Maryland Oncology Hematology (MOH) offers accessible cancer care and clinical research with 15 locations across Maryland. Their in-house laboratories enable rapid complete blood count (CBC) turnaround time (TAT), which supports timely oncology treatments for patients. MOH uses Orchard Harvest LIS to achieve this commendable TAT, reporting fast, accurate results to elevate their standard of care.
MOH Delivers Evidence-based Cancer Care
MOH’s 52 physicians provide evidence-based cancer care and clinical research throughout Maryland. Their state-of-the-art infusion centers offer a full range of chemotherapy services, laboratory testing, clinical trials, and support services, provided by experienced, caring staff.
MOH is part of The US Oncology Network, one of the nation’s largest community-based cancer treatment and research networks focused on advancing cancer care. Their clinical trials through US Oncology Research have helped develop 43 FDA-approved cancer therapies.
Rapid Lab Testing Enables High Standard of Care
Each of the 15 locations across Maryland offers a CLIA-certified in-house laboratory for CBC testing. MOH also has a central chemistry and FLOW lab at the Silver Spring location. Their highly qualified clinical laboratory technologists, technicians, and support personnel perform thousands of testing procedures each year.
With advanced technologies and a sophisticated laboratory information system (LIS)—Orchard Harvest—MOH provides convenient access to crucial laboratory services including immediate testing and accurate, timely results that allow patients to receive timely treatment.
Orchard Harvest Selected to Standardize Processes
MOH has partnered with Orchard Software since 2011 for some sites. In 2016, MOH laboratory decided to consolidate and replace their other LIS with Orchard Harvest. This consolidation of systems allowed the lab leadership and staff to access data for all locations from any site. Orchard was selected for its exemplary data mining and reporting functionality. The lab continues to take advantage of the reporting functions to gain operational insights (e.g., test volumes per site, insurance and billing reports, etc.). “There are many ways to pull information from Orchard’s system that were not possible in our other LIS,” said Jeanne Fedorkova, BS, MLS(ASCP), Director of Lab Services.
System Administration Support Helps Address Ongoing Changes
For Fedorkova, one of the most appreciated aspects of working with Orchard Software is having the added support of a System Administration (SA) agreement. Having minimal staff and steady growth, MOH lab has found it difficult to find the time to perform administrative LIS duties, so they take advantage of Orchard’s expertise through the SA program.
“We have been taking advantage of the SA program since 2020 and that has helped tremendously with workflow changes and updates. As we have had new instrument installations, new office builds, and new interfaces, Orchard has been there every step of the way,” Fedorkova said.
As an example, MOH recently modified their flow cytometry testing that required interface, label, and requisition updates. They worked with Orchard’s SA team to help with all those changes. “Our SA analyst has been incredible in helping us with our projects. It has been very beneficial to have that main SA analyst contact,” Fedorkova said.
“Compared to other vendors, Orchard has been amazing. We’ve had really good support, and we really couldn’t do the day-to-day without the help of the SA analysts,” Fedorkova said.
LIS Helps Achieve MOH Lab Goals
At MOH, the lab’s focus is reporting rapid, accurate CBC results so that providers can make timely patient care decisions. Orchard Harvest LIS supports this goal by providing reliable, seamless integration between their EHR, LIS, and reference labs that facilitates receipt of orders and delivery of accurate, timely results.
“Ultimately our providers need results as soon as possible. We need a LIS that is reliable in order to avoid delays in getting results to the EMR and to the providers. We like having the speed and the dependability of Orchard Harvest,” Fedorkova said.
Orchard’s System Configurability Hits the Mark
MOH lab also uses Orchard’s rules-based decision support to route testing based on insurance requirements to alleviate billing errors. However, the most appreciated feature of Orchard Harvest LIS is its configurability.
“We can customize Harvest in ways that work well for our practice. For example, for critical lab results, we can create a f lag, add a pop-up message, and set up selectable comments that make it easy for staff to use. Instead of typing out the comment, they can hit a button and select a pre-loaded comment,” Fedorkova said.
Continued Growth with Orchard
As MOH continues to grow, they anticipate new locations that will need a laboratory site and Orchard Harvest LIS. They have a strong relationship with Orchard Software and trust that Orchard will support their lab as they change and grow.
“Orchard
Harvest is a great system for a physician’s office lab like ours— helping us get our jobs done and supporting our providers. Working with the Orchard team has been amazing. They’ve been very supportive and helpful whenever we need it,” Fedorkova said.