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The National Healthcare Group's two largest hospitals, the National University Hospital (NUH) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), will sign a contract on 23 June 2005 with Bayer Healthcare-Diagnostics and Beckman Coulter, Inc., respectively to automate the two hospitals' laboratories.
When ready by the end of this year, NUH and TTSH's laboratories will be the most sophisticated in the region, being the first automation line to integrate chemistry, haematology, immunochemistry and coagulation tests.
With automation, the overall improvement in turnaround time for laboratory tests is about 35% and in some instances, the turnaround time can be twice as fast. Laboratory results delivered to our doctors at the quickest time possible enable them to arrive at diagnosis earlier and provide even more timely intervention and treatment for patients.
Laboratory Automation Systems (LAS)
The use of LAS is emerging as the contemporary laboratory solution and is well established in laboratories especially those handling large volumes of specimens in countries such as Canada, USA, Japan and Western Europe.
LAS harnesses the strengths of robotic technology to transport and process sample tubes when they arrive at the laboratories. The pre-analytical stage involves sample labelling, sorting, routing, order entry, centrifugation, and decapping. The analytical stage involves analysis performed by lab instruments while the post-analytical stage involves any activities such as sample storage and sample retrieval for add-on tests.
Most laboratory tests are in the areas of clinical chemistry (eg glucose), immunochemistry (eg hormones), routine haematology (eg full blood count) and coagulation (eg prothrombin).
NHG Experience
Together, NUH and TTSH laboratories handle more than 5,000 samples per day, accounting for more than 75% of all laboratory tests done by the National Healthcare Group (NHG). The other NHG institutions - Alexandra Hospital, Institute of Mental Health Hospital and polyclinics account for the remaining 25%.
Given the large number of samples NHG handles and with a projected increase of 5-10% per year in demand for laboratory services, there is a real need to enhance the capacity of laboratory services.
Benefits of LAS
Automation is expected to improve the turnaround time (TAT) - defined as time from sample arrival at laboratory to release of results to doctors - at NUH and TTSH laboratories. Currently, it takes about 40-90 minutes and 1-3 hours to process urgent and non-urgent tests respectively. With automation, the TAT is expected to improve to 36-60 minutes, for both urgent and non-urgent tests.
Automation will also enable laboratory staff to focus more on knowledge-intensive clinical and diagnostic functions instead of the mundane functions like sorting, routing, transporting, loading and unloading sample tubes.
The other key benefits to automation are:
1. Cost savings. The initial capital investment from NHG is about S$1million. The cost savings for NHG arising from manpower, trade-in of existing equipment and others is estimated to be about S$10 million over 7 years. These savings will be ploughed into improving areas of patient care.
2. Increase in staff productivity. Automation is expected to increase staff productivity by more than 46% over 3 years for the areas automated.
3. Increase in system capacity. It is projected that both laboratories will be able to handle at least 50% more samples.
4. Increase in staff safety. Automation will improve workplace safety by reducing potential biohazard exposures due to decapping, aliquotting (transferring of serum from one tube to another) and recapping of sample tubes. Despite vigilant infection control, manual handling of infectious specimens may expose staff to aerosols and risk. During the SARS outbreak, staff had to put on full personal protective equipment which hampered sample handling.
Bayer Healthcare and Beckman Coulter to Invest S$14 million in NHG
Bayer Healthcare and Beckman Coulter will implement their Laboratory Automation System respectively at NUH (September '05) and TTSH (October '05). Both vendors have committed to making the two hospitals their reference sites in the region, by investing a total of more than S$14 million in state-of-the-art technology and R&D.
"The partnership between NHG and Bayer HealthCare will transform how clinical laboratory testing will be done for many thousands of patients in Singapore. This new laboratory automation system will shorten waiting time for tests, enhance patient care, and lower the cost of testing. It is capable of carrying out more than 160 tests on a variety of medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, oncology, infectious diseases, congenital diseases, virology and women's health.
Bayer HealthCare will be investing S$ 7.8 million in this partnership with NHG, representing the largest single investment for Bayer Healthcare in Singapore. We are confident that the partnership between Bayer and NHG will bring numerous benefits to patients here, and enhance NHG's status as a world-class healthcare provider," said Dr. Jean-Luc Lowinski, Head & Senior Vice President for Bayer HealthCare Asia Pacific.
"The NHG has taken the lead in Southeast Asia by embracing lab automation, and we expect that many hospitals in the region will follow suit," said Michael Belbin, Director of Asia Pacific Operations for Beckman Coulter. "Through the use of our Power Processor lab automation system, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital will be able to deliver results to physicians faster, easier and safer while reducing overall operating costs. We are proud that the NHG has selected us to help them simplify, automate and innovate their laboratory operations, joining more than 300 hospitals worldwide that have enjoyed improved efficiencies and other outcome benefits."
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About the National Healthcare Group
"The National Healthcare Group (NHG) manages:
Four hospitals - Alexandra Hospital, National University Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the Institute of Mental Health/Woodbridge Hospital;
The Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Centre; one National Centre - National Skin Centre;
The NHGP chain of nine polyclinics - Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Clementi, Hougang, Jurong, Toa Payoh, Woodlands, Yishun;
Three speciality institutes - The Cancer Institute, The Eye Institute and The Heart Institute; and
Five Business Divisions - NHG College, NHG Diagnostics, NHG Gulf, NHG Pharmacy and NetCare Internet Services.
Our vision is "Adding years of healthy life to the people of Singapore".
Media Contact:
Liew Yen Lin
National Healthcare Group
Corporate Communications
DID: 63578413
Pager: 92923877
e-mail: Yen_Lin_Liew@nhg.com.sg
Bayer:
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Our products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. The Bayer Group is committed to the principles of sustainable development - with economic growth, ecological integrity and social responsibility accorded equal priority in its corporate activities throughout the world. In 2004, Bayer employed some 113,000 people and had sales of €29.8 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to €1.3 billion, R&D expenses to €2.1 billion. For more information on Bayer go to www.bayer.com
Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics Division:
Bayer HealthCare, Diagnostics Division (www.bayerdiag.com), based in Tarrytown, New York, U.S.A., is one of the largest diagnostic businesses in the world. The organization supports customers in 100 countries through an extensive portfolio of laboratory testing, molecular testing and near patient care diagnostics systems and services for use in the assessment and management of health, including the areas of cardiovascular and kidney disease, oncology, virology and women's health. Bayer HealthCare Diagnostics Division's global headquarters in the United States operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group.
Media Contact:
Adrian Chia
Corporate Communications Manager, Bayer South East Asia Pte Ltd
Tel: 66622416
Mobile: 94504403
E-mail: adrian.chia.ac@bayer-ag.de
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