Blood Testing at Warp Speed

Video by Harry Moxley

UVA Enlists Robotic Help to Enhance Blood Testing

Automation Allows UVA to Speed Results, Offer Wider Range of Tests

The University of Virginia Health System has revolutionized how it tests patient blood samples, automating its primary testing facility with high-tech robots that are getting doctors results quickly and efficiently – and allowing UVA to offer a wider range of blood tests to boot.

Speedy turnaround times for blood tests are often vital for physicians making important patient-care decisions. They can literally be the difference in life and death. “We are known for receiving the sickest patients, and we want to get the correct treatment to them as rapidly as possible,” explained Doris Haverstick, PhD, UVA’s director of clinical chemistry.

Randy Vandevander, senior manager of UVA’s now automated Clinical Core Laboratory, noted that in one instance, a doctor in the Emergency Department ordered an additional test after sending over a patient blood sample. When the physician went to check on the expected turnaround time, “it had already been sampled, tested and the tube was back in the [storage] rack here,” Vandevander said. “That’s just how quick the system is.”