What Do We Want from Our Automated Core Lab? Is Stand-alone or Connected Front-end the Solution? AACC Lab Automation Dec. 7, 2012 Tampa FL Brenda Jackson Clinical Manager Chemistry, Hematology and Cardiac Services BC Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. www.bcbio.com Disclosure I m not an expert on automation! I m not going to solve your problems for you, but hopefully I will give some insight on ideas to help you. An expert is someone who tells you why you can't do something. Alec Issigonis (Engineer/Developer of the Mini ) 2 BC Biomedical BC Biomedical Laboratories is a community based (out patient) diagnostic medical laboratory in Vancouver, British Columbia. Serving over 2 M patient visits and performing over 11 M tests yearly. 3 1
Agenda Why automate Where to start Questions to ask What is out there What did BC Bio do 4 5 The Experts answer WHY? Laboratory automation is a multi-disciplinary strategy to research, develop, optimize and capitalize on technologies in the laboratory that enable new and improved processes. Laboratory automation professionals are academic, commercial and government researchers, scientists and engineers who conduct research and develop new technologies to increase productivity, elevate experimental data quality, reduce lab process cycle times, or enable experimentation that otherwise would be impossible. The most widely known application of laboratory automation technology is laboratory robotics. More generally, the field of laboratory automation comprises many different automated laboratory instruments, devices, software algorithms, and methodologies used to enable, expedite and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of scientific research in laboratories. Wikipedia Sept. 2012 6 2
Purpose of Automation To become as efficient and productive as possible without compromising on quality. 7 1 st Rule of Automation 8 Lean your processes What is Lean? Lean is a customer-centric methodology used to continuously improve any process through the elimination of waste in everything you do; it is based on the ideas of Continuous Incremental Improvement and Respect for People. From: Lean For Dummies, 2nd Edition by Natalie J. Sayer, Bruce Williams 9 3
Using a tool like Lean, understand your constraints and bottle necks: Streamline the process first by, Removing the excess waste Understanding inputs and outputs then, Run the new process and improve where necessary BEFORE you think about automation 10 Measure your improved process and now understand what are you trying to gain/improve by using automation. 11 Preparation to be done Know your specimen arrival patterns Know your specimens/volumes Know your turnaround time requirements Know your analyzers Know your LIS or middleware Know your space constraints Know your financial constraints 12 4
Specimen arrival times and patterns Do your specimens Trickle in all day? Arrive in large batches? Come by courier? 13 Specimens Are your specimens Spun? Entered and accessioned in your LIS? Aliquots or need to be aliquoted? In multiple tube types? Going to multiple analyzers? Is your volume consistent yr/yr or is growth expected? 14 Turnaround time requirements Do you Perform STATs? What are your STAT requirements? Perform same day testing? Have routine TAT requirements or service level agreements with customers? 15 5
Analyzers Are your Analyzers able to connect to a line? Analyzers already automated? (3 or 4 connected together) To be replaced? (Due to age or volume growth.) 16 LIS or Middleware Will your automation Need to have connectivity to the LIS? Need to be able to host/query the LIS? Is there current middleware that can connect automation to analyzer? 17 Space constraints Does your lab Have room for track? Have room for a command centre? Have room for a large stand alone? Have room in front or behind current analyzers for tracking hook up? Have the ability to change your current configuration? i.e. Can you move anything? 18 6
Financial Do you Have budgetary constraints? Need to have a certain ROI or NPV before continuing? 19 Connected front-end Abbott Accelerator Roche MPA Labotix RRUSH Siemens Aptio Beckman Power Processor 20 Stand-alone Motoman AutoSorter II Tecan FE500pro Roche cobas p system 21 7
Automated analyzers 22 Benefits of automation.. Reduces manual handling time of specimens Creates steady work flow process Reduces turn around time Increases employee safety 23 BC Bio? What path did I take.. 24 8
Chemistry - the perfect U workspace Stand-alone 25 Why stand- alone? Specimens arrive in 3 large drops Accessioned/spun/sorted at our PSCs Need to process over 5,000 tubes in 10 hours Cobas 8000 (c701,c701,e602, e602) X2 are automated Limited space 26 Outcomes Decreased FTE s Decreased manual handling of samples Decreased TAT Increased technologist safety Maintained our flexibility 27 9
Before FIFO 90 th Percentile = 9.5 Hrs Metrics Turnaround Time What we are doing is narrowing the variability of our TAT. May 2011 90 th Percentile = 8.9 Hrs 28 Before FIFO 90 th Percentile = 9.3 Hrs Metrics Turnaround Time What we are trying to accomplish is consistency so that we can eliminate our STAT samples. May 2011 90 th Percentile = 8.8 Hrs The volume in HVC has increased by 7% since May 2011 and during the week of Aug 20, 2012 the TAT was 7.45 hrs. 29 Hematology - a sorter on a line 30 10
Thinking about automation? Fix your process Understand your inputs and limitations Select your automation 31 Questions??? 32 11