A practical playbook for securing chain of custody from the bedside to accessioning. Combine barcode workflows with passive RFID, fixed checkpoints, and handheld recovery to cut search time, reduce mix-ups, and keep cold-chain compliance visible.
This site is for lab operations, pathology and histology leadership, nursing and phlebotomy, courier services, quality and compliance teams, and health IT. The goal is simple: accurate, audit-ready custody with minimal extra steps. Keep barcode/2D as the clinical label. Add a passive RFID tag that carries a non-PHI key tied to the LIS order. Use fixed read zones for automated events, handhelds for fast recovery, and concise interfaces so data becomes action, not noise.
Automate handoffs with fixed reads at exits, receiving, and cold storage, then use handhelds for proximity search when something goes off-route. Last-seen zones, route timers, and exception tasks shrink search time from minutes to seconds and create a defensible custody record. In hub-and-spoke routes, reconcile expected vs. received at receiving and surface partial-receipt exceptions immediately to shorten search time.
Pair barcode/2D as the clinical label with a non-PHI RFID key to prevent swaps and mislabels. Bedside verification, print-time validation, and governed reprint/re-tag steps keep the accession tied to the right patient—even during high-volume periods. Small upstream fixes here prevent downstream re-collections, delays in diagnosis, and costly investigation time.
Make the “in-transit” leg visible. Associate items to bags/coolers, trigger departure timers, and auto-reconcile expected vs received at the lab threshold. Route timers and exception cues highlight off-route or overdue bags before they become delays.
See temperature pass/fail alongside custody for cooled/frozen items, and keep audit evidence ready for CAP and Joint Commission. Temperature results post alongside custody events, creating audit-ready proof without extra manual steps.
