Description:
Oak Hill Hospital is a 209-bed community hospital situated in Hernando County in West Central Florida. With an average patient age of >65 years, Oak Hill specializes in treating an elder population centering around its Quick Care Emergency Department and Heart Center for Excellence and Stroke Certification. Oak Hill is a member of HCA, a leading provider of healthcare services consisted of nearly 200 hospitals in 23 states in southern and western United States. In August 2005, Oak Hill Hospital opened its Open Heart Surgery Center.

Challenge:
To reduce the turnaround time for test results thereby improving patient outcomes. Prior to 2003, only the blood gas tests were performed at the point of care. All other tests were sent to the laboratory where test results took as long as 55 minute to be released.

Solution:
Oak Hill Hospital installed Nova Stat Profile CCX analyzers in both the Emergency Department and ICU in early 2003. With the installation of the CCX analyzers, all blood gases, chemistries, and electrolytes are being performed at the point of care. The analyzers are operated and maintained by the respiratory department in close cooperation with the main laboratory. The laboratory continues to receive revenues generated by the POC testing, while the respiratory department is able to expedite delivery of patient care faster by having access to faster test results.

According to Jack Kaminski, RT Administrative Director, "every critical patient deserves to have the testing capability that the Nova CCX offers. As a result of the initial success of the Nova analyzers, we have gone 'Full House' with this technology". Toward that end, two additional CCX units were installed in early 2005, one in the Cardiac Care Unit and the other in the mobile Blood Gas Lab.

Instrumentation:

Tests Performed:
pH, PCO2, PO2, SO2%, Hb, Hct, Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca++, Glu, BUN, Creat, Lac, HHb, O2Hb, MetHb, O2Hb

Cost Implications:

• BROAD TEST MENU
  Provides comprehensive stat information -- including renal function -- required for medical staff to treat critically ill patients and improve outcomes in the ED, ICU, and CCU.
• RAPID TAT
  Turnaround times reduced from 55 minutes to less than 5 minutes.
• BLOOD CONSERVATION
  Only one blood draw required for ABGs and all other tests.
• MINIMAL DOWNTIME
  Provides confidence to medical staff that results will always be available.
• PATIENT PRIVACY
  Patient results automatically removed from view after 2 minutes provides full HIPAA compliance and satisfies HCA's corporate privacy requirements.

According to Candie Starr, Oak Hill Hospital Laboratory Manager, "The physicians are elated with the reduced turnaround time. They believe that their ED is the preferred ED in the area because the ambulance people and other health care professionals are aware of the superior overall service that Oak Hill provides over other hospitals in the area."

System Configuration: