Avoiding Mix-Ups: ACRM Lab Safety Protocols

A family finds out their daughter is not biologically related to the father via a DNA test, a fertility center mixed up two couples’ embryos — for those seeking fertility treatment, recent headlines like these can be unnerving.

At ACRM, we want to take this opportunity to review our strict lab standards and protocols.

ACRM is a CCRM Network Clinic

We’ve been in partnership with the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine network (CCRM) since January 2016. Under this partnership, CCRM manages operations of clinical and embryology laboratories — with some of the industry's strictest lab standards and protocols.

CCRM has a national initiative called CCRM Secure and is the first US fertility network to implement this type of program. This includes:

• A double-witnessing approach with every step of the IVF process. This typically entails two embryologists verifying that all materials match before moving samples or performing critical procedures.
• A sophisticated electronic witnessing system, Gidget, acts as an additional safeguard to mitigate human errors. With Gidget, unique bar codes are utilized to link every culture dish and specimen tube to the intended patient’s chart. Every time a patient’s eggs, embryos or sperm are handled in the lab, the embryologist scans the barcode to confirm all items are correctly labeled and belong to the intended patient.
• Only one embryologist participating in only one embryo transfer at a time. Additionally, identification confirmation of the embryos occurs with the physician and patient in the room at the time of transfer.

For additional safety protocols, please review the full details of CCRM Secure, here.

Meet Hope Here

At ACRM, we aim to create an environment for hope to thrive and we are proud of our world-class physicians and embryologists, as well as our state-of-the-art technology and strict lab standards.

If you have questions or concerns at any point, we encourage you to speak with your physician and patient care team. We are committed to delivering industry-leading outcomes and providing our patients with the highest quality care possible.