The patient sample will come in workflow process.

All of these are aspects of processes that must be

addressed. If we apply this to choosing a hematology analyzer, for example, when you bring the sample
in, the tubes are properly sorted. If you use a TLA, the tubes are sorted by the DLA. Manual sorting is
used if the laboratory is not fully automated. So, the results are put into tubes, which are then placed in
the analyzer, and the results are displayed. Medical technologists check the results to make sure they're
valid. Wastages are where the bottleneck occurs, where we spend more time and cause delays in the
overall process, and this is the area where we should focus our efforts. Recognizing and controlling the
sources of variability and non-compliance within lab workflow is critical to ensuring that specimen
processing can be automated successfully. Automation solutions that are well-designed and executed
will relieve lab staff of routine processing activities, allowing them to focus on problem resolution and
timely reporting of results.

LEAN is a method for optimizing work processes, laboratory design, layout configuration, and equipment
selection by using a systematic and analytical approach. Clinical Chemistry/Immunoassay, Hematology,
and Coagulation will all be included in analytical cells, which account for around 80% of laboratory
activity. Other operations could be centered around the analytical cells or as close to them as possible;
data management and validation workstations could be similarly centered but not near the analytical
cell. The optimization of the layout, work processes, and sample flow is crucial in the design of a Lean
laboratory, and this information is used to guide the selection of appropriate automated equipment. To
put it another way, automation is chosen to suit the process rather than the other way around.

FLOW Is the continual movement of products/services through a process, avoiding "stop-start"

interruptions that cause unnecessary delays and bottlenecks.

A single operator performs all pre-analytical functions in a single process in a Lean Pre-Analytical Work
Cell: debagging, sample and request checking, bar-coding, data entry, sample racking, and
centrifugation. This layout work cell is standardized across the board, so each one is the same. Samples
are processed one at a time, resulting in a single piece flow on a FIFO basis; issue samples are removed
from the process to avoid disrupting the flow. The goal of the procedure is to maximize throughput
while minimizing the risk of error. The development and implementation of a pre-analytical workcell
improved emergency department laboratory efficiency and productivity throughput by 40% (14 minutes
for CBC and 29 minutes for chemistry). The completion of ordinary day work has been cut by two hours,
resulting in a two-FTE reduction in nighttime work hours.