Countless patients have questions about health concerns every year. Is that new nodule they noticed cancerous? Do they have a respiratory virus? Or does that rash mean they have a bacterial infection? Many rely on the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Maimonides Health for the answers they need.

And more patients are on the way. We’re doubling the size of our adult emergency department and adding a new Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program. Plus, a new pediatric emergency department that will quadruple our pediatric emergency care space is on track to open this summer.

To make it easier to support patients’ diagnostic needs, we’ve upgraded our pathology lab resources. With new, state-of-the-art tools and systems, we’re reducing human error in our labs and accelerating diagnoses. As a result, our labs are more productive, and our patients are getting the treatments they need at a faster pace.  

A Robotic Lab: Greater Efficiency, Improved Accuracy 

Research shows that automated robotic core laboratories increase lab productivity, improve diagnostic accuracy, and reduce the need for rework¹. In August 2024, we became one of a select few Brooklyn hospitals with a lab that relies on robotic technology to store, identify, and process test samples. Our goal was to boost our clinical testing volume and improve turnaround times.

To date, this new lab has lived up to expectations, giving clinical teams the bandwidth to ramp up or decrease processing rates based on real-time needs. Without changing personnel levels or the 24/7 operations, testing volume rose 20% in the year since launch. Daily productivity is also up. On average, the laboratory processes around 300 tests per hour — that’s 7,200 tests daily. As a result, our ability to provide blood test results within 24 hours jumped from 50% to 80%.

With this system, robots use barcodes to identify samples and perform tests ordered by the treating physicians in real or at a later time. These machines have virtually eliminated human error in our pathology lab, says Alejandro Zuretti, MD, Medical Director of Laboratories at Maimonides.

“Robots always identify the right sample and perform the right test with lab specimens. Even in the most basic of scenarios, particularly dealing with 4 million tests a year, there will be an instance where we, as humans, pick up the wrong tube or order the wrong test. Or we’ll make a mistake because the tests look or sound similar,” he says. “This new system eliminates those errors completely, so no patient has their results, and thus their treatment, delayed.” 

According to Rita Kogan, Assistant Vice President for Clinical Services for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the robotic system also makes it easier to accommodate requests for forgotten or add-on tests. The robot simply identifiesthe existing sample by barcode and runs the test with no need for human involvement. 

“This method streamlines the process and eliminates manual work and the repetitive tasks that lead to human errors,” she says. “It minimizes the manual pre-analytical steps that exist in non-automated laboratories.”

Expanded In-House Testing 

According to Ms. Kogan, having an automated lab opened the door to offering more diagnostic options — and more timely treatments — for patients, especially those who need emergency care.

“Another positive point with automation is that it’s allowed us to expand our testing menu and bring more tests in house with the same staffing levels as before,” she says. “Automation controls all the pre-analytical and post-analytical handling, increasing efficiency and enhancing our testing menu.”

 Thanks to these new tools, we brought most gynecologic lab tests in-house in 2024, including most hormonal panels and molecular testing for chlamydia, gonorrhea, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, Candida, and other infections. Lab results are available in less than six to eight hours, so you can prescribe the right treatments for your patients faster.

With this new lab, Maimonides is also a trailblazer in bacterial and viral infection testing, Dr. Zuretti says. We are the first hospital on the East Coast to offer MeMed BV, a novel, FDA-approved rapid-result blood test that distinguishes between bacterial and viral infections in 15 minutes.

“If you have a patient with respiratory symptoms, you can determine immediately whether it’s a bacterial or a viral infection. This is particularly important for our pediatric and older patients,” he says. “This way, we absolutely know when it’s appropriate to prescribe antibiotics and when we shouldn’t, as well as when we should order other types of tests when there the corresponding B-V index indicates that a bacterium or a virus is present.”

Overall, Dr. Zuretti says, the increased efficiency and error prevention that accompany these pathology lab upgrades support the efforts of Maimonides providers to deliver the most accurate, timely clinical care and treatment.

Explore our Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Services or call 718-283-8257 for more information or to make an appointment with our laboratory medicine team.