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Client Profile: Sherman Oaks Hospital
 Aspyra's Patient Data Retention and Tracking Increases Efficiency at Sherman Oaks Hospital Challenge After struggling for years with an LIS that provided only minimal historical documentation with laboratory tests, Sherman Oaks Hospital began looking for a system that would capture complete tracking and details about the entire testing process and cycle, from the initial order through to the delivery of results. Solution After the lab department selected Aspyra's CyberLAB® LIS, the radiology and pharmacy departments at Sherman Oaks selected Aspyra's CyberRAD® and CyberMED® solutions to benefit from the cross-solution integration and single interface connection to their host system. Results The in-depth historical documentation has increased the lab department's efficiency by enabling the staff to quickly resolve problems and answer questions. And, the integration of the three solutions has decreased data entry time, reduced data entry errors and redundant data. Sherman Oaks Hospital is a 153-bed facility with 400 physicians on staff, based in Sherman Oaks, Calif. The hospital began its search for a new LIS in 1999 and implemented Aspyra's CyberLAB laboratory information system (LIS) in July 2000. The CyberRAD® radiology information system and the CyberMED® pharmacy information system were implemented in late 2000. "When evaluating lab systems, the feature that most impressed me with CyberLAB was the amount of historical data that the system stored and managed," said Sue Eichenberger, the laboratory director at Sherman Oaks. "There was a wealth of data for every sample that was processed. I knew that level of detail would help me and the department do our jobs more efficiently." Ease of Use Although Eichenberger was initially concerned that there would be productivity decreases while the staff learned to use CyberLAB, her concerns were alleviated as soon as people began using the system. "It was amazing how quickly the lab staff learned to use CyberLAB," she said. "Within days of system go live, the staff discovered - on their own - a wide range of features that enabled them to do things that they simply couldn't do with our previous system. The way that CyberLAB is designed makes it easy to learn and use." Improve Employee Effectiveness Perhaps the biggest benefit is the way CyberLAB enables the staff to quickly answer inquiries. For example, when a physician or nurse calls to ask about a patient's white blood cell counts, the lab staff quickly pulls up the results - along with the history of the patient's counts from previous tests - and answers the question while the person is still on the phone. CyberLAB also addresses patient safety with delta checking and trend analysis tools that refer to patient historical data for comparison and viewing. Both provide added benefit and confidence that the information conveyed to clinicians is accurate. "No time-consuming research. No call backs. CyberLAB just simply provides us with the information we need, when we need it," Eichenberger said. After being formally trained on the system, the efficiency of the staff increased to an even higher degree. Specifically, the easy access to historical information expedited the troubleshooting of issues. "In my job, I spend the entire day putting out fires, so being able to access information quickly is a lifesaver," Eichenberger said. "Now, when someone calls to see why they didn't receive results, I can look it up in the system and see that they were faxed or called at a specific time with the results. Or, when there are questions about a test, I can look up when we received the sample, who performed the test and at what time. CyberLAB allows me to 'nip issues in the bud' while on the phone with someone or when they're in my office. I no longer have to say 'let me check into it and I'll get back to you later.' " Additional CyberLAB features that the staff at Sherman Oaks appreciates include the CyberLAB handling of faxed results, which can be done directly from the system, and the data sharing among the lab, radiology and pharmacy systems. "There are times when the pharmacy requires a patient's lab results in order to correctly fill an order," Eichenberger said. "With the integrated systems, the pharmacist can access that information, rather than call the lab for the results. That increases efficiency in both departments." Dedicated Support Personnel "One of the things we like most about working with Aspyra is that we have a dedicated support person assigned to our account. When we have a problem, we simply call him and he is up to speed with our situation, and that helps us resolve issues quickly" Eichenberger said. Future plans at Sherman Oaks include adding Aspyra's CyberMATE® wireless mobile collection device. The handheld unit will allow lab assistants to verify their samples immediately after drawing them from the patient as well as barcoding for positive patient identification . "CyberMATE will further enhance the historical information in CyberLAB, such as listing the exact time and date of the draw, along with who performed the draw in real time while improving patient care and safety," Eichenberger said. More Profiles | Top Copyright © 2006 Aspyra. All rights reserved. Privacy & Legal |
