Peterson Health is an independent, non-profit healthcare organization with 18 rooftops in the Texas Hill Country. As an organization who has recently been named one of the Best Places to Work by Modern Medicine and the Top Rural Hospital in 2023, Peterson Health is always looking for new ways to innovate and remain one of the best healthcare organizations in their area. A recent review of specimen collection highlighted areas of the process that could benefit from a mobile specimen collection solution.
What Led to Change?
The phlebotomy team recognized an opportunity to improve their current setup. Handwritten labels and inconvenient printing workflows increased the potential for patient identification errors and were the factors that led Myrissa Dees, MLS(ASCP), Point of Care Coordinator, to search for a solution. “We knew we needed to do something. We knew we had to make a change,” shared Dees.
Key Factors for a Solution
While evaluating potential mobile specimen collection solutions, Peterson Health had a few key areas of focus. The first being reporting, something that is crucial to their evaluation of staff and workflow. “What really set MobiLab® apart was the reports that come built-in,” explained Dees, “we utilize those reports almost weekly.”
Another major consideration was the ability to remain with the current technology the team was used to, something MobiLab allowed them to accomplish. At Peterson, phlebotomy teams were utilizing iOS devices in their workflow, and it was important to be able to continue using this technology as it would become one less thing the team would have to learn.
Finally, finding a solution where orders populate in real-time was critical to Peterson’s workflow. MobiLab updates the Draw List constantly, giving better insight every moment into what draws are due. “When I walk into a patient’s room, if I’m doing 3 or 4 draws at once, it’s live and I don’t miss as much. I don’t have to recollect as much,” said Dees.
A Safer Collection Process
MobiLab has not only provided a smoother collection process but has also led to safety improvements at Peterson. “In 2019, which was before MobiLab, there were 45 patient ID errors,” Dees mentioned, “Last year, in 2024, we had four.” She goes on to share, “I’m so grateful that we went with MobiLab when we did. It’s been amazing, it really has.”
Looking Forward
As Peterson Health strives to remain a leader amongst their peers, it’s vital they continue to use solutions that share their goals of focusing on patient safety and helping eliminate patient ID errors. Implementing tools designed by like-minded partners, such as MobiLab in their specimen collection process, has already led to improvements in both of these critical areas.
To learn more about MobiLab, please contact us at info@iatric.com