[Histonet] Specimen tracking scenario, accountability

[Curt Tague]

So we're in a reference lab setting here, it's a little different than the hospital environment... I've been in both.

We receive specimens from a variety of different hospitals, physician offices and even other labs for histology (TC), we send the slides back. What I'd like to do is implement some system for tracking blocks throughout the process but with so many different clients and number systems/prefixes, most of which are NOT barcoded, it can be a challenge tracking the blocks throughout the whole process... from receipt to embedding to microtomy...
Aside from manually documenting every blocks on a paper log sheet, would anyone have any suggestions on how to track these things?

My initial thought is a simple digital photo of the basket at embedding (when removed from the processor) then another photo of blocks you take to your microtome and perhaps one last photo when blocks are taken from your cutting station to be filed or returned... the simple issue is tracking who is in possession of what blocks at all times... accountability... but this seems to present challenges too...

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Curt