You have big plans for your lab.
The landscape of laboratory testing is competitive and always advancing, so you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about how to stay on top of the latest innovations and ahead of the competition. Reaching new markets, researching new technology, offering more tests, and improving the efficiency of core operations are all investments that could take your lab to the next level.
So what’s holding you back?
Believe it or not, it could be your requisition forms. One of the hurdles that keeps labs from reaching their full potential is the space and money tied up in overprinting (and over stocking) requisition forms. Transitioning from traditional to print on-demand custom reqs is the first step toward freeing up the resources needed to realize your vision for your lab.
What kind of forms give your lab an advantage?
Requisition forms are a cornerstone of laboratory operations. They’re important, but that doesn’t mean they have to hold up a lot of your resources.
Traditionally, labs stock large quantities of forms (sometimes hundreds of boxes) to be over printed in house. Laboratory staff has to receive, count, sort, and store each box. They then have to overprint, repackage and ship them out to clients. This is a cumbersome process that has many disadvantages, including:
- Freight cost – Overprinting increases the cost of freight for producing the forms
- Equipment cost – This includes the initial cost of equipment plus ongoing costs for maintenance and consumables
- Extra manpower – Warehouse employees are needed to handle overprinted stock
- Wasted space – Potential freezer, lab, or office space is sacrificed to house extra inventory
- Obsolescence – With large-quantity orders of custom forms, many become obsolete before being used
That’s why many labs have been turning to customized low-quantity orders. Ordering what you need, when you need it saves money on printers, ribbons, freight, and personnel that you can then invest in lab testing technology and new hires.
Along with the cost savings of on demand ordering, customizing your requisition forms reduces the need for manual entry — eliminating errors and giving lab techs more time to complete higher value work. Read more about the advantages of customized forms here.
The combination of customization and on demand ordering is the key to optimizing your requisition forms to support business growth.
4 steps to transition your lab to on demand custom requisition forms
If you already have the equipment, processes, and personnel in place to store and print requisition forms, transitioning to an on-demand ordering program might seem like an overwhelming change. This step-by-step guide lays out how to make the process smooth and simple so you can start seeing the benefits of your upgraded forms.
- Find a qualified supplier
Laboratory requisition forms are a highly specialized resource and not every printer has the knowledge and equipment needed to fulfill the exacting requirements. That’s why your first step is to partner with a qualified supplier with lab media experience. Understanding the need for accurate, dependable results, a qualified supplier will have technology and processes in place to mitigate risks and eliminate errors.
Look for a supplier that has high quality-control standards and a sound quality management system. They should also be knowledgeable about industry guidelines and regulations from governing bodies like the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA), Drug Alcohol Testing Association (DATIA), and the College of American Pathologist (CAP).
It’s a lot to expect from a general printer, but a qualified supplier will offer all this and more.
- Customize to your processes and client needs
Requisition forms designed for the way your lab works can significantly improve efficiency. So, the next step is to work with your supplier to optimize form design. A qualified print service can tap into knowledge of lab operations and design best practices to suggest templates or custom designs that improve user experience (UX) and efficiency.
Forms can be customized for a specific client to include testing information, collection instructions, client logos, and other pre-determined data. You can even pull patient information from a database to automatically populate on a form, minimizing the need for data entry.
- Reallocate space and other resources to meet your lab goals
Once you have your customized order in place, you’re ready to free up some resources. Your lab probably has rooms, equipment, and staff time dedicated to managing requisition form overstock. Here are some of the ways you can reallocate these resources:
- Use the new space for offices, freezers, or more lab testing
- Dedicate more staff time to specialized lab work
- Invest cost savings in new technology, expanded test offerings, or new hires
With the work of printing and delivering forms offloaded onto your qualified supplier, you can focus more on improving your lab and growing your business.
- Order as needed and easily onboard new clients
With the ability to customize your forms and order on demand, it’s easy to onboard new clients and resupply existing clients. A qualified supplier can provide fast delivery of orders customized to the needs of your new and existing clients. That will include services like sequential numbered specimen tracking, end-to-end quality control, ANSI/ISO barcodes, RFID, tamper-evident security, barcoded accessioning, imager/slide, cryogenic and clinical trials labels — everything you might need to satisfy client-specific requisitions.
Start experiencing the benefits of on demand custom requisition forms
GO2 Lab Media is an experienced, qualified provider that can help transition your lab to on demand custom requisition forms. With our premium ExpressReqs™, we offer a custom solution that provides flexible, just-in-time service — designed especially for labs. Choose from a wide variety of templates and order the forms you need when you need them.
Contact GO2 Lab Media today to learn more about on demand custom requisition forms and the ExpressReqs™ program.
