CME Insider's Blog Posts

Outpatient infusion centers serve patients receiving everything from routine hydration and iron infusions to complex biologic therapies and oncology treatments. While the therapies may differ, each center depends on a combination of medical equipment, patient furnishings, and clinical infrastructure to operate effectively.

Selecting that equipment involves more than determining how many infusion chairs and pumps to purchase. Treatment duration, medication requirements, patient mobility, nursing workflow, and available space all influence what belongs on the equipment list.

Equipping your laboratory with the right lab equipment can make a noticeable difference in turnaround time. Equipment with the appropriate capacity, throughput, automation capability, reliability, and functionality can help increase efficiency at several points between specimen receipt and result reporting.

Improving turnaround time starts with identifying which equipment is contributing to the delays your laboratory is experiencing.

Point-of-care (POC) testing has made it possible to perform many diagnostic tests where patients receive care instead of relying solely on a central laboratory.

Instead of sending every specimen to a central laboratory and waiting for results, healthcare teams can perform certain tests closer to the patient in emergency departments, physician offices, urgent care centers, clinics, inpatient units, and other care settings.

The challenge is choosing equipment that fits the clinical need without creating avoidable problems with workflow, connectivity, consumables, training, service, or cost.