Skip Global navigation and goto content

It's a New Day in Public Health.

The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

Skip MegaMenu and goto content
Megamenu requires javascript to be enabled in your browser.

New Enhancements Cut Newborn Screening Program Result Times

By Florida Department of Health, Office of Communications

March 20, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2015

Contact: Communications Office
(850) 245-4111

New Enhancements Cut Newborn Screening Program Result Times

TALLAHASSEE—The Florida Department of Health is pleased to announce quicker result times from newborn screening tests that are benefitting families and physicians across the state. Recent adjustments to the Florida Newborn Screening Results (FNSR) web application, a web-based system that houses and generates the results of screening tests performed on Florida's newborn babies before they leave the hospital, made the decreased turnaround time a reality.

The FNSR, made available for physician access in 2009, allows physicians to obtain newborn screening lab results quickly. The recent addition of a new search method has resulted in added efficiency. The Children's Medical Services Newborn Screening Program added the ability to search by "kit number," a unique identifier that is bar-coded on every blood specimen collection card. Prior to this modification, the use of multiple systems was necessary in order to locate a mother's information and to find the baby's date of birth, a time consuming process. Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, in Orlando, Florida, uses the FNSR and contacted the Newborn Screening Program in January to request the system change.

"We are spending about half of the time we used to, to get accurate results," said Peter Deveaux, an infant screening coordinator with Winnie Palmer Hospital. "We are the largest birthing facility in Florida, and we send an average of about 55-100 specimens per day for processing. This new process is much easier and quicker and saves us money in the long run."

Approximately 125 birth hospitals in Florida will benefit from the time saving provided by this system enhancement, highlighting the commitment to the private-public partnership that is a critical component of the Newborn Screening Program.

###

The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. The department is recognizing 125 years of public health in Florida with educational opportunities and events. Please visit www.FLHealth125.gov for more information.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.floridahealth.gov.

Error processing SSI file