TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CareGiver remote instrument support has expanded to include the Ventana BenchMark ULTRA automated stainer. Ventana Medical System, Inc. (“VMSI”) is the leading innovator in the application of remote services for histology with over 5 years of success on the SYMPHONY H&E slide stainer. VMSI is now introducing remote service monitoring on BenchMark ULTRA, strengthening the integration of the SYMPHONY and BenchMark platforms. For customers, CareGiver reduces the prospect of unwanted surprises by monitoring instrument performance 24/7. “CareGiver changes the traditional service model from reactive to proactive,” added Dave Flaten, International Business Leader for VMSI’s Advanced Staining Platforms. “Customers are delighted when we call them to troubleshoot an instrument issue before they are aware of it. The integration of CareGiver remote instrument support on two key VMSI platforms will continue to drive financial performance, improve customer satisfaction, and further differentiate VMSI products from competitive systems and services,” Flaten added.
When a laboratory instrument fails to perform as expected, documenting the issue with customer support, ordering parts, and waiting for an engineer to be dispatched can be an inconvenient and costly proposition for the lab, as the devices that facilitate reporting of patient results are mission critical. With CareGiver remote instrument support, VMSI continues to innovate the way customers experience the delivery of service for their instruments, as the VMSI customer support team can proactively monitor instrument performance remotely from their location in Tucson. “Increased uptime and access to instruments translate into improved customer satisfaction and increased productivity, which ultimately contributes to our key results,” Flaten commented.
CareGiver Delivers Key Results
VMSI’s innovative approach to service delivery allows the company to grow revenue through creative service offerings, differentiating products, and driving product and service revenue through increased maintenance contract renewals.
Moreover, the value of continuous remote services is in the reduction of services costs through improved analysis and dispatching of field resources, such that when service engineers are dispatched to a site, issues will already be remotely diagnosed, parts ordered, and materials delivered. The current practice of dispatching resources, having the field service engineer define and diagnose issues onsite, and then ordering the part for later repair wastes considerable time and money from a service perspective. Additionally, it creates an overall negative experience for the customer. CareGiver delivers a whole new paradigm of service delivery.
CareGiver remote instrument support is being commercialized on BenchMark ULTRA platform through a phased implementation approach. The service will be provided for North American systems in Q4 2010, with a planned launch in Europe and the rest of the world in early 2011. Ventana looks forward to continuing its expansion of CareGiver to more products in the advanced staining portfolio and expanding the application’s capabilities on both Ventana SYMPHONY and BenchMark ULTRA stainers, effectively enhancing both its commercial objectives and customers’ experiences in the process.
About Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (“VMSI”) develops, manufactures, and markets instrument/reagent systems that automate tissue preparation and slide staining in clinical histology and drug discovery laboratories worldwide. The Company’s clinical systems are important tools used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. VMSI’s drug discovery systems are used to accelerate the discovery of new drug targets and evaluate the safety of new drug compounds. In addition, the Company offers premier workflow solutions designed to improve laboratory efficiency, providing safeguards to enhance the quality of healthcare. Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. is a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group. For more information on Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. visit www.ventanamed.com.
Ventana, the Ventana logo, SYMPHONY, and BenchMark are trademarks of Roche.
SOURCE Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
