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OhioHealth is a not-for profit health services organization that
cares for people in 46 counties throughout Central Ohio. The
laboratories in its two largest hospitals, which have over 1600
active beds, have been combined for economies of scale and are
managed by a single pathology group. Typical annual anatomic
pathology volumes include 50,000 surgicals, 70,000 liquid-based
Pap smears, 2500 fine needle cases, 6000 non-gyns cytologies,
and 1000 bone marrow biopsies. In 1995, the laboratory was
rapidly outgrowing its pathology system and began a search for
a new system that incorporated a graphical user interface (GUI).
Dr. Ron Pyka, medical director of laboratory information
services, stated, “We liked the novel, case-centric approach of
the Tamtron® PowerPath® system. Even back then, it was light
years ahead of everyone else.” Dr. Pyka and the laboratory staff
were delighted to serve as a beta site for PowerPath’s next
version and in January 1998 became the fourth site in the
country to go live with PowerPath.
Developed specifically for the practice of anatomic pathology
and relying on best-of-breed systems for database management,
case transcription, and reporting, PowerPath enhances laboratory
workflow, enables customized reports for research and outcomes
analysis, uses Microsoft’s SQL to make database search
intuitive, and provides a secure electronic signature and online
case review to allow a truly paperless environment that boosts
physician productivity. Since the release of the first upgrade,
“everything has been running smoothly,” said Dr. Pyka.
“Overnight, it changed the way we did pathology.”
Immediate Benefits
The robust software facilitates the review of patient records by
authorized medical personnel. “One click, and you get all the
information you need,” marveled Dr. Pyka. The software also
significantly reduces the time required for capturing charges
and creating and distributing reports to referring physicians,
who can have them auto-faxed or emailed directly to their
offices. And the system was so easy to learn that OhioHealth
could reap its benefits immediately upon implementation. Dr.
Pyka recalled “The least computer-savvy person in our department
was a 60-year old pathologist, and we taught her the basics in
less than fifteen minutes.”
Customizable System
It is the ease with which PowerPath can be customized that
especially endears it to Dr. Pyka. Having earned a B.S. in
computer science and electrical engineering before turning to
medicine, he easily customizes the software for use at
OhioHealth. He wrote an interface to the cassette labeling
system that prints labels for each case in real time at
accession, tremendously reducing labeling errors. He has built
into the software a system of checks and balances to prevent
cases being signed out if important information is missing in
reports, such as charge codes, quality assessments, or other
information that varies according to report type. In addition,
he has input shortcuts on certain charge codes to enable a
pathologist to enter one or two codes to represent 25-30
different antibodies; the codes can later be expanded to
approximate relevant billing numbers.
“The PowerPath database is organized in a logical,
simple-to-understand manner,” explained Dr. Pyka. “Since the
database schema is available to the end user, creating custom
reports on virtually any data item is relatively easy.” Dr.
Pyka’s latest project is an interface to the accessioning
process by the Cytyk TP3000 processor to reduce error in patient
identification of vials. The TP3000’s native barcoding is now
linked to cases in PowerPath automatically, reducing the
preparatory technician’s workload for the 300-400 accessions
each day. |
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