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!

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

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

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.

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.