iConnect Consulting leverages over 20 years of combined laboratory, systems development, and customer service experience to deliver professional services to laboratories in the public and private sectors. We are specifically focused on providing configured STARLIMS solutions and establishing electronic exchange of laboratory data for Public Health Laboratories and Public Health partners.

Our track record of success is based on our ability to establish instant credibility with our customers by using a multidisciplinary team of seasoned Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with several years of laboratory and STARLIMS experience. By understanding the system's capabilities and the customer's business needs, we design and deliver optimized solutions that meet or exceed the customers' expectations while bringing the project in on-time and in-budget.

iConnect Consulting offers a comprehensive suite of services to support customers throughout the LIMS implementation and support cycles, as well as multidirectional electronic exchange of the laboratory data.
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We help clients implement and derive value from chosen technology solutions as quickly and effectively as possible. In addition to the actual service offerings iConnect Consulting brings fundamental value to its customers by utilizing 20 years of industry experience and best implementation practices ranging from solution design/architecture to change management to interface development and systems integration.

To learn more about our services please follow the links on the left.

Our laboratory SME conducts business process analysis across the various business units, or laboratory sections, in order to document the existing ("As-Is") business processes. Next, the SME tailors a "To-Be" workflow for the client, which incorporates key requirements captured during the requirements analysis phase. Those key requirements are discussed with the representatives of the laboratory ("power users") in the context of the chosen LIMS product to discover an optimal implementation path. Both "As-Is" and "To-Be" documents have to be reviewed, accepted and signed off by the customer representatives before configuration work begins.

iConnect Consulting professionals possess an in-depth knowledge and development experience in various programming areas (database, application, web) which enable us to successfully help our customers with any implementation challenge and adoption/integration of a new technology or standard.

Our technical SME configures the system according to the functional and user specifications described in the "To Be" analysis document. More than 10 years of successful LIMS implementations allow our SMEs to utilize their industry experience and the knowledge of the system to find shortcuts by reusing similar functionality from past implementations instead of "reinventing the wheel". Through intimate knowledge of the system our SMEs strike a balance between configuration of existing, or Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) functionality and custom development. Also, during the implementation process the SME looks for opportunities to leverage synergies and commonalities to ensure that client expectations in terms of system functionality, budget, and project timelines are met or exceeded.

iConnect employs three levels of testing as part of the release process of a new LIMS:

• Unit level testing – once required functionality is delivered, an iConnect business analyst tests it to make sure it matches the requirements specified in the "To-Be" document. This testing is done in a Development environment.

• Functional testing – the delivered functionality is tested by the lab's power users. This testing is done in a Testing Environment.

• Regression testing – in a multi-lab environment, existing labs must test the system to make sure their existing functionality is preserved. This testing is done in the Pre- Production environment and is instructor-led (optional).

iConnect uses a uniform system to document and track all testing issues. Multiple testing cycles can take place before all the fixes have been retested and closed.

The mentorship process starts by identifying the target audience which typically consists of assay builders (power users) from each laboratory. Assay builders will have responsibilities of representing their appropriate laboratories/sections, making decisions on behalf of them during an assay building process, training/ educating end users on the configured assays and continue with assay configuration once the training is finished. To maximize efficiency, the laboratories should be grouped together based on their functional similarities, i.e. clinical, environmental, food, etc.

The assay building training consists of the following components:

• Basic education on assays building in a LIMS
  • Philosophy behind building Public Health assays
  • Determining what data to capture
  • Collecting assay-specific information
• Detailed descriptions of each module involved in assay building
• Exploring examples of different types of assays (EIA, Micro, Clinical, Environmental, etc.) and how they relate to a specific laboratory in focus
• Our assay experts work side by side with the assay builders from the laboratory in hands-on fashion to build representative assays for each laboratory section.

All the above steps are supported by detailed documentation including, but not limited to: high level Visio diagrams, Power Point slides, and assay building templates in Word and Excel

• Building reports in Crystal Reports v.10/11 (includes hands-on exercises)
• Using Crystal Reports in the context of LIMS
• Explanation of the main LIMS tables and their linkages
• Explanation on how to run reports from LIMS (includes hands-on exercises)
• Explanation on "Set Location" role in developing and running reports from Crystal vs. LIMS in multiple environments (development, testing, production)
• Passing where clause and parameters to a report from a LIMS (includes hands-on exercises)
• Query By Example (QBE) explanation and usage (includes hands-on exercises on building a new QBE template)
• Building management and results analysis reports for each of the laboratories (optional)

• Introduction to the various types of instrument interfacing in a LIMS
• Explanation of the main modules involved
• Explanation of the main functions
• Hands-on exercises

• Introduction to the standards needed for electronic data exchange like HL7, LOINC, SNOMED and OIDs
• Introduction to concepts of code systems, value sets and vocabulary maintenace
• Types of HL7 communication and the use cases from CDC (ORDERS, RESULTS, etc.)
• Configuration of HL7 2.3.1 message (HL7 2.5 - optional)
• Bidirectional communication between LIMS and Rhapsody
• Receiving/generating ORDERS in/from a LIMS
• Generating ORDERS from STARLIMS
• Receiving/generating RESULTS in/from a LIMS
• Explanation of the main modules and functions that are used in LIMS for HL7 communication. How to modify mapping tables, reconfigure message structure, define reportable results, etc.

iConnect Consulting provides documentation specific to each client's specific LIMS configuration. By using "Quick Guides", we provide an attractive alternative to the "100 pound" user manual.

• Test Scripts – used by laboratory end-users during both functional and regression testing
• Quick guides – provide a concentrated "step-by-step" description of the delivered functionality in order to assist laboratory end-users during the training phase. This allows laboratory end-users to capture the main steps and applications of the sample workflow
• User Manuals (optional) – this is a complete "100 pound" manual describing all the delivered functionality in detail
• Assay-specific workflows and configuration notes
• Report-specific layouts and fields mapping
• Instrument interface documentation

iConnect Consulting has experience in facilitating the harmonization of test and result codes on a national level working in the vocabulary and messaging working groups of the PHLIP (Public Health Interoperability Project). This is an APHL sponsored project that aims to produce implementation standards and harmonize test and result codes for Influenza and other Nationally Notifiable Diseases (NNDs) between the states and the CDC.

iConnect Consulting also has participated in assignment of appropriate LOINC and SNOMED codes for Electronic Lab Reporting (ELR) in Public Health and Hospital Laboratories in California.

Medical background and laboratory experience enable iConnect Consulting to build the bridge between the laboratory domain, the standard code system and the organizations that maintain these standard vocabularies.

• Assistance with data collection for proper implementation of the standards (LOINC/SNOMED/OIDs/HL7)
• Harmonization of test codes across different laboratories for orders and result reporting
• Submission for new standard codes, if required
• Submission of vocabulary for inclusion in national standard valuesets, if approriate

iConnect Consulting offers a complete implementation path for both incoming and outgoing HL7 communication leveraging Orion Health's Rhapsody and Symphonia products (and/or Microsoft Biztalk), and CDC PHIN guidelines.

• Assistance in understanding and implementing the required standard vocabularies (LOINC/SNOMED/OIDs/HL7)
• Assistance in understanding and implementing CDC PHIN guidelines
• Implementation of any required HL7 message types in either v2.3.1 and/or v2.5
• Implementation of XML messaging
• Messages' mapping and routing using Orion's Rhapsody or Microsoft BizTalk server

In cooperation with its partners iConnect Consulting offers a broad selection of Health Information Exchange (HIE) services.

HIE Consulting Services

• Sustainable Revenue Model for HIE
• Governance Model
• Vendor Selection and Contract Management
• Patient Privacy Rights
• Privacy / Security / ID proofing
• Patient Consent Management
• Patient Portals

HIE Technical Services

• Web Services
• EMR Selection/Implementation/Adoption
• Data and System Integration
• E- Signatures Implementation

Using ITIL-certified Service Management methodologies, iConnect Consulting establishes a framework for the customer to receive regular maintenance and support for the product once the implementation phase ends.

Due to ever-changing laboratory business needs and requirements, ongoing improvement of a LIMS is a continuous and necessary process. That is why iConnect Consulting offers a flexible support subscription plans that allow customers to get a scheduled monthly service at a preferred rate.

Our customers face challenges to efficiently share data among themselves and their partners. Whether it be to rapidly respond to outbreaks or to collaborate across organizations, it is essential that our customers put the necessary systems in place while minimizing cost and disruption to ongoing laboratory activities. Well-designed and efficiently-implemented Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) provides our customers with a cost-effective solution that allows them to improve interoperability and meet the growing demand to share data electronically with their clients, partners and federal agencies.

iConnect Consulting plays a central role in the process by providing professional services to laboratories in federal, state, and local agencies with the goal of realizing the full potential of their chosen LIM systems. We have successfully worked with our customers to optimize laboratory testing business processes, improve laboratories' interoperability across the enterprise and establish PHIN compliant electronic exchange of laboratory data in various functional disciplines including: clinical, environmental, chemical terrorism and bioterrorism, food, and agricultural testing.

California Department
of Health Services (CDHS)

Problem Statement

The legacy central Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) used by the six laboratories at the Richmond Laboratory Complex (RLC) did not meet all Laboratory Business requirements. This led to the development of numerous, specialized databases for some internal lab units that required labor intensive support. Annual support of the central LIMS was difficult. It was also difficult to adapt to changing business needs and to support 1) electronic data exchange, 2) creating "in-house" worksheets, 3) tracking specimens or workloads 4) automated, electronic result reporting, or 5) processes to demonstrate compliance with federally mandated data and record quality assurance requirements.

In addition to the unfulfilled laboratory information needs within the RLC due to the lack of a LIMS, the federal HRSA grant Cross-Cutting Benchmark number four, Laboratory Data Standard, created dependencies based on the need to interface all 450 hospital laboratories in California to a centralized information system. Without a centralized LIMS, CDHS was unable to fulfill the state's obligation under HRSA to interface private labs with those at the RLC. This made the interfaces and data encoding for electronic messaging meaningless and resulted in the inability of CDHS to meet the requirements under the HRSA grant.

Solution

iConnect Consulting was contracted to provide development of all project requirements, functional specifications, testing scripts, user manual development, training, programming and implementation of the Statewide LIMS for six laboratories across five Divisions. Programming included California-specific customizations that increased flexibility and usability of the LIMS. Further, an external interfaced based on STARLIMS v10 technology called myLIMS was implemented to provide remote sample submission and on-demand reporting and querying capabilities to customers of the RLC.

Following the formal project lifecycle, iConnect aided in the formulation and launch of a Change Management process conforming to Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards. Further, iConnect continued to support the state's LIMS into the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) phases and continues to provide technical support as the system is adapted to meeting changing business needs.

The project was completed in just 15 months on-time and in-budget. As of April 2007 - 427 assays, 58 instrument interfaces and 73 reports have been developed. Total number of STARLIMS users in CDHS is 343 out of which about 100 are using myLIMS for web based remote login and reporting.

CDHS LIMS project has received a state IT award for "demonstrated excellence in project delivery" in December 2005.

CDHS now enjoys a Laboratory Information Management System that meets the minimal requirements for the chain of custody documentation required for tracking and collecting specimens for all six labs at the Richmond Laboratory Complex. Implementation of a centralized system allows a higher degree of interoperability between all six labs. Deployment of Rhapsody in conjunction with STARLIMS provides a secure, flexible and scalable solution for both inbound and outbound electronic communication of the laboratory data.

California Department
of Food and Agriculture

Problem Statement

The California Department of Food and Agriculture - Center for Analytical Chemistry (CDFA-CAC) was identified in the federal and state emergency response plans as the primary California laboratory responsible for the analysis of fruit and vegetable samples associated with accidental or intentional contamination. In response to the urgent need of Bioterrorism (BT) readiness, CDFA-CAC joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) along with two other key California state laboratories, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) Richmond Laboratory Complex, and the University of California at Davis, California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (UCD-CAHFS). These three laboratories provide California a broad surveillance and testing resource to assist in identifying potential threats to the food supply and public health risk.

From “Laboratory Information Management System – Pilot Project”, Project Number 8750-57 Feasibility Study Report, July 17, 2006, REVISED August 17, 2006

The paper-based information management systems utilized by CDFA-CAC were not able to meet the emergency response and reporting challenges required to respond to intentional or unintentional contamination of the State's food supply. The CDFA-CAC would not be able to track a large number of samples utilizing their legacy systems, as the volume from a large contamination would overload the systems. CDFA-CAC was unable to access the data to get the samples ready to be analyzed and track the status of a large volume of samples.

The legacy business process included separate program-specific information systems that were not synchronized among laboratory sections. The CDFA-CAC used multiple sample logging and tracking databases that were developed based on internal laboratory staff expertise and the business needs of different clients. These stand-alone databases did not allow for the consistent tracking and trending of samples, nor did they allow the laboratory to electronically transmit data to multiple external entities simultaneously.

The scope of the pilot project consisted of configuring the system for Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) and County Agricultural Commissioner (CAC) samples. The project was to be initiated in December 2006 and to by March 31, 2007 (3.5 months' implementation).

Solution

CDFA-CAC contracted with iConnect Consulting as the Implementation Vendor to provide professional services to support the implementation of STARLIMS. Services included:

• Business Analysis: a senior Solution Designer conducted "As-Is" and "To-Be" analysis to define the laboratory's existing business processes and to map them to STARLIMS product.
• Configuration: a senior Configuration Specialist programmed the system to meet the requirements specified and signed off by the laboratory. Programming included overall sample workflow configuration, assay configuration, instrument interface configuration, and report building.
• Testing: testing scripts were written and used in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) of the configured system.
• Training: training manuals were developed and used during training sessions led by iConnect Consulting training instructors.
• Documentation: reference materials, or "Quick Guides", were prepared to simplify the day-to-day routine use of the configured product.

The Pilot Project was completed on-time and in-budget on March 31, 2007. The system is currently in use for both FERN and CAC sample analysis. There are presently 12 users of the system, four assays, four instrument interfaces, and approximately 10 reports in place.

CDFA, Liz Houser, LIMS Project Manager:
"iConnect Consulting was responsible for configuring the software to meet CDFA's business needs, providing database and system administration expertise and to train staff in it's operation. iConnect Consulting delivered what we asked for in the SOW and were very accommodating to our program needs."

CDHS, Chris Cruz, LIMS Project Manager:
"iConnect Consulting brought a great work ethic and dedication to this effort that was unparalleled. They were truly a vested and trusted business partner in helping us successfully implement the California LIMS effort. If you are serious about implementing your project on time, budget and schedule, I would highly recommend procuring their services."

CGI Technology and Solutions Inc., Glenn Leung, LIMS Project Manager:
"iConnect provided valuable insights and recommendations on both the technical and business perspectives to CGI and Hawaii DOH in the implementation of STARLIMS v10. iConnect identified the realistic usage of STARLIMS which was instrumental for CGI to perform the Q/A verification activities of the STARLIMS system as a whole."

Mission

Our company's mission is to help our customers implement optimal LIMS solution. We are passionate about what we do and believe that by applying our vast laboratory and LIMS domain knowledge, rich experience and proven implementation methodology - we will be successful.

Lean and Efficient

The iConnect Consulting team is actively involved in the whole project life cycle from the initiation stage through post-implementation maintenance and support and is comprised by seasoned industry professionals with several years of laboratory and LIMS experience. Our main team is lean and consists of only essential personnel so that our customers do not bear the burden of our overhead. Our staffing strategy allows us to expand globally, with an extensive network of Informatics Service Providers and other professional consultants who are qualified and available for deployment as the need arises.

Broad Portfolio

iConnect Consulting has not limited itself to one or two types of labs. Some of the environments the iConnect Consulting has implemented LIMS in include: clinical, environmental, chemical terrorism and bioterrorism, food, and agricultural testing. This wide-ranging experience means that our implementation methodology has become more robust and versatile over time, minimizing the potential impact of the new issues we may encounter. Moreover, the synergy of issues between environments enables us to leverage our knowledge and experience to bring resolution in an efficient manner.

Recipe for Success

Our customers know their laboratory business, and we know laboratories and LIMS. Together we make a powerful partnership - proficient at identifying the customers' business needs, the configuration and support services to meet them and an efficient plan for realizing the customers' laboratory business objectives. We have an extensive services catalog, and a team with the expertise to deliver the optimal LIMS solution.

Every company is as good as the people who work for it. We believe that our associates' commitment, knowledge and experience are primary reasons for our successful track record.

Below is a list of our key associates:

Andrew Sinyaver, Principal

Andrew Sinyaver is responsible for performance and growth of the technical domain of the company's services. Andrew is currently leading technical aspects of the LIMS implementations on a number of company's engagements and is also involved in the Public Health Laboratory Interoperability Project (PHLIP) as a LIMS/HL7 technical expert on behalf of California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Andrew has 10 years of experience in LIMS development and implementation in a variety of industries including Pharmaceutical, Environmental, Cosmetics and Petrochemical. In addition, Andrew has 4 years of experience in delivering LIMS solutions in the Public Health arena including electronic exchange of the laboratory data between Public Health Laboratories and their local/federal partners. Prior to joining iConnect Consulting Andrew had a long career in STARLIMS Corporation where he has held Public Health product manager, OOTB product manager, team lead and project manager positions.

Andrew holds a B.S. in Statistics and Computer Science and is a member of National Association for Public Health Information Technology (NAPHIT). Andrew has received a "Best of California" award for "demonstrated excellence in project delivery" as part the CDHS LIMS implementation team. In addition, Andrew has written "HL7 Messaging and the CDHS LIMS Implementation" article for LIMS/Letter magazine which was published in fall of 2006.

Riki Merrick, Public Health Information Specialist

Riki is a domain expert in Public Health terminology/vocabulary and HL7 messaging. She is currently engaged in California Department of Public Health (CDPH) where she performs LOINC and SNOMED translations for the campus labs. As part of her work for APHL she participates in national vocabulary harmonization projects like LIMS integration and the APHL sponsored Public Health Laboratory Interoperability Project (PHLIP).

Riki has 2+ years of experience in terminology consulting and vocabulary standardization, working with Public Health and hospital Labs in California. She also has extensive experience as a project manager in real estate development.

Riki is a member of HL7, has attended LOINC committee meetings and participated in a SNOMED hierarchy modeling workshop. She is a native German, graduated in 1992 from the Medical School at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany and is a licensed physician there. During her time in medical school she worked in the national laboratory on isolation of intestinal spirochetes. Riki also holds a MPH from UC Davis (CA, 2004).

Marian Spector, Solution Designer

Marian Spector is responsible for business analysis, including project specification, new feature requests, testing coordination and documentation of the customers' LIMS solutions.

Marian's background in both Project and Product Management includes work at Sun Micro Systems and Symantec Corporation in California, Latin America and South East Asia. Marian was also a Sr. Manager for eBusiness at the middleware firm Mercator Software (acquired by IBM), where she managed teams developing e-business solutions for the healthcare, pharmacy and biotechnology industries.

Marian attended Tulane University in New Orleans (where she was an All-American swimmer); and holds a degree in Biology from Mills College in Oakland, CA. "Both at Symantec and Sun Micro Systems, Marian's software development teams won numerous "best in category" awards. She is an active member of the Bay Area Chapter of American Women in Science.

Michele Olson, Configuration Specialist

Michele provides technical expertise in LIMS implementation and support to company's customers. She currently provides on-site assay building and LIMS configuration/customization services to Commonwealth of VA

Prior to joining iConnect Consulting, Michele spent 10 years as an application specialist with a wide range of industries and roles. Her major projects included programming financial applications for a global transportation company, lead developer for an in-house pharmaceutical LIMS system, and five years as programmer, analyst and project manager for the City of Chattanooga.

Michele is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) in .NET and SQL development. Her technical skills range from application development in VB / C# / ASP to database design and query optimization with SQL Server and Oracle tools. In addition to her technical capabilities, she is trained in project management, supervision, and leadership. Michele loves a challenge and avoids boredom. At age 18, Michele earned her BA in History and Studio Art, and still sells apainting now and then.

Michael Stephens, Solution Designer

Michael is responsible for working with customers to perform business analysis, gap analysis, conduct testing and prepare documentation. In addition, Michael has developed the methodology for producing deliverable documents and tracking system specifications that has been used on a number of engagements. Michael has recently worked on the LIMS implementation for the California Department of Health Services (19 months).

Michael has more than 30 years of experience in business analysis and in systems development and maintenance in both the public and private sectors. Michael has performed a variety of management, analysis, and programming roles on data processing projects in diverse client operating environments.

Michael holds B.S. in Social Science form San Francisco State University and has attended Graduate studies in Public Administration in Golden Gate University.

iConnect Consulting has a culture of innovation where our employees can make a difference. We are looking for like-minded, dynamic individuals to come and join our rapidly expanding team. With the correct blend of laboratory, IT and business knowledge - iConnect Consulting is positioned to deliver exceptional solutions to our clients.

We look for people who can create real value for our clients, who have excellent communication skills, who can mentor others and help them grow, and who have the potential to become leaders.

With iConnect Consulting you will have the opportunity to develop the strong project and people management skills that you'll need to move forward in your career. You will get to work with our comprehensive methodologies and have the opportunity to make a positive impact on our clients' business.

We are currently looking for dynamic and motivated professionals to augment iConnect Consulting in the following areas: Business Analysis and Technical Implementation. Please email us your qualifications.