How Best Practices and Advanced Laboratory Information System Technology Help Ensure Lab Workflow Management

Sometimes the most basic problems are the hardest to solve. 

Take laboratory workflow management as an example. How can clinical labs and pathology groups ensure they have streamlined lab workflow management and end-to-end data integrity at every stage of the specimen lifecycle (pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic)? 

Issues with lab workflow and data management systems (lab pathology software) lead to processing errors and delayed test results within the laboratory, and both can also have severe consequences downstream in terms of patient care and malpractice claims. 

Because of this, pathology and clinical laboratories are on the constant lookout for better ways to manage workflow and data to thereby protect the patients they serve. 

A Two-Pronged Approach to Lab Workflow Management and Data Integrity

To solve this basic problem of effective laboratory workflow management and data integrity, the best medical lab operators deploy a combination of stringent adherence to established best practices, plus advanced laboratory information system (LIS abbreviation medical) technology. 

First, let’s examine how these established best practices positively relate to accurate and reliable diagnostic testing and ultimately to better patient outcomes. 

• Quality Control: Medical laboratories should implement quality control programs to ensure the accuracy and reliability of their testing. This entails regularly monitoring test results and analyzer/equipment performance, proficiency testing, and internal quality assessments.

• Standard Operating Procedures: Medical laboratories should have well-documented (and regularly updated) standard operating procedures, or SOPs, for all laboratory processes.  From sample tracking to data reporting and everything in between, SOPs should include protocols for identifying and reporting errors and variances, and for correcting both promptly.

• Staff Education and Training: Medical laboratories should provide their staff with regular training and education on new testing methodologies, systems, equipment, and procedures. This helps to ensure that laboratory staffers are knowledgeable and up-to-date on all of the lab’s best practices. It also helps with staff retention and the onboarding of new staff members. 

• Information Security: Medical laboratories should implement modern and robust data security protocols to protect patient privacy and prevent unauthorized access to Protected Health Information (PHI). This includes password protection, encryption, and restricted access to sensitive data.

• External Quality Assurance: It’s also a good idea for medical laboratories to participate in external quality assurance programs, such as proficiency testing and accreditation programs, to ensure that their testing meets recognized standards of quality and accuracy.

Next, let’s examine how these best practices coupled with advanced lab information system technology can ensure data integrity from test order inception to lab report generation and distribution.

The best lab operators understand that best practices can only take them so far and that pathology software in the form of a laboratory information system (LIS system) is a necessity for any laboratory interested in scaling productivity without increasing the chance of medical errors and sacrificing the quality of patient care. 

It’s also a necessity based on the two big interrelated issues the pathology industry is now faced with, and that’s dealing with laboratory burnout related to all-time high diagnostic testing volumes and a serious shortage of qualified laboratory personnel to manage the workload. 

Fortunately, pathologists, medical directors, lab managers, lab techs, and all other laboratory personnel are used to doing more with less, and in this case, that means implementing strategies to become more efficient and productive without adding human resources.

The Advantages Present in Modern Laboratory Information Systems

The current environment calls for laboratory efficiency gained by the process optimization detailed earlier where bottlenecks are identified and eliminated, and by lab information system upgrades that take advantage of automation and the latest technologies. 

When introduced into a clinical lab workflow, LIS software automation streamlines and simplifies routine tasks, such as:

• Automating Data Entry: A modern LIS system can automate the process of entering data into its system, reducing the need for manual data entry and minimizing errors. An example of this is integrating a modern LIS system with a health system’s electronic health record (EHR) for the bidirectional digital transmission of patient and specimen data. 

• Streamlining Workflows: A modern LIS system in healthcare can automate tasks like sample tracking, test ordering, and test result reporting. This LIS software automation improves efficiency and reduces the risk of delays caused by errors and lost specimens.

• Improving Data Accuracy: A modern medical LIS can help the laboratory enforce standard protocols for data entry and provide validation checks as data is entered into the system. 

• Enhancing Data Security: A modern LIS system can help to ensure data security in all departments by providing access controls, audit trails, and encryption.

• Providing Real-Time Data Access: A modern healthcare LIS can provide real-time access to laboratory data with just a few clicks, enabling LIS lab staffing to quickly and easily retrieve test results, track the status of specimens, and monitor laboratory operations at both a high and granular level.

Facilitating Data Analysis: A modern LIS system software can facilitate data mining and analysis, enabling the C-suite and department heads to identify trends and patterns in laboratory data and proficiency.

Modern LIS system software also supports other laboratory software system automation within the lab, uniting all laboratory informatics into one source of truth that improves accuracy, reduces test turnaround times, and even better, frees up staff time for more complex tasks. 

Here are a few examples that demonstrate how modern pathology LIS systems can support other lab systems and help create simplified laboratory workflow management:

• Tissue Processing: Automation can be used to streamline the prepping of tissue for analysis (fixation, embedding, and sectioning). Automated tissue processors boost productivity by handling multiple specimens at once, and they can also be programmed to run overnight, greatly reducing the time required for processing.

• Slide Staining: Automated slide stainers can apply stains to tissue sections, and these systems can also be programmed to apply multiple stains to a single slide. Automation in this instance leads to the quick and accurate processing of a large volume of slides.

• Digital Imaging: Digital pathology involves the use of digital imaging technology to capture high-resolution images of tissue specimens that are viewed via a computer monitor rather than a microscope. The capturing of images is quick and accurate, and with the assistance of a modern LIS system, these images can be easily included along with other diagnostic information on the lab report. 

• Image Analysis: Automated image analysis software can be used to analyze a large number of digital images of tissue specimens in a short period to identify the presence of abnormalities such as cancer cells, aiding the pathologist with more accurate diagnoses. 

• Report Generation: Automated pathology reporting software can be used to generate pathology reports, which provide a summary of the findings from the analysis of tissue specimens. The pathology reporting software can be programmed to generate reports quickly and accurately, reducing the risk of errors and improving the speed of diagnosis.

Now a word of caution. Not all LIS systems are created equally with advanced automation capabilities. There are automated labs with modern LIS systems, and then there are inefficient labs saddled with legacy LIS systems that are rigid, inflexible, and unreliable. 

The best LIS software can combine advanced automation with comprehensive and highly configurable modules that can:

• Standardize all technical and financial processes (laboratory billing)
• Boost productivity and accuracy
• Seamlessly integrate with your existing systems

To learn more and make sure that the LIS systems and laboratory information system vendors you’re researching offer modern and reliable LIS software solutions, here’s a blog post that examines the difference between modern LIS systems and legacy pathology software.

Learn More: Comparing LigoLab Informatics Platform with Legacy Laboratory Information System Software

Here also is a blog post that goes into great detail about what lab leadership should know before contracting with a particular LIS company.

Learn More: What You Need to Know Before Contracting with a Laboratory Information System (LIS) Company

You can also contact us to set up a 15-minute introductory call with a lab information system specialist who can answer any questions, and if it makes sense for both parties, set up an interactive LIS software demonstration.