Case Study
With 50 lab subject matter experts and dozens more participants, an integrated health system documents CAP-required Epic Beaker testing in one place, with evidence captured and final reports generated automatically.
11-hospital integrated health system
Executive Summary
A large integrated health system implementing Epic Beaker identified about 14,000 laboratory test scripts that had to be documented pass or fail, with screen-print evidence, for CAP. Most of that work fell to the lab’s operational and laboratory IT teams: 50 subject matter experts (SMEs), plus dozens more laboratory participants.
To manage the volume, the health system brought in Hunter Hermes, an Epic Beaker consultant and testing project manager. Hunter had used Cymetryc on his previous Beaker project and chose it again. Every script, assignment, issue and status update sat in one cloud platform, visible in real time.
SMEs documented their CCV2 and CCV3 testing without leaving the application under test. Screen prints uploaded automatically, issues were raised at the step with their evidence attached, and final documentation reports were generated as soon as testing and approvals were complete.
11 hospitals and about 14,000 CAP-required test scripts across CCV2 and CCV3
50 lab SMEs plus dozens more laboratory participants, all working in Cymetryc
Self-documenting testing, with final reports generated automatically
“Overall, it saved so much time for the SMEs in the laboratory. They are the staff that have the huge testing lift and very limited resources to get it done.”
— Hunter Hermes, Consultant Project Manager, Epic Beaker
The Challenge
A new LIS is a big undertaking for any lab. Testing has to show the system works as expected within the lab’s workflow, across the organization, out to the EHR and to every analyzer and connected reference laboratory. In Epic Beaker, most of that falls to lab SMEs in CCV2 and CCV3, and CAP requires it to be documented.
Hunter describes the scope of the workflow and data verification a lab takes on with a new LIS.
“Labs face an extensive workflow and data verification effort when implementing a new LIS/LIMS: in range / out of range testing, dilutions, middleware rules, auto-validation rules, QC, repeats / reruns and complex microbiology workflows, cancelations and problem specimens, specimen tracking and transfer, and integration to upstream and downstream systems. Every analyzer is touched, every connected device.”
— Hunter Hermes
The SMEs who carry most of that testing have very limited time to give it, so anything that slows down documentation slows down the project.
The project needed a way for 50 SMEs to document 14,000 scripts without leaving their screens or redoing work.
The Project
All of the roughly 14,000 test scripts lived in Cymetryc. It was where Hunter’s team assigned resources, where testing was performed, where issues were documented and where progress was tracked, so every action was visible as it happened. Test plans were tailored to each discipline and analyzer rather than forced into one generic format, and STS used its own tools to speed up uploading the scripts.
Training was organized as each section of testing kicked off, and the lab operations team took to Cymetryc quickly. Cymetryc guided SMEs through each workflow step and showed where screen-print evidence was needed. Screen prints uploaded to the cloud automatically, and a pop-up warned testers if they tried to pass a step without a required screen print.
“That helps us ensure the documentation will be complete up front with less re-work.”
— Hunter Hermes
When a step failed, the SME created the issue right there, and Cymetryc attached the related screen print and documentation. The team could see who raised each issue and the evidence behind it, then assign people to triage and resolve it.
“It’s an enormous help for the SMEs and the people assigned to work on the issues — actually it helps everyone. It’s like a win-win-win for project managers too.”
— Hunter Hermes
Throughout the project, Hunter pulled event summaries from Cymetryc to update the Epic-required project tracker reports, so status information didn’t have to be re-keyed by hand.
Testers documented every step without leaving the application under test, and their screen prints landed in the right place automatically.
Results & Impact
11
Hospitals
One integrated health system, with all Beaker testing in one platform
14,000
Test Scripts
CAP-required CCV2 and CCV3 scripts documented in Cymetryc
50
Lab SMEs
Subject matter experts, plus dozens more laboratory participants
0
Reports Built by Hand
Final documentation reports generated automatically, with no human intervention
“When SMEs are done testing, they want to be done. They don’t want to have to then go create a report. And, as a project manager, I don’t need to ‘chase’ them down to do it. Cymetryc simply generates the reports when the testing and approval steps are complete.”
— Hunter Hermes, Consultant Project Manager, Epic Beaker
Next Phase
For Hunter, the case is simple: labs have a mountain of Beaker testing to complete and need the documentation that goes with it. A centralized, systematized way to do that saves them time and gives them the regulatory output report they need.
On future projects, he would like Epic staff to have access to Cymetryc as well, so they can see the issues testers uncover and react to them faster.
“It makes a lot of sense to use Cymetryc for a Beaker project. … Overall, using Cymetryc really streamlined the testing process for the lab and saved them many hours of effort.”
— Hunter Hermes, Consultant Project Manager, Epic Beaker
Plans set up to fit each discipline and analyzer, with STS tools speeding up the script upload.
Event summaries fed the Epic-required tracker reports without re-keying.
Hunter describes the STS team as great partners who bring a high level of support and lab expertise.
Security & compliance
SOC 2
Type 2
ISO
27001:2022
HIPAA
Compliant
GDPR
Compliant
