Automated Lab relies on robotics

An automated lab employee checks specimens as they run through
the MPA.

In 1997, The Medical Foundation was the first laboratory in the United States to install the Clinical Laboratory Automation Systems (CLAS) robotics system enabling the process of automating specimen testing. It was a process, according to the Director of General Laboratory Operations, Brett Colter, that allowed the Foundation to centralize a large portion of testing which made it more efficient, eliminated redundant equipment, and lowered labor costs.
The robotics system, which was upgraded to the Roche Modular Pre-Analytic (MPA) in 2008, is the current system that is used to process approximately 2,500 to 3,000 specimens daily. 
“This system takes up about 25% of the space the old system used to take. It has a lot more logic function that can handle more algorithms for handing specimens.  It also has a higher capacity and is much faster,” said Colter.
The MPA system is housed in The Medical Foundation’s Automated Laboratory on Lafayette Boulevard in South Bend.  The automated lab is focused on very high volume, common laboratory tests. A lot of routine screening tests are run through the automated lab which is designed to move specimens through quickly by using the robotics which has a lot of algorithms and decision logic in the software which can quickly identify specimens with abnormal results. Those specimens are then isolated and are investigated by Foundation employees.
A lot of automated laboratory processes in the pre-analytic processing system also take place in the automated lab such as the splitting of samples so they can be divided into a number of tubes and routed automatically through the processing center for additional testing.
“We keep about 40,000 samples in our archive at any given time.  We have an automated tracking system to find those samples so when we do have an add-on test, we can decide very quickly if we have enough of the sample and the right sample before any additional blood is taken from the patient.
Also housed near the Automated Lab is the Manual Lab at the Foundation.  This area is where more esoteric testing, lower volume testing takes place.  These tests are done at individual instruments and are usually done in batch testing.  Approximately 250 tests are done on the automated side and about 250 tests are done on the manual side. 
The Medical Foundation is a leader in laboratory medicine and has been on the cutting edge since it began in 1912.  With the use of robotics and the knowledge of our laboratory experts, we’ll continue to process specimens needed for physicians to make educated decisions pertaining to the clients we serve.