Recently, Luminex spent time with Dr. Ted E. Schutzbank, Technical Director of the Specialized Testing and Microbiology Laboratory at St. John Providence, part of Ascension. Dr. Schutzbank recounted that with breadth of samples, also comes varying degrees of urgency to deliver answers. This challenge requires the lab to operate with the utmost of efficiency, while generating results in an expedited manner.
Meet Ascension/St. John Providence
Ascension/St. John Providence is the largest provider of inpatient care in Southeast Michigan. Its Microbiology Lab receives samples from hospitals and medical centers across the region, as well as community clinics and physicians.
Meeting Seasonal Demands with ARIES®
A personal goal of Dr. Schutzbank’s is to increase the technical expertise of the laboratory and to truly become a state of the art facility. In 2017, Dr. Schutzbank brought the ARIES® System into the Molecular Pathology Lab to help meet seasonal testing needs, while managing physicians’ demands for faster results.
The sample to answer ARIES® System has allowed the lab to streamline testing by simultaneously running various samples types for different assays with a User Defined Protocol. The most tangible benefit is the faster turnaround time, which has helped the lab provide actionable and definitive answers to physicians who can then make quicker treatment decisions. Additionally, the reduced hands-on time has enabled his team to test samples throughout the entire shift.
A key ARIES® product for the Molecular Pathology Lab is the ARIES® Bordetella Assay. Prior to this assay being available, the lab would wait at least overnight before they could provide results to the physician, whereas now they can get results in two hours.
By adopting innovative and faster technologies, Ascension/St. John Providence will continue to meet the medical needs of its growing and diverse population.
Check out their video to get the complete story.
Learn more about infectious diseases testing from Luminex.
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