The volatile healthcare industry is having problems coping with the sheer volume of testing and the unknown of what is to come. Laboratories in our current coronavirus environment are hanging by a thread trying to keep the instruments fully operational to turn out more test results to meet the burgeoning demand. We are in the midst of the worst healthcare crisis of our generation, and the clinical laboratory is the key to turning the corner on the trajectory of the virus containment.

Testing auto-verification rules to meet regulatory requirements is probably the last task on an ever-growing list of projects in the Lab or Lab IT department. Regulatory and operational compliance activities are delayed or re-prioritized when labs have to rapidly gear up to add the COVID-19 test to their lab menu.

No lab wants to delay regulatory compliance, but in the eye of the storm, auto-verification rules testing has to take a back seat to survive a pandemic and its impact on patient care.

What can go wrong when delaying rule verification testing?

The lack of on-going auto-verification rule testing over time can be disastrous. Any new change to your rule sets introduces a possibility of unexpected issues that cannot be identified with visual rule inspection. Some errors that can proliferate through your rule set are:

• Systematic rule errors that are copied from rule to rule

• Hidden patient-child linkage that can deactivate parts of your rule base

• Input data entry errors or omissions of data for reference ranges, endpoints and value lists

• Patient care issues for a rule that does NOT trigger as expected.

Impact to you. 

Lack of rule verification testing at key points of the lifecycle of your rule base will eventually degrade your rule base and reduce your auto-verification rate and efficacy of your rules operations. A lab without a plan for rule verification testing completion is risking operational inefficiency and unexpected patient care issues.

What can you do to mitigate gaps in rule verification testing?

So, the current COVID-19 crisis has put many projects on hold. Most labs find themselves behind in verifying auto-verification rules even before the COVID-19 pandemic and now they will be further behind.

What are the options to complete your annual rule verification or when rules need to be verified?

Labs in this situation need to start delegating the verification of rules by finding non-traditional labor sources to complete the verification testing task:

• Explore outside automated rule testing solutions / services

• Hire IT/LIS consulting companies

• Contact your lab software vendors for help or recommendations

• Employ lab students or interns

• Recruit retired medical technicians or technologists or retired IT or IS analysts

Let’s be truthful. You will never catch up to complete your annual and periodic rule testing for your auto-verification rules without creating a plan for completion. Additionally, manual testing is too time consuming, not thorough, and is a single event. Just as you finish your rule verification project, there will be more to test and another testing engagement will need to be planned.

Why rule verification automation could be a solution

This is the time to explore automation options that could fill the gap for testing or completely replace your manual methods. The benefits of testing automation are many including testing efficiency and executing low-level mundane testing that can go wider and deeper than manual methods. The purpose of quality testing is to ‘find’ issues and correct them early and often. You can eliminate human bias, impartiality or low testing engagement of manual testing methods by upgrading to automated technology solutions.

Automated rule testing may be a viable option for completing rule testing on-time and when it needs to be done to maintain your rule quality with the fewest resources. Seek out firms that can run the automation testing for you, eliminating the need to learn how to use the testing software. 

Don’t let a pandemic or another crisis delay or permanently put on hold  your auto-verification rule verification testing. Consider new technologies to replace your current methods – automation may be the answer to scheduling and resource scarcity to complete rule verification testing at the right time to always ensure rule integrity and durability.

Inspire you.

Automating rule verification testing – Take the time to explore companies that can run the automation testing for you when you need it. Take charge of eliminating manual processes in your organization by using technology to automate rule testing on a predictable schedule to achieve optimized quality. Challenge yourself to modernize your laboratory!

Who is verifying your auto-verification rules?