One solution for inpatient & outpatient point of care testing.

Bob Whetsten, Administrative Coordinator of Ambulatory Lab for CoxHealth Laboratory Services, knew there had to be a better way to manage his growing point of care testing (POCT) program. The CoxHealth POCT program started with the local Springfield, Missouri hospitals and grew to include two regional hospitals. The program now includes more than 80 physician offices and clinics across Missouri.

Access Anywhere

Every week, Whetsten would drive hundreds of miles to monitor the CoxHealth POCT program. The regional hospitals had been having great success using TELCOR QML® to interface POCT results, so he was sure the same technology could connect outpatient locations too. CoxHealth has since implemented 39 outpatient sites. Whetsten said the POCT program is much more efficient and he spends less time on the road. “I would waste most of my day driving everywhere,” Whetsten said. “Now that we’re electronically interfaced, I can look at the testing as it comes across. That is much easier than before. Now, I don’t have to do routine visits to check and see what people are doing. It’s right in front of me and I can look right away.”

Using TELCOR QML, CoxHealth connects and communicates seamlessly with any device, from any manufacturer, inside or outside a facility. Once connected, results are consolidated into a single system where a point of care coordinator (POCC) manages operators, devices, quality control, and result exceptions from any facility via Citrix® or RD/Web access via Internet Explorer®.

With all CoxHealth facilities connected—including outpatient sites—physicians can easily view results that have been electronically interfaced with the CoxHealth LIS/EMR from his or her office. This provides timely access to the results in TELCOR QML, allowing problems to be solved quickly and compliance managed more easily.

TELCOR QML eliminates manual charting, reduces errors and omissions, and diminishes the need to manage multiple systems. It increases efficiency, giving a POCC the ability to accomplish more even as they manage ever-expanding point of care programs.

Manage Compliance

QML also allows Whetsten to better manage the hundreds of testing personnel he oversees, especially when it comes to operator certification credentials. Operators must be tested three times during their first year of employment and yearly thereafter. To stay on top of each operator’s testing to meet certification requirements was extremely time-consuming.

“TELCOR QML takes care of that for me. It’s so nice,” Whetsten said. “We’re able to monitor credential recertification much easier and we have a better handle on what’s going on.” He can see when operators were last certified and can receive an automated notification of expiration. If they aren’t able to update their credentials in time, the system automatically locks them out. This is extremely useful for remote locations. Whetsten no longer has to be onsite to manage operator compliance, it is done automatically through the QML solution.

Increase Accuracy

QML improves patient care through its ability to confirm patient identification. ADT information, ordersand results transmit between the POCT devices, QML and the LIS/EMR all while running unattended all day, every day. Not only does this virtually eliminate the risk of human error that can occur when manually entering POCT results, physicians also receive quicker access to results because the information is immediate. “Patients get accurate test results in their charts that doctors can use for timely treatment,” Whetsten said.

CoxHealth clinics also utilize TELCOR WebMRE®, a web-based module that fully integrates with QML and captures manual test results, making its POCT program even more effective and efficient. Now all results—from connected devices or those manually entered—are available within QML for consistent and consolidated POCT reporting. With all of the new efficiencies from using TELCOR solutions, CoxHealth clinics gain time to see even more patients.

Everything, Everywhere Point of Care

Whetsten said having a single solution that can interface inpatient and outpatient POC testing is extremely advantageous. TELCOR QML is designed to provide a single solution without limitations, supporting the management and reporting requirements of the CoxHealth POCT program by connecting all device types—regardless of manufacturer, quantity of devices or number of facilities.

“It doesn’t matter which device or which facility,” he said. “TELCOR point of care software solution handles everything for us. It does the work and has the ability to expand as we need.”

By connecting all POCT device types, health care facilities can provide reporting more quickly, increase accuracy by eliminating omissions and transcription errors, and effectively manage compliance. TELCOR QML is used by thousands of inpatient, long-termacute care, long-term care, and ambulatory facilities in North America. Contact TELCOR to discover how QML can impact your POCT program.

The Numbers

TELCOR connects to 150+ device types, more than any other middleware provider and 40 LIS/EMR systems. TELCOR has helped connect more than 2,500+ health care facilities worldwide.

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