T2 Biosystems Uses AlertMedia to Keep Hospital Labs Humming 24/7

T2 Biosystems Transforms Patient Care and Support Response Times

T2 Biosystems is a leader in the development and commercialization of innovative medical diagnostic products

The company provides critical unmet needs in healthcare and is dedicated to improving patient care and reducing the cost of care by helping clinicians effectively treat patients faster than ever before. T2 Biosystems’ products include the T2Dx® Instrument, T2Candida® Panel, the T2Bacteria® Panel, and the T2ResistanceTM Panel and are powered by the proprietary T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR®) technology. T2 Biosystems has an active pipeline of future products, including products for the detection of additional species and antibiotic resistance markers of sepsis pathogens, and tests for Lyme disease.

With two FDA-cleared products targeting sepsis—the cause of one out of two hospital deaths—ensuring the company’s lab instruments are kept in optimum working condition is vital to improving patient outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, and maintaining the company’s reputation in the highly competitive medical device market.

Drastic Improvements Needed for Lab Efficiency and Patient Care

Headquartered in the Greater Boston area, T2 Biosystems employs remote, field-based service engineers throughout the U.S., as well a small technical support and service team that operates out of the company’s headquarters. With its products in use in hospital labs around the country—the majority of which operate 24/7/365—it was becoming increasingly difficult for T2 Biosystems to maintain the level of service and responsiveness needed for the industry it serves.

When a lab technician runs into an equipment issue or has a question regarding patient results they’ve collected with a T2 Biosystems instrument, he or she contacts the company for assistance. Prior to AlertMedia, however, if a technician needed help outside of the company’s normal business hours, the technician would be prompted to leave a voicemail. That voicemail would then be distributed via email to T2 Biosystems’ technical support team. After receiving the email, the on-call team member would need to listen to the voicemail, try to accurately interpret it since critical details were often missing, and get back in touch with the technician to obtain additional information—all before they could even start triaging the issue.

There was a lot of unnecessary back and forth, which led to wasted time, frustration, and inaccuracy in communication. Response and resolution times were higher than desired, and it was difficult for Newell to accurately track and report on key support metrics to identify trends and areas for improvement. And while high response and resolution times have a clear and substantial impact on lab efficiency and patient care, they also negatively affect the company’s bottom line. Since running patient samples on the company’s lab instrumentation requires the use of consumables and reagents only sold by T2 Biosystems, revenue from the company’s range of consumables suffers when its lab equipment isn’t operable.

One Solution for After-Hours Support and Employee Communications

To streamline operational workflows, improve lab productivity, and enhance patient care, T2 Biosystems sought a third-party hotline service provider that could assist in fielding and resolving lab instrumentation issues outside of the organization’s normal business hours.

With AlertMedia, T2 Biosystems can provide lab technicians live, expert, 24/7 product assistance to maximize equipment uptime and keep their labs operating at peak efficiency. And with thorough, traceable support notifications sent promptly to T2 Biosystems, real-time incident tracking and trending data is finally a reality.

T2 Biosystems chose AlertMedia for its unmatched breadth and depth of communication technology, as well as its simplicity and ease of use. “AlertMedia’s software is very easy to use and doesn’t require IT involvement to implement or maintain which, especially as a smaller organization, was a huge selling point,” says Newell.

As an added bonus, AlertMedia also had greater potential to be leveraged across the entire organization than the other vendors evaluated. “AlertMedia was the only hotline provider we found that could also support our broader organization. With an emergency hotline service—as well as a multi-channel mass communication system—AlertMedia was a one-stop solution for the communication needs of our service and support, HR, and IT functions,” adds Newell.

24/7 Hotline Backed by Expert Monitoring Keeps Hospital Labs Running

Now when a lab technician calls in for help and a T2 Biosystems team member isn’t available, an expertly trained AlertMedia monitoring specialist steps in to assist the technician. Following detailed protocols outlined in T2 Biosystems’ customized emergency response action plan, the specialist collects all of the necessary information needed to triage the issue, such as the specific error code and a detailed description of the problem.

The AlertMedia specialist immediately notifies T2 Biosystems and documents technical issues according to the action plan protocols. The appropriate technical support team member receives an instant notification via multiple communication channels—including text and email—so he or she can rapidly diagnose the issue and start resolving it.