Patient Label Scanning issues and EPIC
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Since March of 2019, we started having issues with scanning the EPIC barcode labels and some of our Point of Care devices. We have significant issues with the Clinitek Status analyzer. Numbers are transposed into different numbers. We have experienced issues with our GEM-3500 as well. Numbers or the AC in our CSN number are sometimes transcribed as $ or % signs. Has anyone else had these issue and how have you resolved? Thanks for any help!
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We have had significant errors just like this as well. Our iSTATs, Nova meters, Hemochrons, and ABLs have all experienced this since Oct 2018. Our IT insists it has nothing to do with EPIC or the EPIC print drivers for the barcodes. Since posting about this a few months back, I have had contact with at least 4 other hospital systems that are having the same issues. I will give you my EPIC version that we are on below, if that helps anyone. I think we should all continue to press our IT departments to open Sherlock tickets on this so that EPIC will take this seriously.
Can I ask if you are on EPIC Beaker? I also have reason to believe that it is specifically an EPIC Beaker issue since one of my associated hospitals didn't start seeing issues until they moved to Beaker. They had EPIC for everything except Beaker (on Meditech) and didn't see issues until switching to Beaker.
August 2018: EPIC 2018v (we started to notice the issues early October)
1.26.2019: August 2018v
4.6.2019: November 2018v
7.20.2019: February 2019v
10.26.2019: May 2019v
1.26.2020: August 2019v
Interestingly, ABL put out a bulletin that referenced some issues like this, but they said it had something to do with check digits. I think they are on the right track, but I do not think it has anything to do with check digits as their "fix" on the bulletin won't fix this issue for us. But I'm impressed that they have actually taken time to try to address it.
If anyone has further info and wants to email me directly so that we can do some detective work as a group: mary.hammel@uchealth.org. I have a lot more information about the troubleshooting I've already done.
At least you aren't alone!
Mary
We went live with EPIC and Beaker in March 2018. We are only having issues with the demographic barcodes. We did not start seeing issues until 11/2018 with our
GEM-3500 analyzers. We attributed the issue to the printers. Recalibrated, cleaned, and no improvement. For the GEMs, it wasn’t too hard to spot because it was always a digit incorrectly transcribed to a $ or %. With the Clinitek, it is ALMOST ALWAYS the
4th or 5th character. We had them remove some unused information on the label and created more white space around the barcode. It looked good for about 2 weeks, but is back. We now think it could be due to the fact that the linear
barcode is curved and the barcode reader cannot deal with the curvature of the linear barcode. We have instructed staff to place the label on the sample cup vertically. It has helped, but not perfect. Because the barcode is so long, there are issues with
placement vertically as well.
So, Siemens has a 2D barcode reader available. We asked our EPIC specialists to put the a 2D and linear barcode on the demographic label. They said that there is not enough room on the label. They suggested having the 2 different barcodes on different labels
on the 8x11 sheet. It will be too confusing. Staff won’t know what barcode they need to use. Too many operators.
Donna McCalla, CLS ASCP
Point of Care Testing Coordinator
Lankenau Medical Center and Riddle Hospital
Main Line Health Hospitals
100 E Lancaster Ave
Wynnewood, PA 19096
LMC Phone: 484-476-3499
RH Phone: 484-227-3505
Pager: 5366
From: Mary Hammel via POCT Listserv (Groupsite) [mailto:users+1207831@poct.groupsite.com]
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2020 10:56 AM
To: McCalla, Donna
Subject: [EXTERNAL] [POCT Listserv] Re: Patient Label Scanning issues and EPIC
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We have been having a similar problem. I don't think that the wristbands are printed using EPIC, however. I believe they come through Meditech in our facility. Our glucometers (Freestyle Precision Pro) are reading about 10% of them incorrectly. The transpositions are regular, with 6 being replaced by (, 7 by 4, 0 by &, etc. It was a rare occurrence until we "updated" to a new wristband format. Now it's about 10% of the time. Our IT thought it might be due to the barcodes printing poorly, so we changed the printer's ink/toner. They also thought it might be the angle that the scanner is held. Nothing we have tried has made much difference. My hope is that a programming fix can happen at some level to only allow numbers. That'd save me a lot of time.
I think it is EPIC. We are only having issues with demographic labels that are a product of EPIC. We don't have Meditech for anything. We use EPIC for everything. This seems to be a complex problem that I wish someone could resolve. Thanks for your response.