Leading Clinical Testing Laboratory – a Fax solution Case Study

Fax software solutions meet the highest laboratory standards in IT

The proper management of data and information in a clinical testing laboratory is essential.

Communicating test results by electronic fax is providing a leading clinical testing laboratory with an accurate, secure, timely, unambiguous and clinically useful method of delivery.

Partnering to deliver business process technology

ProcessFlows Channel Partner, Archivo, based in Newbury, Berkshire, are data management specialists.

Whether they are providing traditional on-premise solutions to improve business processes – which will increase efficiency and reduce costs – or taking third party responsibility for a client’s data by supplying managed IT services, Archivo make sure that first and foremost, every solution and process they provide meets the customer’s specific requirements.

This begins by building a strong relationship with customers – taking time at the outset to understand their business, from both a commercial and technical perspective. This allows Archivo to provide the right foundation level of technology to enhance business growth now, and one that can be built on in the future.

Scalable business solutions, delivered by integrating ProcessFlows technology with incumbent IT systems, cuts waste and improves communications through improved workflow, document management, storage and archiving. Further functionality is easily added, as and when it is needed (or when funding becomes available), without breaking the bank.

In a tough economic climate, there is no budget for ‘out with the old, in with the new’.

This is helping Archivo’s clients make better use of their existing IT infrastructure, so they can do more with less resource and improve their profit margins.

ProcessFlows takes full responsibility for any sales support, client services and technical issues associated with the technology, leaving Archivo free to focus on their customers.

RightFax Software for a leading clinical testing testing laboratory

A leading clinical testing laboratory dedicated to the private healthcare sector. Clinical testing is an essential part of healthcare, providing key information on an individual’s current state of health from which an effective diagnosis, prevention/treatment plan can be worked out.

Strict procedures

Clinical testing is a precise science, which if not carried out to the strictest of procedures, could have terrible consequences. “Behind every specimen and result there is a human life, so there is no room for error” said Clive Watts at Archivo, who has been working with the clinic to improve the delivery of results.

Credibility of medical laboratories is therefore paramount to the health and safety of the patients relying on the testing services provided by the lab.

There are two international standards for the accreditation of medical laboratories which set out the requirements for compliance; the

Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) accreditation, which was introduced to UK pathology laboratories in 1992 and ISO 15189:2007.

Standards are similar and extensive; the Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) covers the organisation and quality management, the resources, and the evaluation and quality assurance activities required to ensure that pre examination, examination and post examination activities of the laboratory are conducted in such a manner that they meet the needs and requirement of the users. ISO 15189:2007 is a measure of both technical competence and quality management.

Standards set out the quality management system requirements particular to medical laboratories, which includes document control and the reporting of assessment results in ways which are timely, confidential, accurate and reliable.

To ease the work load on the server, results are collated and batch-faxed in the form of a report to the medical provider/clients. The laboratory was using an ageing Winfax platform to electronically transmit results. This was secure, which is a key requirement for patient confidentiality, but it was not ideally suited to the high volume of report faxing being carried out (Winfax is a fax server solution for small businesses, which, through a fax modem on the computer, allows users to communicate directly with standalone fax machines and electronic fax solutions).

There were particular problems with the pagination; the process of separating information into distinct pages was not producing accurate results. There was a risk that if pages got misaligned the wrong results could be interpreted for the wrong patient. As accuracy is paramount, an alternative had to be found that would guarantee 100% correctness, as well as being able to provide an audit trail for compliance and legal purposes should any legal case for clinical negligence present in the future.

A RightFax software and server solution

A ProcessFlows fax server solution is designed to securely and accurately cope with large volumes of fax traffic. OpenText RightFax is integrated with the clinic’s Lotus Notes email platform to enable fax communication from within the email environment.

The Clinical Test results are output from an in-house system to RightFax as text files. Embedded codes within RightFax supply key information which ensures that results are sent to the correct person. Failure notifications are sent to the user’s mail box.

The solution has been further integrated with the Mitel Voice over IP (VoIP) switch – allowing the laboratory to take faxing away from the server – so faxing is sent over IP. As well as the convenience of having voice and fax in one place – their email boxes – the laboratory has been able to leverage their VoIP investment.

Clinical test results accurately delivered to the right person and department

RightFax software solutions are totally reliable. Test results are accurately delivered to the right person, in the right department for the correct patient, greatly reducing the risk of a patient being given the wrong diagnosis or treatment simply because the results became mixed up when being faxed.

Users are able to resend results quickly and easily; using the previous system, resending results was a drawn out process.

Their investment in the Mitel IP solution has been maximised as fax is now sent over the internet, not via the server. This frees up server space, which was at a premium.

Meets the criteria for compliance set out by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) accreditation and ISO 15189:2007.

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“To ensure that they meet the evolving needs and requirements of healthcare clients and compliance standards, it is essential that the laboratory constantly evaluates the document processes used to manage, control and deliver critical information. In this instance, we have been able to help them securely deliver test results with 100% accuracy, as well as dramatically reducing the risk to themselves from any legal action.”
Clive Watts, Sales Director, Archivo