Intermountain caregivers issued their 2 millionth COVID-19 test result last week. Testing volumes increased significantly with the omicron variant surge, with more than 300,000 test results shared in December and January alone. Caregivers from throughout Intermountain came together to help manage the increased workload.
Testing locations were also extended into Nevada in January, furthering Intermountain’s testing reach.
Karen Brownell, assistant vice president of Laboratory Services, says she’s grateful to the many caregivers who’ve pitched in to help in this monumental effort and who continually improved both internal and patient facing processes to make testing as streamlined as possible.
“We continued to be flexible and agile,” she says. “Collections were a collaborative partnership between Medical Group and Laboratory Services. Care Transformation Information Systems (CTIS) was agile and right on top of the digital transformation.”
“From a lab testing standpoint, we had people from across the system drive long distances to help staff shifts at Central Laboratory,” Karen adds. “When I was up there, I worked with caregivers from Sevier, Logan, Layton, Orem, Riverton, Alta View, and LDS Hospital. People helped not just in molecular but also in specimen processing. We had PhD’s, pathologists, educators, Quality Assurance, and point of care specialists, as well as managers and directors. It was literally all-hands-on-deck from across the system and such a great example of teaming.”
Leave a comment | Learn about COVID-19 testing for caregivers | Testing guidance for patients