As regional director of laboratory services for ER Hospitals’ Georgia operations, I provide oversight to five rural hospital laboratories and 17 physician office laboratories. ER Hospitals focuses on facility management and helping maintain sustainability through a hands-on, local community outreach approach. The group’s Georgia facilities comprise Dorminy Medical Center in Fitzgerald, Irwin County Hospital in Ocilla, Candler County Hospital in Metter, Emanuel Medical Center in Swainsboro, and Washington County Regional Medical Center in Sandersville. Collectively, the hospitals perform approximately 600,000 procedures a year under the guidance of 65 laboratory professionals. The advanced services delivered by this diverse group of facilities renders high-capacity chemistry analyzers a necessity.

Accommodating New Testing Capacity

In June 2017, Dorminy Medical Center implemented the Beckman Coulter DxC 700 AU after 5 years using the 480 AU and 680 AU chemistry analyzers. Prior to that period, our laboratories utilized standalone DxC analyzers. The AU line has proven reliable for accurate analysis and remains cost effective for our laboratory system. Along with prompt vendor support, the AU 700 is fulfilling its promise to accommodate our growing test volume needs. Fortunately, we have experienced only minimal downtime due to standard primary maintenance.

Our first concern is for our patients and our communities, and the large test menu offered on the AU 700 allows us to provide same day testing for rural-based patients for whom access to care is a challenge. The accuracy and precision provided by this system is something we have come to appreciate and take for granted, as our SDI for PT testing is consistently well below 2.0.

Installation and Training

Installation was smooth, with no interruption in workflow. The application specialists were professional and recognized the need to put patient testing before any installation requirements. That said, it is beneficial to train a few technicians prior to install so they are prepared, as well as pay close attention to the installation itself, to gain a better understanding of how the system works.

The new, user friendly software on the AU 700 has helped reduce the learning curve for the techs, especially those who have worked with our previous Beckman chemistry analyzers. Additional advantages include the ability to load reagents without stopping the analyzer, and a new STAT wheel that moves critical testing to the front of the testing queue without interrupting overall workflow. When used in combination with our Beckman Coulter DxI 600 immunoassay analyzer, the average turnaround time for cardiac testing is approximately 27 minutes.

Further Considerations

As with the greater health care community, hospital laboratories must decide whether to provide support testing for internal hospital departments solely, or join in the effort to reach out to physicians and other care providers in the community in order to optimize test volume, gain leverage for advanced systems and instrumentation, and most important, provide better service for our patients. Outreach requires commitment and support from laboratory staff and hospital administration. At Dorminy Medical Center and the other hospitals served by our combined laboratory services, we are fortunate to have this support.

Reducing the time patients have to spend in seeking health care is an ongoing goal at our health system, as is providing a personal approach to patient care and comfort. There are many factors to consider when acquiring chemistry analyzers, and each lab should seek a vendor partner who has their best interests in mind, now and in the future. We have procured this type of relationship with Beckman Coulter, and expect to rely on their future developments moving forward.

David Davis, MT(ASCP), is the regional director of laboratory services for ERH hospital management group comprising five rural hospital laboratories in Southeast Georgia.