Tucson, AZ, February 12, 2008 – Sunquest Information Systems, Inc., a market leader in laboratory information systems, today announced its new Collection Manager v3.0 software as a valuable add-on module and complement to its award-winning Sunquest Laboratory Information System.  Sunquest Collection Manager helps automate the specimen collection process and ensure accurate patient identification and specimen labeling to enable more efficient collections to support LEAN initiatives, reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. 

As nursing and phlebotomy staff are increasingly using Computers on Wheels (COW’s) and Computers at Bedside (CAB’s), the new Collection Manager 3.0 can now be used on laptops, PC’s and additional mobile devices to reduce duplication of efforts and speed up workflow by efficiently enabling positive patient ID and specimen collection at the patient bedside.  Support for the Microsoft .net has also been added to make Collection Manager Windows platform independent and compatible with other applications for point-of-care phlebotomy.

“Collection Manager allows our phlebotomists to have greater peace of mind while doing what they do best, which is caring for their patients,” said Amy Tipler, Phlebotomy Supervisor at ThedaCare, a Wisconsin-based community health system consisting of four hospitals.  “It gives them confidence that they are drawing blood from the correct patient at the bedside, which is where patient care starts and ends.”

“In listening to our customers we have heard how important it is to preserve patient safety while delivering timely care to their patients. Collection Manager 3.0 contains positive patient identification and new capabilities such as mobile device compatibility to support both of these vital needs,” stated Susan Flood, director of product management for Sunquest Information Systems, Inc.  “It represents Sunquest’s commitment to deliver quality new modules and enhancements that address our customer’s critical issues and priorities” 

About Sunquest Collection Manager

Sunquest Collection Manager allows real-time transmission of all lab orders including stats directly to the phlebotomists’ handheld device. This eliminates the need for the laboratory to have a person dedicated to taking calls from the Care Centers and then dispatching the phlebotomist to collect the stat specimens. This increases productivity and improves turnaround time by reducing the time it takes to collect specimens, resulting in faster delivery of the results to the doctors and a corresponding acceleration of patient treatment.

Collection Manager Key Features

• Improve turnaround times with wireless communications to a variety of devices
• Print labels at bedside, even for tubes collected before orders are placed as used in emergency rooms and trauma units
• Reduce or eliminate mislabeled phlebotomy specimens
• Migration to .net technology, which makes Collection Manager Windows platform independent
• Scanner independent
• Scan any patient or print temporary labels for “draw and hold” requests
• Logging errors in LIS
• Usage control for your mobile devices

 About Sunquest Information Systems, Inc.
Sunquest Information Systems, Inc., is a market leader in clinical data management with more than 1,200 U.S. hospitals and commercial laboratories worldwide.  For over twenty-five years, the company has been dedicated to providing best-of-breed solutions that enable quality patient care, clinical safety, and operational efficiencies.   Its dedicated sales and technical service teams deliver 24x7 assistance to customers for their procurement, implementation, and customer care needs.  The Sunquest Laboratory™ system achieved "Best in KLAS" in the Laboratory Segment for 2007, which was its fourth consecutive year, (KLAS Enterprises, LLC, www.healthcomputing.com.)

Sunquest’s professional services division provides a wide array of management and technical tools, including lab redesign and optimization, outreach and lab network program development, and operational business and implementation plans in addition to HIPAA compliance assessment and implementation services. For more information, call 800-748-0692 or visit: www.sunquestinfo.com.

###