Cardinal Health Rolls Out WaveMark Supply Automation for Clinical Labs

Cardinal Health announced its business, WaveMark Supply Management and Workflow Solutions, will now be available for implementation in clinical labs across the U.S.
 
“WaveMark is among the first in the industry to optimize clinical lab processes through cutting-edge automation,” said Shawn McBride, vice president and general manager, WaveMark. “Timing matters in the lab: the faster test results are delivered from the lab, the faster a diagnosis can be made and treatment can begin. WaveMark’s new clinical lab solution ensures the most experienced, skilled lab managers aren’t unnecessarily spending time checking on inventory.”
 
The role clinical labs play in the continuum of care is critical: 70 percent of medical decisions are made with direction from a lab result¹. Even prior to the pandemic, however, the clinical lab workforce was strained due to both a retiring workforce within the lab and an aging population that increased testing demand². COVID-19 testing needs added to that demand. WaveMark’s supply automation capabilities help ease these staffing burdens by automating laborious, manual inventory-tracking tasks.
 
“WaveMark is the future of operational optimization in the lab and this solution is critical to the current workforce and supply chain challenges our healthcare industry is facing,” McBride said. “We wrap a lot of services into our solution that help ease the burden on customers. WaveMark is easy to implement and sustain for optimal results—this includes an entire lifecycle of assessing workflows, tailoring our solution for deployment and providing ongoing implementation and support for sustained results.”
 
With its scan, grab and go workflows, and automated, real-time insights, WaveMark alerts clinical lab staff of what to order and when to order it. Its search capabilities help quickly identify the location of products needed and lot numbers to ensure appropriate supplies are used first. Plus, it proactively alerts users about recalled, expired and at-risk products and supplies, ensuring patient safety and decreasing costs and waste. WaveMark also automates the flow of information by integrating with existing financial systems.
 
In a time-and-motion user study³, WaveMark users saved an average of nearly seven hours weekly for staff—357 hours per year—in just the first three months of implementation.
 
“WaveMark’s launch into clinical lab will not only create time savings for staff, but it will improve testing throughput and increase supply chain efficiency,” said McBride. “This means lab staff can focus on what they’re trained to do: deliver timely and accurate test results to patients.”
 
WaveMark is used in more than 2,500 operating rooms and procedural areas in more than 300 hospitals nationwide.

References
¹ Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. November 15, 2018. Strengthening Clinical Laboratories. 
² The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. Addressing the Clinical Laboratory Workforce Shortage. 
³ Data based on time and motion study led by third-party research firm, Kaleidoscope at White Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles. 2017.