HamiltonThe Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program, one of the largest lab networks in Canada, plans to purchase WASPLab from COPAN Diagnostics, Murrieta, Calif, the latest generation full-lab automation and digital microbiology system.

The program serves more than 1.4 million residents across the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network (HNHB LHIN). Installation is scheduled for the last quarter of 2013 at Hamilton General Hospital.

“With the decreased turnaround times, our clinicians are excited about the positive impact WASPLab will have in enhancing patient care, antibiotic stewardship, and infection control management,” says David Langstaff, executive director, Laboratory Medicine Network.

With the purchase of WASPLab, microbiology testing from Joseph Brant Hospital and the Niagara Health System will be redirected to Hamilton as part of a Regional Microbiology Service.

“The implementation of this state-of-the-art laboratory is something that wouldn’t be possible for us to achieve as individual organizations,” Langstaff says. “The strength of our regional program has enabled us to purchase and implement a system that furthers our goal of building a fully integrated, leading practice, best-in-quality, regional laboratory system.”

Norman Sharples, CEO, COPAN Diagnostics, says pressures to improve efficiencies in health care continue to drive more consolidation of lab services. “Digital microbiology, through reports that consolidate a library of culture images, descriptions of the findings, and the professional interpretation of the results by the lab, brings microbiology to the clinicians, reducing turnaround times tremendously,” he says. “

WASPLab bridges the gap between lab knowledge and clinicians, improves speed and accessibility of results, shares images and interpretational reports to the office desktop or screen of any mobile device … this is the future of microbiology,” Sharples says.

With a focus on standardization, consolidation, specialization, and innovation, the following organizations have formed a LHIN Laboratory Medicine Network and Council and are working together to further develop the plan for coordination of regional laboratory services in the HNHB LHIN:

Hamilton Health Sciences
Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre
Joseph Brant Hospital
• Niagara Health System
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
West Lincoln Memorial Hospital

[Source: COPAN Diagnostics, Inc.