Last Friday, we hosted a Virtual Think IT Panel Event on the topic, Pivoting in The Face of a Pandemic – How Abbott Responded with COVID-19 Testing. A huge thank you to our panelists Cheri Jacoby, Senior Director, IT CA/HF Medical Device Business at Abbott, and Terry Finch, Divisional Vice President – Digital Technology Services at Abbott, for sharing what Abbott has created during COVID- 19. Thank you to everyone who joined us a well.
From March 2020 to August 2020, Abbott was about to roll out 15 million tests in the united states, which were just under $5 per test. They also were able to create eight new Covid tests globally in under 6 months.
Abbott first started with the Viral RNA, which is Lab-Based Molecular that was able to do a Covid test with a nasal swab and get the results back within 2-6 hours. With this one, tests would still show up positive for up to 90 days due to the living and dead organisms’ leftover in the body. The most recent test they came out with is an antigen test that is rapid and can be done anywhere. You get results within 15 minutes, and it pairs with their NAVICA App.
NAVICA App: NAVICA displays results from the 15-minute Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card, an antigen rapid test, to help individuals make informed decisions.
In what ways did leveraging technology within your organization enable you to pivot quickly during the pandemic and begin manufacturing at-home Covid testing?
Without technology, Abbott would not have been able to roll out as many Covid tests as they did. Abbott looked at how they could help the country and removed any barriers to getting them here, which directed them straight to technology.
How do you manage burnout and create energy with such velocity?
This was important for Abbot while working through this Covid testing rollout as everyone worked extremely hard to get this done. The panelists agreed that it’s important to reward your employees and share the success your team is going through just as much as you share challenges. It’s also important to pay attention to people’s personal lives, especially during such a challenging time.
When looking at the big picture of the NAVICA App, Abbott understands that changes come to the market all the time and realize that Covid testing will not always be on the top of the list. They understand that at some point, it will be no longer needed, and Abbott is okay with that. They are looking at the impact it can make today.