David M. White
Public Affairs Office
Eisenhower Army Medical Center
EISENHOWER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Fort Gordon, Ga. (Sept. 20) -- Everyone worked hard to ensure the June transition to MHS-GENESIS went as smoothly as possible but there were some rough patches here and there.
Some of the rougher patches were experienced by the staff and patrons of Eisenhower Army Medical Center’s laboratory, especially the phlebotomy staff.
A phlebotomist draws blood from a patient, based on doctors’ orders, to send to the lab to be analyzed. Normally, it takes just a couple of minutes to draw the required amount of blood.
“The new workflow,” Capt. Andrew Quatro, EAMC’s lab OIC said, “extended wait times to 15 minutes and beyond … Mastering the new information system requires time, patience and flexibility.”
Pre-transition training is fine until first contact. Then things can get hairy. In short, the lab experienced more patients that it could comfortably serve in the time available.
“Our waiting room is cramped,” Quatro said. “We often witnessed numerous patients forced to wait for phlebotomy services throughout the adjacent hallways of our lobby area. There were days the phlebotomy area had to close early to ensure the safety and quality of provided lab services was not compromised.”
The solution called for innovative thinking.
The phlebotomy clinic at Connelly Health Clinic was soon reactivated. Another phlebotomy clinic at the Family Medicine Clinic was established. This helped decentralize service demands from the main hospital,” Quatro said. It also provided added convenience to the patients at Connelly and Family Medicine.
Samples were couriered to the hospital twice a day.
“There was a dramatic decrease in wait times, Ouatro said, “going from wait times of about 2 hours to 40 minutes. “We started receiving a significant amount of positive feedback, [and as a result] we will keep this new system in place.”
The approach – improvise, adapt and overcome – was a “total team effort,” said Quatro.
Quatro especially wanted to highlight the efforts of the Pathology Support Supervisor, Yoylanda Davis, and Non-Commissioned Officers; Sgt. 1st Class Jason Taylor, NCOIC of the Family Medicine Clinic; Sgt. 1st Class Marlon Walker, Pathology Department NCOIC; Sgt. 1st Class Zachary Babino, Staff Sgt. Brandon Mattheu and Staff Sgt. Kyle Stallman. “They are the true reasons this initiative is and remains successful,” Quatro said. “They ensured each site had the operable IT equipment, supplies and amenities, and trained personnel to deliver safe, timely laboratory services to our enrolled beneficiaries.
The learning and practice goes on, growing more efficient every day. Moreover, as everyone gains familiarity and comfort with the new system, the workflow and wait times will continue to improve.
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2022 15:53 |
| Story ID: | 429697 |
| Location: | AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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