Case Study: COVID Lab Automations

How We Saved $181k A Year

We were approached by a lab in Florida that was testing 400-1000 customers for COVID every single day. They were in a state of panic because they were doing almost everything by hand and were growing their business. Here is a list of manual tasks they would perform every day with 4-5 employees working overtime:

  • Write down samples on a paper for organization.
  • Manually create patients from handwritten registration forms.
  • Link every patient to their respective sample in an LIS system.
  • Fill out plate forms by hand and re-type every sample into 3rd party software.
  • Try to find duplicate sample entries to resolve human error with registration forms.
  • Manually send out emails once results were finished.

Since there was no database set up outside of the LIS, customers would constantly fill out the wrong sample number, which means there were hundreds of duplicates to locate every single night. Here are the solutions we built to resolve these issues.

Savings) 168hrs/mo or $20k/yr

Bulk Emailer

Instead of them sending emailed results by hand, we created a software that parses thousands of CSV rows in seconds through a single IP address. This helps protect their deliverability and sends emails 50x faster! Here’s what the new process looks like:

  • Create a csv file
  • Upload your file
  • Emails send 50x faster
  • Results are clear and simple

Savings) 875hrs/mo or $105k/yr

Patient Creator

The new registration form reduced on-site employees as well as time spent handing out and collecting registration papers.

Not only that, but now that every registration is going to a single database, we can validate entries to avoid duplicate registrations and human error.

And the cherry on top is that employees no longer have to interpret handwriting or manually enter 15 fields of data per customer. That’s a lot of savings.

Savings) 21hrs/mo or $2.5k/yr

Instant Auto Emailer

After setting up a single database, we had the opportunity to return and improve the bulk emailer mentioned previously. Now every time a customer was resulted in the LIS, we could locate their registration, and instantly send them their results!

Now, there was no need to create CSV files and upload them to the site to send emails and the whole system suddenly became fully automated. The main benefit to this build was the headache of searching for errors, not to mention the increase in customer satisfaction when results were sent out much sooner than they would with the bulk emailer.

Savings) 105hrs/mo or $12.6k/yr

Plate Builder

Due to multiple 3rd party systems being unable to pass compatible data to each other, the lab workers would have to write out 94 entries, carry them to another machine, and type out each of those entries again. This was a lot of human error and a lot of time spent manually writing, retyping, and validating samples.

Our plate builder allowed the lab worker to quickly scan the bar codes on the samples and then export them as a print layout or 3rd party software format that the lab used. The process now takes 5 minutes per plate instead of the typical hour when hand-written. As a bonus, the plate builder also does error checking for duplicate items or any invalid entries in the samples themselves.

Savings) 175hrs/mo or $21k/yr

Patient Linker

Limitations to the 3rd party system prevented linking patients to their samples through an API. This meant that a lab worker would have to manually correct each entry. 

Since we couldn’t use an API, we had to create a cloud computer, that would simulate a user moving the mouse to perform repetitive tasks as seen in the graphic.

The automation was built to scale so that multiple automations could run simultaneously. Any entry that does not match gets placed into a report for manual review so that nothing slips through the cracks.

Savings) 84hrs/mo or $10k/yr

Sticker Generator

In order to allow the auto-linker to work its magic, the customer needed to enter a small code on the sample tube into the registration form. Customers often had a difficult time reading the small code and entering the numbers exactly right. This led to many numbers being entered wrong, causing employees to spend 4 hours a day figuring out what number was supposed to be entered.

To avoid this issue, we created a system that auto-populates the registration form with the sample code on the tube without even having to type it. Now every registration would match. the number on the sample tube exactly, and eliminate duplicates.

Total Savings

Solution Hours / Day Hours / Month Monthly Savings Yearly Savings
Bulk Emailer
8
168
$1,680
$20,160
Patient Creator
42
882
$8,820
$105,840
Auto Emailer
1
21
$210
$2,520
Plate Builder
5
105
$1,050
$12,600
Patient Linker
12
252
$2,520
$30,240
Sticker Generator
4
84
$840
$10,080
Total
72
1,512
$15,120
$181,440

We are not shy about jumping right in and learning how your business operates to discover opportunities for savings. Typically our projects last 3-months at the start. The first month is a discovery stage where we explore weak spots, provide timelines, deliverables, and estimated cost savings. Month two is where we build out solutions and begin testing, and month three is where we debug and fine-tune the system to run smoothly.

Most of the time, our clients see the value in keeping us on retainer to build solutions for months after we finish our initial 3-month process. They love being able to scale their business with professional developers supporting their vision.