Automated Sample Management System for Improved Workflow

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics further expanded its clinical laboratory automation portfolio with the VersaCell X3 Solution. The newest model of the company’s longstanding VersaCell System, the new system now offers even more ways to help labs achieve the workflow benefits of automation without the space or budget considerations of a track-based solution. The system’s arrival complements the recent launch of the Siemens Aptio Automation platform, designed for the growing needs of medium- to very high-volume laboratories. For lower- and mid-volume labs, whose budgets are often particularly constrained and where track-based automation may not be the right approach, to solution delivers several advantages. The new platform maintains its small footprint and upright design, but now connects up to three of the company’s analyzers through a single robotic sample interface for increased productivity gains. By supporting a customized mix of chemistry, immunoassay and/or integrated systems and associated assay menus, the system helps labs reduce operator sample handling, better prioritize staff work and eliminate pre- and post-analytical processing- all through one-touch sample management. A conveniently placed priority drawer on the system, situated above existing routine sample drawers, provides eight new STAT positions and frees up 50 sample positions for routine processing, enhancing STAT management and increasing overall sample routing flexibility. Plus, modifications to the system’s signature robotic arm also enable it to support both rounded and flat-bottom tubes, and the incorporation of a docking plate reduces service intervention time for all connected systems, increasing uptime so that labs can continue to deliver results to clinicians on time. A centralized screen on the system provides consolidated, single-operator access to all connected analyzers, and further data consolidation is achievable through a connection to the company’s CentraLink Data Management System.

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, www.healthcare.siemens.com/versacell