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BACKGROUND: In an effort to reduce overall laboratory costs and improve overall laboratory efficiencies at all of its network hospitals, the North Shore-Long Island Health System recently established a Consolidated Laboratory Network with a Core Laboratory at its center. METHODS: We established and implemented a centralized Core Laboratory designed around the Roche/Hitachi CLAS Total Laboratory Automation system to perform the general and esoteric laboratory testing throughout the system in a timely and cost-effective fashion. All remaining STAT testing will be performed within the Rapid Response Laboratories (RRLs) at each of the system's hospitals. RESULTS: Results for this laboratory consolidation and implementation effort demonstrated a decrease in labor costs and improved turnaround time (TAT) at the core laboratory. Anticipated system savings are approximately 2. 7 million. TATs averaged 1. 3 h within the Core Laboratory and less than 30 min in the RRLs. CONCLUSIONS: When properly implemented, automation systems can reduce overall laboratory expenses, enhance patient services, and address the overall concerns facing the laboratory today: job satisfaction, decreased length of stay, and safety. The financial savings realized are primarily a result of labor reductions.
Seaberg et al. (Mon,) studied this question.