Utah Department of Health Selects Newborn Screening Software from STACS DNA and OZ Systems

The Utah Department of Health has chosen OZ Newborn Screening Suite, an end-to-end newborn screening (NBS) system from OZ Systems and STACS DNA, for the Utah Newborn Screening Program. The OZ Newborn Screening Suite will reduce delays between specimen collection at hospitals and delivery to the state laboratory, and will improve data quality and sharing to prevent the loss of newborn life through early detection of treatable conditions.

“We are methodically working to automate timeliness and eliminate gaps in our newborn screening program, and collaborating with STACS DNA and OZ Systems will help us to do that,” said Andreas Rohrwasser, Director of the Utah Newborn Screening Laboratory and Deputy Director of the Utah Public Health Laboratory. “This NBS system will provide specimen chain of custody and integrate EMRs for data sharing and reporting for all the birthing hospitals and thousands of physicians across the state of Utah.”

The new program provides a complete audit trail of collection, shipping, specimen tracking and reporting activities, which will improve Utah’s newborn screening program in a variety of ways: 

  • Pre-populating demographic data directly from the electronic health record in a custom Utah NBS electronic form, eliminating the need for hospital staff to hand-write NBS cards, which saves time and improves data quality
  • Preventing the collection of expired cards to increase quality
  • Notifying the hospital when specimens are received at the lab, as required by regulations
  • Replacing manual data entry at the lab with an electronic lab order
  • Providing the lab with a real-time, global view of all incoming specimens and shipments from across the state
  • Tracking specimens in transit in real-time
  • Notifying the lab and hospital staff if a delivery is late so that immediate action can be taken
  • Tracking specimen storage and destruction
  • Tracking NBS card inventory and automating re-orders across the state to maximize efficiency
  • Reporting screening results to physicians electronically

STACS DNA and OZ Systems integrated their systems to provide a full collection-to-storage solution, combining OZ Systems’ newborn bloodspot screening interoperability with STACS DNA’s sample tracking capabilities. This secure, cloud-based NBS information system saves time and increases data and specimen quality to improve patient care.

“This collaboration is an opportunity to build a model that will improve newborn screening practices across the nation,” said Jocelyn Tremblay, President and CEO of STACS DNA. “By making improvements in the way we collect and track screening samples, we have the opportunity to save lives. We are beyond excited to bring this program to Utah and hope it spreads far beyond.”

“By integrating our technologies, OZ Systems and STACS DNA are bringing the most comprehensive, timely and accurate newborn screening program to the State of Utah,” said Terese Finitzo, CEO of OZ Systems. “Most current newborn screening processes suffer from chronic errors and delays and we have worked tirelessly to create a system that fixes that. We are grateful for the opportunity to see how our work can improve outcomes for newborns across the state.”

STACS DNA 
STACS DNA offers sample tracking software for timeliness, transparency and accountability. Track-Kit™ tracks samples from collection to storage, preventing delayed or lost tests, and it keeps all stakeholders informed. STACS® software is the hub of integrated DNA labs, increasing productivity and quality. Our customers are federal, state, regional and local agencies, including many of the largest forensics DNA labs in North America.

OZ Systems 
OZ Systems is an innovator in global screening solutions, bridging crucial information gaps to ensure quality care and timely interventions for patients and those who care for them. We develop end-to-end newborn screening software that reduces human errors and improves patient safety, quality of care and intervention timeliness. We are recognized for interoperability, and innovation in design and partnerships – like our new relationship with STACS DNA. OZ Systems has projects with U.S. and international health care providers and public health agencies.