Specimen Sorting & Tracking.
- Automatic Sorting and Tracking of specimens en route to lab with their status indicated – (sorted, wanded in processing, arrived to lab, etc.).
- Eliminate manual sorting of specimens for different test codes and lab destinations.
- Eliminate specimen miss-sorting occurring during manual sorting.
- Speed up overall specimen processing time from processing department to lab.
- Reduce workforce needed for specimen processing and specimen wanding – (lab worksheet creation).
Operation description:
When test specimens are delivered from outside clinics, hospitals or doctor offices, they are entered into laboratory database by operators – (specimen processors), and barcode is applied to each specimen tube. The tubes are inserted into special tube carriers – (pucks) and pushed onto feeding conveyor using special slide rails. Each puck has RFID memory chip that holds the data associated with the specimen sample throughout the entire process. The pucks travel thru Binding station, where the specimen barcode is read, its data verified with laboratory database, then the specimen data is written to RFID chip and specimen status is updated in laboratory database. Once the pucks leave the Binding station, they travel thru the sorting system until they find their sort destination. Each sort locations has RFID reader, an ejector, and two puck sliding sleeves or containers, one stationary, permanently attached to support frame, and one removable, replaced with simple pull-up, press-down actions. When specimen is sorted at its destination, the laboratory database updates specimen status or location in process. The removable sleeve can be removed at any time and multiple sleeves can be joined together to form a sleeve assembly – (specimen rack), that could be wanded into LIS – (Laboratory Information System), using an Automated Specimen Wanding RFID matrix reader.
Features of sorting system:
- In-feed conveyors with feeding slides for pucks with specimens.
- Binding station(s) with barcode reading scanners, RFID writer, reject slide.
- Sorter with rows of sort locations, each fitted with RFID reader, ejector, stationary and removable, gravity assisted slide. Numbers of sort locations can be customized to suit the required processing volume and number of different tests.
- Connecting conveyors to form closed loop travel between sort locations.
- RFID reader at each sort location can be assigned, or changed, quickly for different test code destination via GUI touch screen.
- All Sorters and Binding stations are networked with laboratory information system database.
- GUI – (graphical user interface) touch screen, for each sorting system to assign and monitor the operating parameters of the system.
Please view all the following videos for better understanding of the system operation and its components.
Removable sleeves and specimen carrying pucks.
The sleeves hold twelve – (12) pucks or less each. The specimen carrying pucks can accept any tube diameters between 12-15 mm.
Rack based Automated Specimen Wanding – (RAW).
The RAW System provides the capability to read the information for a group of samples (i.e., a rack of samples) and communicate the information to LIS – (Laboratory Information System), so that the samples are wanded to a worksheet in LIS after the samples have been sorted by the Continuous Specimen Sorting (CSS) System.
The main component of the RAW System is the Reader. The Reader reads the sample positions in a rack along with appropriate data from RFID chips located on the sample pucks and communicates the information to LIS. Users will be able to log on to the RAW System using their LIS logon and password, place a group of sorted samples on the Reader, and wand the samples to a worksheet in LIS. The RAW System provides a Matrix Reader GUI displaying the sample positions in Green or Red color to indicate LIS approval or rejection of each sample. The RAW System also displays the proper Status Code, as communicated by LIS, for each sample as well as worksheet number when samples are successfully wanded to a worksheet in LIS. The Matrix Reader can read up to 96 pucks/specimens.
