The concept of Central Accessioning is about establishing a central point for receipt, administration, distribution, of request lab processing. It is not an LIS function per se, but rather a process for effective management and control of the inputs and outputs to/from the labs. The aim is to have a single central location to support all the labs.  

The TCAA centralizes the intake of specimens and request for all lab, and manages the dispatch to the appropriate lab or labs for testing. This includes aliquot and dispatch to multiple labs where necessary; appropriately matching specimens to electronic requests entered remotely; assessing intake quality and completeness against established quality rules;  appropriate labelling using the LIS system; entering and  managing request information in the LIS system.

The TCAA also includes an Information Desk which provides answers to queries particularly from the doctors about their tests, but also generally from users of the system. The Information will specifically ensure that doctors are notified when urgent or critical results are encountered.

The TCAA will operate on a 24-hour basis and requires a direct supervisory role to oversee scheduling, performance, and targets.

The TCAA must be expected to raise the level of efficiency in our laboratory operations. The functions to be carried out are intolerant of errors and therefore staffing selection must be given careful consideration 

Points to Note about the Central Accessioning Area

• The current ‘Temporary’ space is a stand-in for a full-fledged permanent centralized front-end customer service unit to support not only the operations of the LIS, but also commercialization. Thus the ‘T’ in TCAA stands for ‘Temporary’ . The viewer will note that it is sometimes referred to with or without the ‘T’.
• The TCAA will centralize and standardize the operations of the laboratories for the receipt of specimens, requisitions, and dissemination of results of laboratory tests
• Operations of the TCAA will incorporate the use of a primary requisition form for the main laboratories in Microbiology and Pathology
•   When fully operational the TCAA is expected to provide 24-hour centralized

1. Receipt and registration of specimens and requests  
2. Aliquot of blood specimens where required 
3. Distribution to the appropriate Labs for their diagnostic testing