slide makers based on the intensive testing work of CientíficaLab. Upon identifying an abnormal sample, a technician only needs to print the barcode and transfer samples to do a microscopic review easily. Furthermore, to reduce reagent consumption resulting from a backlog of abnormal samples, Mindray optimized CAL 8000's slide cache module. When a staff conducts a manual review, the slides can be cached on the line. When dealing with multiple abnormal samples, CAL 8000's monitoring module promptly alerts the technician to help the lab eliminate waste of reagents.

Of course, things won't always go well. While the automation line met customers' demands, its vast volume required the lab to take space into account when configuring the equipment. Installing two CAL 8000 Cellular Analysis Lines required enough room for two aisles, putting even more pressure on the labs' constrained space.

After repeatedly simulating technician's work routes, Mindray came up with a tailor-made solution: two automated lines are installed face-to-face, but re-configuring one of them to make its sample route in the same direction as the other. This unique design made it possible for only one technician to quickly handle a large volume of samples on both lines simultaneously, allowing the shortest and most time-saving work routes.

Moreover, during the conversion, Mindray team was in constant communication with the lab to have a thorough idea about the lab's layout and the placement of utility lines, and quickly completed a customized deployment without interruption to its ongoing work.

Since implementing Mindray's tailor-made solution, CientíficaLab has seen a remarkable leap in its work efficiency and performance. Now the lab can quickly process test reports, with a 50% rise in testing productivity. The staff can now work with greater ease and take on a heavier workload. The average volume of samples that each technician can process has surged from 1,300 to 2,000 per day. The retest rate at CientíficaLab has plunged from 14% to 3%. Mindray's hematology parameters, which are of great clinical significance, also boost technician's confidence.