Would it be more efficient to avoid that?
Meagan Seeger (WDL): It would be better because of preservation to complete testing at the same time. When they run a chemistry at a smaller site, it is not always known what time it will arrive at the lab that’s performing the microscopic. Then your chemistries and microscopic results may not match.
Mariann Amador, what are your thoughts about this?
Mariann Amador (Arkray): I agree with Meagan on what is better because then your results are not disconnected. Arkray is working on offering a remote classification service in Asia-Pacific. In other areas of the world with smaller labs, there is a remote microscopy service. If some of the satellite clinics perform the urine chemistry and do a subscription for remote microscopy, then there’s no need to transport the urine to the main lab.
Rob Fratino, tell us about remote service.
Rob Fratino (Siemens Healthineers): This conversation fully aligns with what I’m seeing outside the U.S. Over the years, Siemens Healthineers and other vendors have brought right-sized microscopy solutions to smaller laboratory settings and gave them automated technology. The challenge that still exists for many of these labs is having the resources and microscopy expertise within those settings. We’re getting more and more calls for remote capabilities. You wonder if we’re trending toward what we see in large geographically dispersed pathology networks. Hematology has gotten into that sphere as well, where the centralized expertise is in a hub and the spoke satellites perform the testing. There are general, practical limitations to this, like internet bandwidth or sharing of large file sizes. We’re having to be cognizant of these restraints, especially in developing nations.
Meagan Seeger, what is at the top of your wish list for vendors?
Meagan Seeger (WDL): The top of our wish list is better identification of Trichomonas in the urine. Especially with still images, we can’t tell if we’re looking at a white cell or if it has motion. We run a large STD clinic, so we end up putting a lot on slides. Classification is harder when you’re using still images.
Matt Rhyner, what could customers better understand about urinalysis as they look to solve their laboratories’ problems?
Dr. Rhyner (Beckman Coulter): We are constantly trying to improve our offerings, and we partner with our customers. We greatly value our customers’ input and how we can make our solutions better fit their workflow.
Mariann Amador, what would you like customers to know about your offering?
Mariann Amador (Arkray): The customer experience is first and foremost because Arkray is fairly new in the market. Now that we are slowly building our urinalysis portfolio, we value when customers have a good experience with us and give feedback.
Rob Fratino, what do you wish customers would know?
Rob Fratino (Siemens Healthineers): We want them to continue to push the boundaries of urinalysis. It’s been a staple of the core lab for decades, but there’s still a ways to go. I love when customers ask me, “Why can’t we measure dysmorphic RBCs?” It’s a challenge based on sample collection and analytical capabilities, but we’ll wrap our heads around it. Keep trying to explore different avenues for urinalysis and giving us feedback. It’s an opportunity for us to reach that untapped potential.
Jason Anderson, what would you add?
Jason Anderson (Sysmex): My advice to our laboratory customers is be vocal in helping vendors understand what you’re trying to achieve. What outcomes are most important to you, and which ones aren’t meeting your expectations today? When we know that, we can partner with you to reach those goals over time.