The Client

Specializing in dermatopathology, KDL Pathology is trusted by physicians, patients and other laboratories for its accurate and reliable pathology services. Based in Knoxville, TN, KDL has specialty expertise in inflammatory and neoplastic skin disorders, ocular disease and surgical pathology. KDL consistently scores highest in client satisfaction for diagnostics and client support.

The Challenge

The state-of-the-art laboratory strives to provide timely, accurate results for clients. However, the amount of biopsies sent to KDL to be processed left employees feeling it was difficult to keep up. KDL longed for a solution to help them provide better patient care, maintain accurate lab results and address errors proactively.

“We faced a variety of issues with our labeling system,” said Roddey Coe, Systems Administrator for KDL. “We were having problems maintaining lab tests with the proper data. We had to double or triple check to make sure paperwork didn’t get lost or mixed up. If we had a melanoma tested, we had to ensure that the paperwork and melanoma were associated with the correct patient. We manually wrote the patient’s name on the bottle and on the requisition, but unfortunately errors still occurred.” KDL searched for a solution to improve the company’s labeling system, reduce errors and increase efficiency.

The Solution

Since KDL Pathology has been using Wasp's labeling software, Coe finds it hard to imagine life without it. “Wasp's labeling software solution was the best deal, and was easy to use right from the beginning. I remember thinking that it would take an IT guy to use it successfully. Fortunately, that isn’t the case and employees with all levels of technology experience have been able to grasp the process and use Wasp's labeling software successfully.”

In fact, KDL Pathology has reduced errors by 60 to 70 percent due to the significant reduction in human error. Additionally, with Wasp's labeling software, KDL has saved at least 20 hours a week that was previously used for tracking paperwork and double-checking results. This time saving has enabled the KDL Pathology team to continue focusing on the tests and high quality client services.

Furthermore, Wasp provided KDL with barcode options that permitted KDL to grow to 2D barcode scanning and will also allow the company to grow to QR codes in the future. Coe commented, “The best thing about Wasp's labeling software is the ease of use and how efficient it has made us. With all the benefits we have experienced I can’t imagine not using Wasp’s solutions in KDL’s future.”

The Result

Coe began searching for a tracking solution that provided number serialization and stored the number in a database. Operability would also be a decision making factor; various employees would need to master this system. Coe wanted a simple solution that could be used by all employees - regardless of technological proficiency.

After reviewing a variety of solutions, KDL found that most options required buying a specific database - something the lab wasn’t interested in purchasing. Coe found that Wasp's labeling software allows businesses to create custom barcodes, provided the database flexibility KDL needed AND allowed them to save serial numbers, something other solutions did not allow.

“We selected Wasp's labeling software because it had all of the features we were looking for at a cost that was well within our budget,” said Coe. “The best feature that Wasp provided was the ability to store serial numbers for labeling in a database to be reviewed at another time. Other options provided serial numbers when you printed the label, but once you closed the program, you lost the number.”