Grand Rapids company invents integrative bio tissue tracking software, saves hospitals time, money

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Tissue tracking—knowing the whereabouts, inventory and recipients of biologic tissue—has been a challenge for hospitals, especially since the government began regulating tissue handling a few years ago. A Grand Rapids-based software development company has a solution.

LPiT Solutions, 25 Commerce SW, created and markets Tissue TrackCore, a web based system that tracks the handling, storage and chain of custody of biologic tissue and implants (skin grafts, tendons, bones, etc.) that hospitals use every day.

“Hospitals are required to document the date and time they received tissue, verify the package is intact, verify the expiration date, verify that the temperature range is acceptable for each tissue and track which patients receive which tissue” says John Post, a partner with Scott MacGregor in LPiT Solutions. “When anyone in the hospital touches any of these tissues they’re supposed to document it, which has caused quite a workflow shift for these hospitals.”

Before Tissue TrackCore, hospital staff tracked the tissue manually using log books—a time consuming, cumbersome, and often error-filled process. Now, with a couple of mouse clicks, the system tracks inventory, where it’s stored (freezer, refrigerator), the name of the surgeon who used the tissue, the patient’s name and even the financials involved. Tissue TrackCore also notifies the hospital of tissue nearing the expiration date or if inventory is getting low.

“If you have a $10,000 bone, you don’t want it to expire,” Post says. “

“We have a national partnership with the world’s largest provider of tissue, the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation,” he adds. “We have 76 hospital systems under contract, which represents 150 hospitals. In addition, 23 hospitals are in the process of being implemented, and outstanding contracts and agreements representing nearly 200 more. We do the training, implementation and tech support.”

Source: John Post, LPIT Solutions; Chris Beckering, Grubb & Ellis Paramount Commerce

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].