How One OPO Partner Cut Overall Kidney Biopsy Turnaround Time by Four Hours

As those in the OPO community know, every second counts when it comes to maximizing the viability of lifesaving organs. For NJ Sharing Network, the fall of 2023 marked a turning point for streamlining kidney and liver biopsy workflows to save time and lives.

Identifying Challenges in the Biopsy Process

When Sharyn Sawczak, RN, BSHCA, CPTC, CTBS, vice president of clinical utilization and laboratory operations at NJ Sharing Network, initially reached out to CompuMed, her goal was to address a critical concern: inconsistent liver biopsy interpretations.

“We had pathologists in smaller hospitals saying, ‘This is the first liver biopsy I’ve ever done,’ and that’s really scary,” says Sharyn.

Soon, the scope of the challenges expanded. New, stricter UNOS kidney reporting requirements strained the organization’s existing partnership with a transplant center program that read their kidney biopsies.

“I thought we were going to be fine, that someone could change the report, and we’d have all the things we needed to include,” says Sharyn. “But when we requested the change, we faced a huge charge to do so.”

It became clear that timelier and more reliable kidney and liver biopsy workflows were needed.

Kidney Biopsy Workflow Transformation

Before partnering with CompuMed, the NJ Sharing Network’s kidney biopsy process involved eight steps, relying heavily on hospital resources. Tasks such as frozen section slide preparation required on-call lab staff to complete.

“We realized our organ and tissue recovery teams who were already on-call were well-positioned to prepare slides,” says Sharyn. Despite some initial pushback, the team eventually embraced the challenge. NJ Sharing Network also took advantage of CompuMed’s resources – such as specialized training and receiving feedback from pathologists to help improve slide quality.

The result? A streamlined five-step process. After preparing the donor record and slides, NJ Sharing Network staff now use the Grundium Ocus® microscope solution to digitally scan and upload slide images directly to CompuMed’s secure donor management portal. With a click or tap, the team can request a read from CompuMed’s transplant-focused sub-specialist network, available 24/7/365. Final reports are returned to the OPO in 30 minutes or less for livers and 60 minutes or less for kidneys.

“The new process really has made a huge difference,” says Sharyn. “Our staff couldn’t be happier. It takes significantly less time and effort on their part.”

Liver Biopsy Process Evolution

For liver biopsies, the team adopted a complementary workflow. While donor hospital pathologists continue to prepare and read slides, NJ Sharing Network now uses CompuMed for second opinions in cases of discrepancies between hospital pathologists and transplant centers, enabling more consistent interpretations.

The OPO is also working with a few hospitals to give its staff access to frozen section lab equipment, enabling the team to prepare, scan and share frozen section slide images directly from the potential donor’s location. In all cases, NJ Sharing Network has a Grundium scanner available in the OR to ensure flexibility and facilitate rapid image-sharing when needed.