All pathology orders at Stanford Health Care are now fully digital, enabling faster results, easier tracking and improved patient safety.
Since 2015, Stanford Healthcare has been using a software system, Epic System’s Beaker CP, to track the analysis of body fluids such as blood and urine (CP refers to clinical pathology). Last month, we deployed Beaker AP (AP in Anatomical Pathology) to track the collection and examination of tissue and fluids at the cellular level by pathologists.
Beaker AP streamlines all things pathology for Stanford Health Care. Stanford Cancer Institute Research Databasemonitor the location and identity of tissue samples; Simplify communication between treating physicians, pathologists and patients.
“The Beaker AP improves patient safety because when a sample passes through many locations in a complex organization like Stanford Health Care, the status and location of the sample are immediately visible after collection and It’s because it’s traceable.” Anne FolkesMD, an associate professor of pathology who helped lead the project to install the system.
Deployment of the Beaker AP has taken years due to the complexity of Stanford Health Care’s pathology. All samples collected during the procedure will be examined at the multi-site Stanford Clinical and Anatomic Pathology Laboratory. The Anatomic Pathology Department receives more than 90,000 tissue specimens or whole organs annually from the network of hospitals and clinics that make up Stanford Health Care and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. The lab also receives requests for expert reviews from medical institutions across the country.
travel mapping
In preparation for deployment, the Department of Anatomical Pathology mapped the various pathways along which the tissue sample was taken from the patient until it was examined by a pathologist.
“For each area of the lab, we looked at how they worked and wrote out the steps. Christina Kong, MD, Professor of Pathology and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs. “We did this at a time when it would be very difficult to add on top of our normal workload.” When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and caused unexpected stress on systems and staff, the lab Already he was preparing for the Beaker AP rollout.
Beaker AP went live on November 6, 2022, and by the end of the first week, things were going well, according to April Young, Director of Lab Operations for Anatomical Pathology.
“This collaboration is impressive considering how big a run this was, considering all the sites were affected and hundreds of people from Epic and Stanford Health Care Information Technology were on-site for support. We were able to address all major issues very quickly,” she said.
Tissue sample tracking
Prior to the introduction of the Beaker AP, many physicians handwritten pathology instructions. Once the samples and supporting documentation arrived at the lab, the order had to be entered into a software system previously used by the Department of Anatomy and Pathology.
Each sample is now tagged with a unique barcode that links it to the patient. With Beaker AP, that barcode works like his FedEx shipping number.
Surgeons and treating physicians can submit orders directly to pathology in the same Epic software environment that has hosted electronic medical records at Stanford Health Care since 2008. This feature is expected to reduce turnaround time by eliminating the need to transcribe and confirm handwritten orders.
Pathology reports are also electronically linked to related tests performed on the same sample, benefiting both physician and patient.
