Peter J. Napoli
President and Chief Operating Officer
Professional
Joined Alfa Wassermann as Vice President of Finance in 2005; became President of Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies and Chief Operating Officer of Alfa Wassermann, Inc., in 2008; prior to that, Price & Pierce International, a publicly owned multinational company with revenues in excess of $100 million.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business
Personal
Spending time with my family, working out, playing racquetball, classic car restoration
If you were explaining Alfa Wassermann Diagnostics to someone who was not familiar with the business segment, how would you characterize its primary areas of expertise? For more than 30 years, Alfa Wassermann clinical chemistry systems have been used in clinical laboratories all over the world. Our main focus in the United States is the physician office laboratory and small hospitals. We are expert at service and support for these customer segments.
What are the major categories of solutions that Alfa Wassermann provides its customers? In what kinds of chemistry testing do you specialize? We offer clinical chemistry systems and reagents to perform general chemistries, enzymes, and homogenous immunoassays. Our random access systems can run single or panel tests, in any order at any time. In addition to diagnostic instruments, Alfa Wassermann offers laboratory information systems tailored to the needs of the POL. Our LIS products can integrate up to eight instruments to Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
How have your products and solutions evolved to meet changing customer needs? Can you give specific examples? Alfa Wassermann’s ACE line of chemistry analyzers was introduced in 1993. It was the first system of its kind to incorporate CLIA ’88 compliant features. Over the years, we have adapted our systems to meet customer needs. The ACE Axcel, Alfa Wassermann’s new clinical chemistry system, was designed to incorporate these needs. Built-in Internet connectivity facilitates technical support, remote access and laboratory integration, and provides seamless connection to EHRs using AWDT’s Alfa LIS or other laboratory information systems. Alfa Assist offers customers web-enabled technical support 24/7.
Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies provides an outstanding line of clinical chemistry analyzers. What should POL and clinical laboratory staff know about the technology of today’s state-of-the-art reagents and instruments? What are some particular products they should know about? All Alfa Wassermann systems offer cap piercing, which streamlines workflow and reduces exposure to biohazards. Our no pretreatment A1c reagent, which is NGSP certified, eliminates pipetting and improves precision. The new ACE Axcel offers touch screen functionality, an intuitive user interface, and Internet connectivity to make in-office laboratory testing faster, more convenient, and more cost-effective. The ACE Axcel has an easy-to-use graphical user interface and touch screen technology for intuitive control.
How do your customers benefit from such products as the ACE Axcel Clinical Chemistry System, ACE Alera Chemistry System, and the Alfa LIS? Alfa Wassermann chemistry systems benefit our customers in several ways.
Better for business: Practices keep laboratory revenues in house.
Better for lab personnel: Alfa Wassermann systems are backed by years of award-winning service and support.
At its core, blood chemistry testing provides information. This information helps to screen, diagnose, and treat diseases. Lab Information Systems consolidate results from multiple instruments and distribute them to healthcare professionals, which speeds up the clinical decision process.
What are some directions that the company may be taking in the near future in its core areas of expertise? What are some emerging trends? We anticipate customers asking for further increases in assay menu to provide full disease state profiling on a single workstation. The integration of routine chemistries and immunoassays minimizes the need to split samples, which in turn, speeds turnaround time, streamlines workflow, and improves lab productivity.
Financial incentives provided by the HITECH Act of 2009 have dramatically increased adoption of Electronic Health Record systems in physician offices. A 2011 Physician Workflow study conducted by the CDC found that 55% of physicians have already adopted an EHR. Higher EHR usage increases the importance of connectivity between lab instrumentation and the EHR in order to meet “meaningful use” criteria set forth by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
You have experience in finance, sales, and executive management. How does that background serve you in your position as President of Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies? My sales experience has taught me the importance of developing personal relationships and ensuring that customers are satisfied after the sale. We know that post-sales satisfaction is crucial to long term success and we work hard to provide the best possible experience for our customers.
My finance background has enabled me to be more responsive in business negotiations. Being part of a small but fully integrated organization offers the opportunity to size up the situation quickly and take action. The finance and sales combination allows me to interact more effectively with our distribution channel partners.
