Changing specimen expiration date/time

[Jennifer88]

We are trying to implement extending the expiration date/time for pre-op Type and Screens for negative history, non-pregnant, and non-recipient of product patients. We use Meditech. Does anyone have a rule that would automatically change the specimen expiration based on a couple of parameters?

Thanks!

[KarenJ]

We use Sunquest, so no rule, we have to go in and manually change it to the date we want.

[Mabel Adams]

In SafeTrace there are different kinds of specimen codes that have different expiration periods associated with them.

[whbb]

Jennifer,

We use Meditech, but I can't think of a rule. There are a few options you can consider however.

If you control "where" the pre-op work is performed (at our facility, they come directly to Lab), you can add queries and if they meet the criteria for extended TS, then here are some possibilities:

1) Have a different TS on pre-op orders that includes the extended TS timeframe (eg; TSPREOP)

2) In the Access Dictionary, you can allow the user to extend the expiration date/time of a specimen. User can change the expiration date/time on all pre-op orders that qualify. You could probably create an NPR report that could pull all PRE IN patient types to a list to review for qualification.

[Dr. Pepper]

We have Meditech C/S. Our crossmatches auto-release at 23:59 of the 3rd day after phlebotomy. So for those preop patients you mention, we do their crossmatches on a new requisition/specimen # and put in a bogus draw date so the crossmatches autorelease on the desired date. If you want them to release at midnight the day after surgery, use 2 days before the date of surgery as the draw date. We have a non-reportable test "Specimen Used" that we order along with the XMs and record the original specimen # used. We then store the specimen in the spec rack for the day the XMs were done. Works for us.