FINAL THOUGHTS
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Andy Thomson is senior vice president, centralized diagnostics, at Roche Diagnostics Corp. (Indianapolis). He brings to this role well-developed strategic and financial skills and a demonstrated record of managing commercial operations, product lines and business integrations. He can be reached at andrew.thomson
@roche.com. |
The lab market is changing again and is seeking additional improvements in automation. This is prompting more IVD manufacturers to provide open automation solutions. Mid-volume labs desire flexible, small yet powerful analyzers that can function as stand-alone instruments or be linked through automation to other analyzers. Such linkage can minimize sample touches, achieve predictable turnaround times, and decrease errors. This trend in expanded connectivity is leading labs back toward total lab automation.
IVD manufacturers are responding by releasing new instruments and technologies that meet such needs. At the same time, many mid-volume labs are beginning to accept automation. Regardless of their size, labs are realizing that in order to overcome the obstacles in today’s market, they must consider automation solutions.
Lab Automation Today
Many of the same challenges that labs faced 10 years ago are still present today. Cost containment in the healthcare system is putting pressure on labs to improve their efficiency. Other factors, including increased testing volumes, reduced turnaround times, and labor shortages, are forcing labs to adapt continuously to this ever-changing environment.
To deal with such issues, laboratories must determine what type of automation and how much is appropriate for their current and future needs. IVD manufacturers offer various automation choices, from small stand-alone devices to systems that combine preanalytics, analytics, and information technology (IT) solutions into a single, consolidated platform. Lab managers find the right fit for their labs by comparing the value of each automation solution and justifying that purchase based on realistic and fact-based return-on-investment analysis. Lab managers and hospital administration know that the greatest return on investment is realized when the right level of automation improves the lab’s quality and efficiency.
As the complexity and cost of automation increase, labs are also demanding flexibility in their automation solutions. Laboratorians are looking for open solutions that will connect to numerous competing instrument platforms, and offer more testing options and choices. In addition, one vendor alone cannot provide 100% of the automated testing solutions that labs require. The vendors that can offer cost-effective open automation solutions will gain a disproportionate share of the lab instrument business moving forward. Meanwhile, the IVD companies that continue to market their closed systems will find it more difficult to meet their customers’ connectivity demands.
The Next Generation of Lab Automation
In the past, high-volume automation solutions could not be justified in mid-volume labs because the benefits could not outweigh the costs. Large analyzer footprint was another barrier that could not be overcome. IVD manufacturers have been slow to respond to the needs of mid-volume labs due to high development costs. They have either made their equipment cheaper or built it smarter by reengineering their existing equipment. However, by rethinking their existing instrumentation, IVD manufacturers can now offer cost-efficient automation solutions to mid-volume labs.
Analyzers. The mid-volume lab is a segment of the automation market that will see tremendous growth. Instruments are being released in a cost range that allows mid-volume labs to take advantage of automation and integration. With the recent launch of smaller, cost-effective integrated testing solutions, viable automation is now available for mid-volume labs. Such solutions give mid-sized labs the ability to consolidate their routine clinical chemistry and immunoassay testing into one integrated platform with a small footprint. With this new generation of analyzers, automation is no longer just for large labs: it is now a reality for all labs.
Software. Middleware solutions provide key performance-enhancing capabilities. Such software is implemented in platform technologies that lend themselves to rapid development of new feature sets. The software allows individual labs to significantly customize the feature sets to their own situation. It is also designed to provide specific features and functions that fill the gaps in the legacy laboratory information system (LIS) products with low investment requirements. In addition, the software is driven more by IVD companies to enhance the interoperability of the IVD systems with the LIS.
IVD companies have become more innovative in their system software and system designs, while LIS companies continue to treat such systems as simply instruments that need test orders and produce test results. In fact, in analyzers with multiple redundant testing modules, most LIS products still have difficulties with tracking the actual instrument section that produced a test result.
Conclusion
Lab automation is limited only by the cost to develop platforms capable of multiple disciplines. However, IVD manufacturers must keep in mind the issues of the past, i.e., size, cost, complexity, and potential effort required.
To remain competitive in the future, IVD manufacturers will need to continue to develop integrated platforms that accommodate multiple reagents and detection technologies, handle multiple-sized tubes, and support intelligent connectivity to automation systems. To the extent that such features can be synchronized, the resulting platforms will become more compact, more efficient, and less costly.
As the required investment for developing new automation technologies increases, laboratories will look for vendors that have the economies of scale to make such significant investments, and the commercial operations and project management resources to deliver and implement complete automation solutions.
