On-line, on time. A centralized laboratory information system speeds the results

Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens (CMC), Jamaica, NY, is a multihospital system that is concerned with providing a more cost-effective method of delivering healthcare in an urban environment. To reach this goal CMC centralized its laboratory services to save time, cut costs, and ultimately improve patient care. The centralized laboratory's manual delivery and tracking system put in place at first appeared to hinder the success of the centralized laboratory concept. Through a detailed planning and review process, CMC then implemented a multihospital laboratory information system to allow the centralized laboratory (1) to electronically access patient information from any on-line hospital and (2) to transmit test results back to the originating hospital. CMC believed the automated system would improve the quality of care, reduce the number of duplicated tests, eliminate late charges, and reduce the length of a patient's hospital stay. Since the implementation of the laboratory management system, its member hospitals agree that CMC has finally begun to realize the full benefits of its centralized laboratory services.