Utah Department of Health to Track Newborn Screening Specimens Statewide with Track-Kit™ from STACS DNA
OTTAWA, ONTARIO (PRWEB) NOVEMBER 20, 2018
The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has contracted with STACS DNA for a Track-Kit system to track all newborn screening (NBS) specimens across the state. The system will be deployed to all birthing hospitals to reduce delays between specimen shipment from hospitals and delivery to the state newborn screening laboratory in Salt Lake City. This supports UDOH’s goals of saving lives and improving babies’ health through the early detection of serious, treatable conditions.
“We are methodically working to automate timeliness and eliminate gaps in our newborn screening program, and collaborating with STACS DNA 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, allowing us to be aware of the status of each specimen from every birthing hospital across the state of Utah.”
Track-Kit, a secure, cloud-based system designed specifically for newborn screening, provides a complete audit trail of specimen collection and shipping, as well as lab receipt and storage. Track-Kit will improve Utah’s newborn screening program in a variety of ways:
- Provides real-time status of individual specimens—not just packages
- Centralizes the tracking of multiple courier companies into one system
- Alerts both the hospital and the laboratory if specimen delivery is late to expedite locating or recollecting the specimen
- Provides the lab with a real-time, global view of all incoming specimens and shipments from hospitals across Utah to support accountability and next-day planning
- Identifies if a specimen has been left in the hospital due to a missed courier pickup
- Reduces the use of expired cards to increase quality and reduce cost
- Expedites recollection requests
- Supports Utah as a two-screen state by tracking lab receipt of first specimens from hospitals as well as second specimens from thousands of physicians
- Notifies the hospital when a specimen has been delivered to the state lab
- Documents specimen storage and destruction at the state laboratory
- Optimizes blood spot card inventory management
“By making improvements in the way we collect and track screening samples, we have the opportunity to save lives,” said Jocelyn Tremblay, President and CEO of STACS DNA. “We are excited to work with the State of Utah’s highly respected newborn screening program to give them the information they need to provide an even higher level of service to the citizens of Utah.”
About STACS DNA
STACS DNA offers sample tracking software for newborn screening, public health and forensics DNA agencies. Track-Kit™ tracks samples statewide from collection to storage to prevent delays for thousands of users. STACS® sample processing software is the hub of an integrated DNA lab, providing a detailed audit trail to increase productivity, improve quality, reduce errors and maintain conformity. Clients include most of the largest federal and state forensics agencies in North America.
