Successful Diagnostic Testing Labs Rely on Phlebotomists
Your diagnostic lab was founded for an important reason: perhaps to deliver an innovative new test to the medical community, to increase the visibility of an uncommon illness, or to improve the accessibility of specialized testing for patients in need.
In order to fulfill those goals, you require skilled medical labor who can collect patient samples and send them back to your diagnostic lab for testing. This is particularly important for labs that offer At-Home Collection Kits, as those patients need access to phlebotomists who can perform the test locally, at their convenience.
Phlebotomists are the bridge between your lab and the patient.
Whether a patient has ordered one of your diagnostic test kits or has been referred by their primary care physician, they need a skilled phlebotomist to collect their sample and send it to your lab for resulting. In this way, phlebotomists serve as the bridge between your lab and the patient, as well as their healthcare provider.
Most patients will never have the opportunity to see the inside of your lab or meet your laboratory technicians. Rather, the phlebotomist collecting their sample serves as the face of the entire lab testing process.
As you well know, test results are only as good as the samples that are collected. Although venipuncture is usually a quick procedure, its success relies on the phlebotomist making a series of correct decisions: the type of needle and collection tube used, proper disinfectant of the patient’s skin, sanitization of the work area, verification of the patient’s identity, and of course, puncturing a suitable vein and collecting the blood.
The patient’s body position during the venipuncture procedure, the vein selected by the phlebotomist, and the handling of the sample afterward can all have an impact on the final quality of the blood sample. Additionally, any deviation from the prescribed blood draw procedure (i.e. improper patient preparation, such as failure to fast or stop taking certain medications) must be noted and reported to your lab.
There is no simple formula that can guide these procedural decisions, as many patients have unique needs that may affect the way in which their blood is drawn. Instead, it is up to the phlebotomist’s best judgment to perform a sufficient sample collection.
This process can be further complicated when the patient experiences a fear of needles or anxiety about having their blood drawn. In this common scenario, the phlebotomist also takes on the role of providing comfort and emotional support, while staying focused on their primary goal of quality sample collection.
It is clear that the relationship between diagnostic testing labs and phlebotomists is vital—not just for their own operations, but also for the patients and healthcare professionals who depend on those specialized test results in order to achieve an accurate diagnosis.
Access to phlebotomy services is key to successful lab operations.
As your diagnostic lab grows and receives more orders for test kits, the lab-phlebotomist relationship becomes even more essential. Not only do diagnostic labs depend on phlebotomists to perform safe, high-quality procedures, but they also need them to accommodate the growing demand for their tests. This requires consistent access to a pool of skilled labor.
Our platform enables patients in need of lab testing to quickly and easily locate medical facilities that provide collection services (also known as Medical Access Points) near them. Labs on the MOMS network can share their testing procedures with these MAPs, and their onsite phlebotomists will perform the collection according to specifications.
At MOMS, we know that all parties play an important role in the diagnostic lab testing process. Our platform encourages mutual support and success by providing labs with one single platform that helps with both billing and growth.
Would your diagnostic testing lab benefit from increased access to consistent, reliable, quality-focused phlebotomy services? Join MOMS today!
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