EDUCATION :: POINT-OF-CARE TESTING


year, adding up to 3,333 hours spent manually entering results for that one lab test. Using the average MA wage for entering results, this means that their laboratory spent nearly $60,000 in one year in staff time allocated to this task alone. In addition, to avoid the labor-intensive method of manually


ordering and entering UA results, some of their testing loca- tions were scanning the UA analyzer printouts or hand-written manual log sheets into the EHR because it was easier and faster. In this scenario, data mining for those test results is impossible because there is no discrete data. With a connectivity solution, the lab was able to eliminate this error-prone workflow and gain the efficiencies brought on by a comprehensive POC testing management and connectivity solution.


Patient safety boon When results are not captured at the time of testing, the op- portunity for errors and mishandling of test results increases. There is always the concern that caregivers and providers are not receiving results in a timely manner. Optimizing your or- ganization’s health information technology capabilities so that closed-loop communication is in place, via automated ordering and reporting of POC test results, helps ensure patient safety and improves patient outcomes.


Connectivity standards are improv- ing POC testing data capture Two decades ago, there was no electronic data management for POC testing; results were manually recorded in paper charts or on log sheets in the testing area. To improve connectivity for POC testing, in 2000, the Connectivity Industry Consortium developed POC testing connectivity standards that have since


evolved into the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) POCT1-A. In 2005, the POCT1-A standard was upgraded to POCT-01-A2. The standard’s purpose is to standardize POC test connectivity so that devices are easily interfaced to infor- mation systems. CLSI now has a consensus committee that oversees the development of ongoing POC testing standards. Today, many devices can reduce or eliminate operator and


analytical errors, and POC testing management systems are available that enable automatic electronic flow of data from the devices to the LIS and EHR, as well as provide remote access to quality control (QC) and operator certification data.


POCT must be integrated to reach full potential Having a strong POC testing management system and con- nectivity solution can dramatically reduce the amount of time spent typing in results, eliminate errors inherent to manually entered results, and facilitate real-time access to results so that providers can make timely care decisions. When POC test results are captured at the time of testing,


valuable savings in tech time are achieved, freeing staff to perform other tasks. Automatically capturing results through POC testing also provides tools that improve employee job satisfaction because laboratory professionals realize that their time and expertise are better used outside of manual result entry. Furthermore, having a closed-loop communication where the order is placed electronically and results transmit back into that system as soon as they are available reduces errors associated with manual entry and that, in turn, improves patient safety. In the advancing arena of healthcare data analytics to support patient-centered care and population health management, it is no longer a luxury to have POC testing electronically inte- grated—it is a necessity. POC testing must be immediately available in the patient’s chart so that the benefits associated with rapid TAT are fully realized, and the POC test data is included in the overall data snapshot of the healthcare organization to facilitate analytics-driven business decisions.


REFERENCES


1. Park KS, Heo H, Choi YK. Design and realization of integrated manage- ment system for data interoperability between point-of-care testing equip- ment and hospital information system. Healthcare Informatics Research. 2013;19(3):222–228. doi: 10.4258/hir.2013.19.3.222


2. Lewandrowski K, Gregory K, Macmillan D. Assuring quality in point-of-care testing: Evolution of technologies, informatics, and program management. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. 2011;135(11),1405-1414. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2011-0157-RA


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3. Blick KE. The essential role of information management in point-of-care/ critical care testing. Clinica Chimica Acta. 2001;307(1-2),159-168. doi: 10.1016/ s0009-8981(01)00460-0


4. Lee-Lewandrowski E, Laposata M, Eschenbach K, et al. Utilization and cost analysis of bedside capillary glucose testing in a large teaching hos- pital: Implications for managing point of care testing. Journal of Medicine. 1994;97(3),222–230. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(94)90004-3


5. Medical Assistant Salary in the United States. Salary.com. Accessed at https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/medical-assistant- salary. Accessed May 4, 2022.


6. Clinical Laboratory Scientist Salary in the United States. Salary.com. Accessed at https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/clinical- laboratory-scientist-salary. Accessed May 4, 2022.


Kim Futrell, MT(ASCP), MSHI Senior Strategic Marketing Manager for Orchard Software.

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