The action is being taken to procure Roche ready to use reagents to provide patient care support in the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory. The reagents are proprietary to the manufacturing vendor, Roche Diagnostics and are required for use with current installed platforms HE600, Benchmark Ultra, and Benchmark Special stainers. Procurement of these reagents through the manufacturing vendor, Roche Diagnostics, ensures that the Anatomic Pathology lab can accurately receive and amend shipments of reagents in a time critical manner as well as order supplies required to ensure continuity of operations. IT solutions and support supplies are included to ensure qualified field service engineers, direct from Roche Diagnostics, perform necessary repairs to mitigate downtime. The Anatomic Pathology lab currently has three platforms that are leased from Roche Diagnostics and require Roche reagents and support. Failure to procure these specific services and products will completely shut down the patient care capacity of the Anatomic Pathology laboratory.​

VENTANA Benchmark ULTRA

The VENTANA Benchmark ULTRA is the first multi-modal system to perform simultaneous IHC and ISH testing on a single and random-access platform. Multi-parameter testing such as dual and triple stains may be performed independently of other slides, allowing rapid results. The VENTANA Benchmark ULTRA system is optimized for a full range of ready-to-use immunohistochemical reagents, as well as for a variety of in situ hybridization tests, simplifying complex molecular testing into a routine automated procedure. The VENTANA Benchmark ULTRA system can be linked to the existing Laboratory Information System (LIS) to manage information from a single computer to increase workflow efficiency and patient safety. The VENTANA Benchmark ULTRA has 30 independently functioning slide staining chambers preserve sample integrity and eliminate the need for batch processing, add or remove individual slides at any time, access reagents at frequent intervals, run unexpected test requests as STAT without interrupting cases already in process, count on visual and audio alerts to signal access to slides and reagents and reagent detect sensor quickly and accurately reads added reagent. It delivers fast turnaround times with Lean Six Sigma “single piece flow" processing, process all slides in each patient's case together to eliminate sorting and let the technician sees the exact status of patient samples with an intuitive visual instrument interface. The system immediately processes STAT and late-arriving samples by quickly responding to unexpected test requests without impacting other cases in process by adding reagents as needed to enable immediate processing. The system provides​ consistent high-quality stains through Optimization of antibody and probe performance with enhanced protocol flexibilities and efficiently process dual and triple IHC stains. The VENTANA Benchmark ULTRA allows the technician to add samples throughout the day to eliminate the need to batch slides.

These reagents are required for the use of Roche platforms HE600, Benchmark Ultra and Benchmark Special Stainers and are essential for continuous patient care. The Anatomic Pathology Laboratory currently has 12 Roche equipment platforms installed and in use.