With this system installed, we now perform an average of six tests per patient a day, and test 1,200 patients. Eventually we will be able to process 6,000 patients a day. We could not accomplish this without bar code automation. Turnaround time is greatly reduced as well. Finally, there is the benefit of reduced labor.
Labor is very expensive in Argentina, so as our volume grows, automation is increasingly important.
Centralab now employs fewer people 26 than any of the individual four labs did previously. This number is even more amazing if one considers that the average lab employs 30-35 people to service approximately 250 patients daily. The economies of scale are very great. Money saved can be used towards our primary focus the patient. In the face of diminishing resources and the growth of professionally managed care, Dr. Moos understands the need for Argentina's health care delivery system, and specifically the Centralab program, to become as automated as possible.