HIPAA-compliant Genetic Testing

Background and Challenges

Teloyears, a biotechnology firm specializing in personalized health analytics, faced operational inefficiencies stemming from disjointed system interactions. The company's order processing workflow was cumbersome, involving multiple manual steps that compromised efficiency and error rates. Customers placed orders via the webshop, which were then manually entered into Salesforce. The process for handling biological samples, crucial for Teloyears’ services, was similarly outdated. Sample kits were sent to customers and tracked in Salesforce; however, upon their return, the sample processing involved several manual entries into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Results were created in Excel, then printed and mailed to customers, leading to delays and increased operational costs.

Enhancing Efficiency: Webshop and Salesforce Integration

The Agency was hired to tackle the company's problems with a mandate to touch anything they wanted to. A key component was the overhaul of the webshop with full integration into Salesforce, enabling automatic order entries and immediate issuance of shipping labels for quicker dispatch of sample kits. A new customer portal was developed, which they integrated seamlessly with Salesforce and LIMS. This portal allowed customers to track their kits and samples in real-time, while lab technicians could directly access parcel tracking information, automatically generate measurement orders and reports. The portal also enabled supervisors to validate results digitally. Furthermore, an interactive result sheet was automatically generated for customers, featuring detailed charts and maps, significantly improving the presentation and accessibility of results. As an added convenience, customers could choose to receive results via mail or directly print them at home.

Streamlined operations and enhanced customer satisfaction

The integration of Salesforce with the webshop and LIMS, along with the creation of a comprehensive customer portal, dramatically streamlined Teloyears' operations. Manual data entries were significantly reduced, minimizing human error and operational costs. The automated, interactive result sheets enhanced customer satisfaction by providing timely, engaging, and easily understandable health insights. The project also included the integration of a third-party DNA ancestry testing service, enriching the customer portal with additional valuable information. Overall, the transformation led to improved operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and positioned Teloyears as a forward-thinking leader in personalized health analytics, ultimately influencing key business outcomes.

Built a comprehensive backend and frontend

Their team crafted a HIPAA-compliant architecture on AWS and successfully migrated to a newly developed microservices platform. They established a robust delivery pipeline using CircleCI, AWS ECS, and CloudFormation.

The front end features advanced data visualization tools, including chromosome mapping and ancestry migration maps, built with React, MobX, and D3. On the back end, the team created a microservices architecture using Node.js and Express, storing the operational data in MongoDB. To manage the infrastructure that is able to host a distributed system, they leveraged AWS ECS, addressing DevOps/SRE challenges such as load-balancing, scaling, and monitoring.

Additionally, they implemented a templated emailing system with Sendgrid, a secure webshop powered by Stripe, handled sales and shipments with Salesforce, and managed document databases with MongoDB. As the project expanded, their roles evolved to include supervisory responsibilities, maintaining close client relations, and leading ongoing development efforts.