Departments
Pre Analytical - Data Entry and Specimen Reception Area
In Specimen Reception Area (SRA) you will find the people who
register the specimen, and its identifying information, and enter
them into the laboratory information system. When specimens need to
be shared between departments for testing they are prepared here.
The people who work here have to be accurate and cool headed, and
be able to deal with the busy times of the day when samples are
coming in thick and fast.
Once the specimen is registered the rest of the accompanying
information - usually the request forms sent by the referring
doctors or collectors - are entered into the computer system. Like
all other jobs in pathology, data entry operators have to have
excellent attention to detail skills coupled with amazing dexterity
to enable them to accurately record the data. Their role is crucial
to the whole pathology testing operation.
Quality Systems
The Quality Systems department manages the quality framework
implemented across Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology. This framework
includes related policies and procedures, the internal audit
program, incident management, document and records management, and
regulatory requirements for accreditation. The quality team
coordinates and monitors the accreditations held by the
organisation and liaises with external regulatory bodies.
Database Control
Updating and maintenance of the hospital and doctor databases are
vital to ensure that all guidelines are met in accordance with
Medicare Australia legislation and the Medicare Benefits Schedule.
Without having the correct doctor, patient and Medicare
information, it is impossible to deliver reports to the right
doctor and accurately bill the patient.
IT Support
The laboratory information system, Apollo, is provided and
maintained by the Sonic Healthcare IT group. Programmers are
located in Brisbane, at Taringa and Greenslopes, and in other major
cities throughout Australia. These teams provide the programming
capabilities to continuously upgrade the computer to ensure the
latest technologies are available. They are on-call to service
computers across the network 24/7.
Network IT Support
Like all modern organisations, SNP depends on its computer
technology for all its communications. The Network IT Support team
provides troubleshooting assistance for all desk top computers and
the telephone system throughout the organisation.
Doctor's IT Services
The majority of test results are sent to doctors by secure email.
The Doctor's IT team ensures that the systems are continually being
developed and upgraded and run smoothly. They ensure that the
connection between the referring doctors' computers or the hospital
mainframe computers remains open and trouble-free.
Library Services
The Taringa library co-ordinates and arranges journal
subscriptions, book orders and provides support for staff in their
research.
Workplace Health and Safety
This service provides specific advice to managers and employees on
health, safety, equal opportunity and rehabilitation.
Communicating with Doctors
The Doctor Service Centre provides doctors with a one-stop-shop
for all enquiries. This can be anything and everything from
ordering stores, obtaining additional results, requesting
subsequent tests for patients based on the results of previous
tests, lodging complaints and much more. They are the team who
understands the meaning of excellence in customer service and they
strive to make the experience for the doctor exceed his or her
expectations.
The territory managers are the coal face between the doctors and
Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology. They keep in regular contact with,
and meet the doctors, to identify opportunities for continuous
improvement. They also visit doctors and nurses in hospitals to
educate them in the latest regulatory requirements and tests
procedures and make sure that they are receiving the services that
they need to deliver excellence in patient care. Territory managers
come from various backgrounds and all are specialists in their
fields: nurses and collectors, lab technicians and IT
technicians.
Marketing
The marketing team produces the external publications and
coordinates the educational activities that deliver medical
education to doctors and patients.
Professional Development and Training
This is the unit responsible for developing formal training
programs, linking them, where possible, to national training
packages and obtaining accreditation for the courses. The courses
include a wide range of subjects and cover laboratory and non
laboratory areas. The operations manager has overall responsibility
for the practice's standing as a Registered Training Organisation
(RTO).
Essential Services
This is the department responsible for ensuring that everything
runs smoothly-air conditioning, electrical equipment, plumbing,
building maintenance. It is also responsible for the fit out of new
collection centres, laboratories and offices, and refurbishment of
existing facilities so that both staff and patients are comfortable
during the pathology experience.
The Supply Department
This department coordinates the purchase and distribution of
consumables for the practice. As a central service, they coordinate
the ordering, processing and distribution of all supplies for every
campus of the organisation including the 22 laboratory campuses and
220 collection centres. They the drivers of lean engineering,
ensuring that all areas of the organisation run smoothly.
Commercial Services
Human resource management, accounting, payroll, paying bills,
signing leases, auditing, it's all in a days work for the
commercial services team. Lead by a team of accountants and
financial wizards, the team keeps the finances in order. No mean
feat, when considering leases alone, the organisation maintains
>300. The team provides all accounting services including
accounts payable and receipting. The payroll team processes
salaries and wages.