Improving Health through Automation

We are ready for the future. Through our investment in new high volume chemistry (HVC) technology, we have brought the ‘next generation’ of chemistry testing to Canadians. Chemistry tests are foundational to lab diagnostics. Our HVC lines process tests over 80 different assays, such as those that measure blood sugars and kidney function, with the results of these tests providing vital information to patients and healthcare providers about potentially serious health conditions.

With tracks that measure up to 70 feet in length, this is the largest installation and automation in North America. This installation was completed in partnership with Roche and Abbott on an Inpeco line—the first collaboration of its kind globally. This fully-automated HVC line runs millions of tests each year and is revolutionizing chemistry testing for Canadians.

This extraordinary system delivers maximum efficiency and scalability. Samples are delivered by our couriers from our Patient Service Centres to a dedicated delivery location at our lab. They are then automatically transported and sorted for processing through a series of analyzers. Results are verified and uploaded to our results reporting technologies, my results™and my eHealth™, for our patients and healthcare providers.

This new HVC technology also supports improvements for our employee health and safety. The automation significantly reduces manual handling of specimens, resulting in a lower risk for repetitive strains.

In short, our commitment to innovation, quality and value through our HVC system increases our capacity and establishes a new benchmark for speed and consistency that enhances our ability to deliver reliable, high-quality community lab testing to Canadians.

“We needed to do more than just keep up with rapid increase in demand for diagnostic testing – we needed to transform how we test at LifeLabs to be ready for the future,“ said Tanya Martin, Vice President of Laboratory Operations.