Department Spotlight: Point-of-Care
August 15, 2024
Meet the Point-of-Care team at Renown, an important subset of the larger Core Laboratory department. With decades of collective experience in the field and some of the finest point-of-care technology at their fingertips, this team works with our healthcare teams to ensure you have access to fast, accurate test results to help you on a quicker road to recovery.
Pointed Towards Efficient Solutions
Point-of-care testing can be defined as exactly how it sounds – lab testing at or near the patient or their care area, otherwise known as “at the point-of-care.” While our clinicians utilize this specialized equipment every day for point-of-care testing on patients, they rely on the Point-of-Care department for training, everyday guidance, quality checks, audits and leadership.At Renown, Point-of-Care testing is used in nearly every nursing unit across our hospitals and 53 outpatient care locations, including primary care, urgent care, pediatrics and women’s health – alleviating some of the workload of our central lab. Because so many teams rely on this crucial technology and test processes, this team accomplishes a great deal each day, from checking equipment to ensuring test accuracy.
“Our day starts early, with our first team member opening the department at 5 a.m. and circulating on the nursing units to address broken point-of-care equipment issues or supply shortages that could impact patient testing,” said Joni Boury, Lab Program Coordinator. “Once the point-of-care scientists arrive, they will address any charting issues that arose overnight and ensure all test results are correctly charted in Epic. After critical issues are addressed, we visit the testing locations and performing audits to ensure all testing equipment is functioning, clean and being appropriately maintained.”
In order to provide these efficient tests – in minutes! – to patients anxiously awaiting their results, our first step is to make sure our equipment and processes are up-to-code. Point-of-care testing is regulated at both the state and federal levels, and this team never leaves a checkbox unmarked when it comes to testing regulations.
“As a part of the ambulatory side of the Point-of-Care team, I make sure that state and federal licensing is maintained so the practices that perform these tests can continue to perform in-office testing for patients,” said Wende Lane, Clinical Lab Assistant Lead. “I also round in these practices to make sure they are adhering to state and federal guidelines, as well as Renown policies.”
And it’s not just existing equipment that needs oversight – the Point-of-Care department also implements new equipment and processes across Renown. These team members are expert jugglers when it comes to this effort, handling training, collaborating with leaders, recommending the proper placement of equipment and much more.
"Each day, we work on our many deployments scheduled throughout the hospital and outpatient locations,” said Joni Boury. “That work includes meeting with leaders to ensure new spaces are correctly built to accommodate the point-of-care devices, configuring new equipment, training new leaders and device operators and ensuring appropriate ordering and charting of the test results.”
“In being able to perform these tests in the outpatient setting instead of having to send them somewhere else for a test, providers can begin treating their patients within a matter of a few minutes, rather than hours,” added Wende Lane.
For a small-but-mighty team of six employees, the heights this team reaches knows no bounds. They’ve celebrated many achievements and expansions this year, including offering new-and-improved PCR testing across various outpatient practices.
“Our team has had several notable accomplishments over the past year,” said Breanna Van Dyck, Medical Lab Scientist and Lab Program Coordinator. “We successfully rolled out a massive Cepheid PCR testing initiative to over 30 Renown outpatient locations within the community. This expansion significantly improved our testing capacity and accessibility and will help ensure timely and accurate diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses and strep to a broader patient population, including our rural practices.”
By combining cutting-edge technology with compassionate patient care, our Point-of-Care team members are essential to contributing to Renown’s goal of providing efficient, high-quality care tailored to each patient’s individual needs.
Take a Point-of-Care Tour!
The Point-of-Care department covers a lot of ground around Renown, reaching Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fernley and Fallon. Take a glance at the photo carousel below to put yourself in the shoes of our Point-of-Care team members on a regular day!
Determination in Action
In speaking with the Point-of-Care team, you can immediately feel the passion exuding from their voices. Their drive to ensure crucial health information is available for patients within minutes knows no bounds.In fact, this team is so passionate about our patients and our health system that several of them have served our community for many years, even decades. Take Clinical Lab Assistant Lead Martha Reyes, for example. She is a 37-year employee and has shared her talents with us ever since Renown Health was Washoe Health System.
“I like the fact that Renown is a big health system and great place to work,” said Martha Reyes. “I enjoy helping with hospital tasks and getting the work done to provide excellent patient care.”
Since Renown is one of the most prominent users of point-of-care testing within our local healthcare landscape, the demand for this form of testing has immensely increased. As our Point-of-Care department is a small team of six, one might think it would be an insurmountable challenge to meet this growing need. That’s certainly not the case for these team members. While tackling the demand can be a challenge, the Point-of-Care team rose to the occasion by strategically coordinating responsibilities, allowing them to enhance efficiency, all while keeping up with the highest quality of care.
“With a small team, being able to manage all these projects and still keep up with the day-to-day operations can be challenging; with that said, I am so impressed with the drive and determination of all the members of Point-of-Care,” said Kyle Boschult, Manager of Core Laboratory. “Every team member is an exceptional problem solver, and they refuse to settle. They always make sure that everything is done to the most exacting standards to ensure that we are doing right by our patients, our colleagues and regulators.”
“We have expanded our team to support the increased demand and maintain the high standards of service,” added Breanna Van Dyck. “This growth has been pivotal in enhancing our operational efficiency and overall team expertise.”
Healthcare thrives on innovation. With the growing medically-advanced health systems across the country, Point-of-Care is right there with them, welcoming these innovative and digital solutions with open arms.
“We are currently working towards a comprehensive department standardization and digital integration of all point-of-care lab testing,” said Breanna Van Dyck. “This aims to streamline the process of running diagnostic lab tests, improve patient safety and ensure consistency across all testing locations. These accomplishments reflect our commitment to innovation and excellence in healthcare and echoes Renown’s mission to make a genuine difference in the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve.”
Tiny yet incredibly visible, the Point-of-Care team can be found at almost every corner of our health system. They work on a wide range of projects to help optimize point-of-care testing in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Chances are, you’ll encounter the services they manage at one point or another in your healthcare journey.
“There are a number of institutional-wide projects that are all happening at the same time,” said Kyle Boschult. “These projects are vital to move Renown forward. Point-of-Care operates with a small team and supports so much testing across our health system.”
All in all, Renown’s Point-of-Care team lives by one main mission: making sure every patient receives the best-quality and most efficient care, especially when it matters most. Their expertise helps us achieve our goal of a healthier Nevada, one rapid result at a time.
“There is so much that goes into Point of Care, and I am proud to be a part of this team,” closes Wende Lane.