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Hi everyone, new to the group. Our Blood Bank is upgrading from ProVue to a Vision. We are also upgrading from Meditech Magic 5.67 to Expanse. I'm wondering if anyone has that set up? I'm interested in how the interface is working, are you able to run everything you want and have the results cross over? Any problems? Information and advice appreciated! Thanks! Karen

We recently had emergency release situations on two newborns, first one I can remember in my 7 years here. The day after the O neg PRBCs were issued, I was trying to figure out what testing was required and how to order it. We do NB types and DAT on all babies. My thought was to create a new order for PRBC. If I do that, it will order a type and screen. Since we have already done a type on the cord blood, we would TNP the results? We would still just give O units, Rh compatible. Or would you put in the results from the cord blood with the comment that it was performed on cord blood and TNP the back type and credit the type. Then we perform the screen on the mom's blood, with an external comment, but the order is under the baby's account. If the mom has already had a TS right before delivery, would you put in the results from her screen there and credit that screen, so she isn't double charged? I'm kind of thinking out loud, but I would appreciate any feedback.

I am needing some help setting up electronic crossmatch in Meditech. I have everything else in place but can not figure out how to prevent EXM in patients who have mixed field reactions. I am wanting to be able to perform the IS serologically as I understand this is needed per CAP and FDA regulations. Has anyone else experience this. We are currently on version 6.08. Thanks in advance!

Trying to get the antigen typings on blood bag units to auto fill into Meditech from the barcode. Any ideas on how to do this?

Hey! Currently when entering a unit of Red cells into Meditech, a Blood bank unit typing is automatically ordered. Any ideas how we can make this specific, so that it only orders it on ONeg and OPos units (instead of every unit)?

Good Morning and Happy New Year to Everyone, I am just inquiring to find out if anyone has any experience with the Meditech Ambulatory System? We are using it and would like to share ideas and experiences. I appreciate the help. Thanks,

Hello! Would any of your meditech users care to share some of your rules and calculations? Meditech's knowledge base is sometimes lacking in what you need to build these things. A lot of the keywords have no explanation of how they're formatted when used. I'll start out with one I came up with. Filling in that patient history was checked when the specimen is received. I built a t-type test called PT HISTORY. It's default result code is "." without the quotes. This result code's text is "No History\FV". The other result codes are AN, AP, ABN, etc. The text for these result codes is "History On File\FV". The "\FV" files and verifies the result in case anyone didn't know that. In the BB calculation dictionary the trigger test and the target test are both PT HISTORY. I assigned the label "B" to this in the calculation. The calculation is as follows. ;The system will check for patient blood type history. IF{B=. [f bsp bt]}; In English it says: If B (PT HISTORY) is "." then fill in the blood type from the patient history. In this case if there is nothing in patient history then the "." remains and the result is No History. If there is a type, then that result is put in as the result and displayed as History On File. This helpful for anyone?

Meditech users: We have just installed a custom (not a rule but custom hard code) in C/S version 5.66 that causes all specimens to expire at 2359 regardless of the time of specimen collection. It will not be generally available as a DTS. If you want this feature, you will have to press Meditech for it.

If anyone is has the Vision and an interface with Meditech and would be willing to share screen shots of the set up in the anaylzer dictionary, I would be most grateful. Thanks!

Has anyone here set up meditech (any version) to print crossmatch cards (unit hang tags) from a datamax thermal printer? If so how/where is the label formatted and does it allow to customize the label? Larger fonts for the name, unit number, etc. bolding, italics, all that jazz.

Has anyone built Antibody Titration into Meditech? I have built the different dilutions but I am not able to get my calculation to work to interpret the highest positive dilution as the result (the reciprocal of course). Meditech v 6.1x I am looking for calculation tips. (I am new to Meditech). Thank you. Maryann

Does anyone have a comprehensive list of the upload and download codes for the Provue interface in Meditech? The Meditech website has some of them, but a few years ago I had an old print out from someone's conversation with meditech that had many many more things like the Antibody panels, different DATs, antigens, antibodies. I lost that or someone threw it out along the way somewhere. I've contacted meditech as well, but they're slow to respond.

Our hospital has begun using technology that transfers vital signs directly from the vital signs monitor to our Meditech electronic medical record. This has eliminated the manual documention of vital signs which was a great quality improvement. Nursing also uses the Meditech Transfusion Administration Record (TAR) to document transfusions. Our problem is that the vital signs are not able to be downloaded into the TAR. They only are able to be sent to one location in the Patient Care Documentation (PCD) location. Our only option is to have nursing manually copy the vitals from the PCD into TAR. Understandly, this is a huge dissatifier to the nursing staff and opens the door to errors as well. We have already check with the vendor for the vital signs instrument. They can only send data to one interface so there is no option to have the vitals sent to an alternate location. A proposal has been made to stop documenting the vitals in TAR and the expectation is that anyone looking for transfusion vitals would have to go to the PCD and figure out what vitals belong to the transfusion. Has anyone run into this problem and were you able to resolve it?

Hi everyone, Our hopsital is in the process of FINALLY implementing a BB module. No more testing book! We have Meditech as our Lab LIS and hospital. So our options are Meditech BB module and Softbank. The IT staff here would love for us to just get the Meditech since interface would not be needed and familar to the staff. I have looked at reviews for both Meditech and Softbank, and saw demos of both. I lean toward the Softbank. The ITstaff is not 100% against Softbank, but want to have good reasons such as areas where Meditech lacks and Softbank has those options. So any feedback on this would be great. And anyone out there who has Meditech LIS who got the Softbank, how did your interface integration go? Thank you!

I found one topic that described this but I was hoping someone had some specific experience/guidance/rule coding for me... http://www.pathlabtalk.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2990-special-product-requirements/?hl=%2Bmeditech+%2Brule#entry18397 We use Meditech C/S 5.66 right now. I would like an assign/issue rule for our cellular products that checks if the patient's LIS history marker (e.g. Irradiated, CMV-negative) matches to the product being selected for their transfusion. We've identified the way to do this, by adding a rule to the Product dictionary under Page 5 (i think) but our IS people haven't been able to find the right syntax for the NPR code to get it to work - it keeps crashing the application. Does anyone have an example of coding that works for them that they would be willing to share? Does anyone have an alternative solution that they are using in their Meditech LIS? Thank you in advance for your help!!

We're going to be going live with a new Meditech version (6.1) and we'll be starting to use TAR with barcode scanning. This prompted my facility to buy a digi-trax printer so we can reprint labels when we make components. Can anyone help me with this? Should I buy 4x4 labels with DIN removed or can I get by using just the 4x2 (to label the bottom two quadrants)? Also, shouldn't I retain our blood supplier's facility information on there? We don't aliquot and we don't pool...we just make components. Thanks for your help. Becky

Currently we are updating from Meditech C/S 5.64 to Meditech C/S 5.66. During a validation scenario, I discovered that it is possible for a user to enter and file serological test results that do not match the calculated blood type! I reported this to Meditech and they offered this solution (overnight Saturday-Sunday ). Background Whenever a Blood Type calculation is created in the BBK Calculation Dictionary, Meditech inserts generic code below into the Calculation Formula field: Existing code [bbk truth table]^X, IF{'X [bbk err msg]("Invalid blood type calculation.")}, X; Enhanced code [bbk truth table]^X, IF{'X [bbk err msg]("Invalid blood type calculation.")}, IF{'X [f bres delete]^X}, X; The introduction of the line IF{'X [f bres delete]^X}, tells the system when the answer is not equal to the calculation for X then delete the calculated result for the target test, BT. As a result, whenever an “Invalid blood type calculation” warning is displayed, system also erases the currently displayed blood type calculation, preventing a user from filing serological test results that do not match the calculated blood type. I strongly encourage Meditech users to take advantage of this enhanced code to prevent the potential for ABO incompatible blood transfusion.

Our Ortho unit has been running into problems with specimen expirations. We use the pre-admission testing deal like a lot of people where the patient comes in early, signs the preadmission transfusion history form and we extend their specimen. We use an algorithm where the shortest date is selected for T&S expiration when the patient acknowledges no pregnancy, transfusion, etc., on their form: 7 days from date of collection OR 3 days from date of surgery where date of surgery/collection is considered day 0. Seems simple enough, right? The tech who receives in the specimen extends the specimen expiration in Meditech and leaves a nice little comment in the specimen that's viewable in the EMR for the PAs/whoever. Problem is the Ortho team says they don't have time to check things like that. Sometimes a patient's type and screen will have expired and on that day they will want blood. The Ortho people are upset that they have to draw Type and Screens in the middle of the day (every patient has labs drawn every morning ~0500) and delay the transfusion for the wait in collection, testing, etc. A bright idea was thought up, have the night shift guy run a report from the LIS that tells them who expired at midnight and will need a new specimen and shoot it up to the charge nurse!!!! But then defeat once more. We use Meditech 5.65. There is a report under Management Reports: BBK Expiring Specimens Report. Stupidly enough this report does not compile specimens that are at Complete (COMP) status. What can we do to get this report to pull Complete status Type and Screens? There's an option to select "BSS (Bloodbank Specimen Status) - COMP - Include" but it still doesn't include them. Is there something in the dictionary you have to use? Is there any other alternative? I've looked through all of the other reports and nothing pops up with the Expiration date and I don't want our night shift techs to have to data mine to send a courtsey report. Thank you to anyone who read my wall of text.