Best LIS Software - Maximize Growth With Cutting Edge Lab Management Software for Clinical & Pathology Labs

Why is a Laboratory Information Management System Needed?

It can easily be assumed that every modern laboratory, be it focused on anatomical, clinical, or molecular testing, wants to become more efficient and more productive. Unfortunately those goals are often hindered by outdated, non-integrated laboratory information systems that fail to meet the needs of rapidly evolving laboratory environments. Far too often, lab technicians are forced to work with rigid and closed LIS systems that were produced by legacy laboratory information system companies. Put bluntly, these LIS systems are unable to adapt to the changing times, leaving users frustrated with both performance and reliability.

LIS Meaning, Explained Here

A laboratory information system (LIS) is software that has become a common part of the data infrastructure of advanced healthcare systems, busy laboratories, and hospitals. 

Inside labs, the laboratory information system manages the data flow of information, including various lab processes, such as recording, updating, and storing patient-related data, along with sample management tracking, and reports management.

LigoLab offers enterprise-grade laboratory information system software. The fast-growing and agile company is best known for its award-winning LIS & RCM Laboratory Operating Platform. This powerful platform includes a comprehensive LIS module designed to improve laboratory processes and data and sample management for anatomic pathology groups and clinical laboratories that specialize in molecular diagnostics, microbiology, hematology, serology, biochemistry, toxicology, and genomics.

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How Does Modern LIS Software Manage Laboratory Workflow?

LigoLab Operating Platform expertly manages a laboratory’s data needs by connecting and integrating all departments and lab processes on a singular software infrastructure and shared database. This removes information silos and ensures clinical data integrity for every department, enabling laboratories to operate more efficiently, differentiate themselves in the marketplace, scale their operations, and become more profitable.

LigoLab was founded on the principle of one source of truth for laboratory data, and that’s why the company produced and developed a single, integrated suite of applications that supports patient engagement, billing management, specimen tracking, case and test processing and reporting, rules and automation, outreach solutions, document scanning, digital pathology, CRM, and more. This laboratory informatics platform also solves laboratory interoperability issues as it comes standard with an interface engine that maximizes connectivity with instruments, EHRs, and third parties. 

All this enables LigoLab's lab partners to do more with less while driving transparency into their operations and gaining tighter control over their businesses, thus allowing them to scale faster and become more profitable.‍

What Sets a Modern Laboratory Information Management System Apart from the Past?

Legacy laboratory information management software often lack the flexibility, automation, and interoperability needed to fully support technical operations, improve patient outcomes, expand lab testing services, and increase collections of individual laboratories. Common LIS problems that create pain points and prevent growth include:

• Issues with reliability and performance
• Insufficient functionality (lacking modules and features)
• Lack of scalability (current LIS system can’t keep up with demand)
• Difficult to configure (requires external vendor support)
• Legacy report formats and delivery options that don’t cater to customer needs
• Inefficient workflows and time-consuming manual processes
• Sample management and specimen tracking workflows that lack a robust chain of custody, uniquely barcoded specimens, and verification and specimen security check-points
• Information on processes, bottlenecks, and compliance is difficult to access
• Need for intradepartmental and external (EMR/EHRs, APIs, laboratory instrumentation, state registries, billing services) interoperability 
  

What’s the Difference Between LIS Software and LIMS Software?

A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) typically caters to non-clinical laboratory settings, such as a research environment. A LIMS system is designed to deal with big and complex data generated by large-sized industries. LIMS-generated data is typically used in maintenance, operations, and product development decision-making. A LIMS system can be more expensive and complex to configure than LIS in some cases. Additionally, LIMS systems and LIS systems have different regulatory bodies to comply with.

A LIS is custom-designed for clinical settings and patient care. With LigoLab’s LIS software solution, healthcare users enjoy a future-ready and scalable platform that’s infinitely configurable to meet the specific needs of the customer, no matter the size of the lab. The module can quickly adapt to add more physicians and/or laboratory personnel, interfaces, and services as laboratory operations expand. Users benefit from improved operational workflows, reduced labor costs, and increased revenue and profit by:

• Managing all departments and operations on one LIS with no data silos
• Automating complex processes and reducing manual touchpoints
• Market differentiation to expand services and acquire new business
• Maximizing interoperability and efficiency
• Eliminating human errors and lost specimens
• Producing fully customizable reports 
• Providing multiple options for report delivery
• Monitoring quality control to quickly identify, troubleshoot, and resolve problems
• Improving lab testing turnaround times
• Obtaining easily accessible business analytics (dashboards, stats, dynamic reports) from every department in real-time

Additionally, when paired with LigoLab RCM, laboratories gain the ability to start the billing cycle at order inception with the support of verification, eligibility, and scrubbing components that increase clean claim submissions, revenue, and accounts receivables, while also decreasing denials and compliance risk.

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Are LIS Software Updates, Support, and Maintenance Standard from Vendor to Vendor?

The modern LIS is continuously under development and leading software vendors in this space rightfully give the lab full control in terms of when a given update takes place. 

As an example, LigoLab’s approach to upgrades combines ongoing and speedy development (new features are literally developed and released daily) with a deployment schedule based on the customer’s best interests. LigoLab accomplishes this by providing its customers stable and supported versions of the platform in a Production Environment, while also maintaining two additional environments. 

New features are developed and automatically rolled out to all customers via a Test Environment. This gives users early access so they can familiarize themselves with the latest new features. With additional access to the Train Environment, customers are able to train, test, and validate updates on their schedule before they are pushed to the Production Environment. 

LigoLab releases four feature versions annually while at the same time supporting all previous versions deployed to customer Production Environments, and every single update to the platform undergoes strict validation and regression testing before its release.

To learn more about LigoLab's lab-first approach to implementations and upgrades, click on the link below.

Market Differentiation and Unmatched Customer Service: Two Reasons Why You Should Consider LigoLab for Your LIS Upgrade

Upgrade and Enhance Critical Areas with LigoLab’s Laboratory Information Management Software

From accessioning, to sample management and specimen tracking, to reporting and collections, the LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Operating Platform both supports and tech-enables all departmental processes at every stage.

Lab Revenue Cycle Management with Real-Time Order Validation

LigoLab makes it possible to access the accurate information needed for a smooth and productive billing workflow at order entry. That’s where data verification and scrubbing components are shared by both the LIS and RCM modules, and real-time patient and payer data verification, coverage lookup, and eligibility tools are seamlessly integrated into a live queue-facilitated workflow that provides a high level of transparency and prevents claim rejections and denials.

• Demographic check, address validation, insurance discovery, and eligibility verification at order inception
• Bidirectional synchronization with third-party services (mailing companies, clearinghouses, NPI Registry, payment processors)
• Automated ICD and CPT coding and TC/PC splitting
• Real-time data processing workflow queues for heightened visibility
• Detailed statistical reports to monitor trends and KPIs 
  

Additionally, LigoLab supports the management of client contracts by providing extensive functionality, customization, and automation for client billing, including options like unlimited fee schedules, discounting, special pricing, capitation, incremental pricing, and automatic travel and transportation pricing.

Sample Management Software and Patient Safety  

Error-free sample management is vital for all medical laboratories and should be expected from the best LIS medical software. The LigoLab Platform assigns each specimen a unique identifier, ensuring the chain of custody and security of the specimen and virtually eliminating lost or misplaced orders by:

• Integration with all barcode printing and etching hardware 
• Automatic generation of a unique identifier for every specimen and document
• Full traceability of specimens with an awareness of the next step in the workflow
• Users can track both beginning and end times for laboratory instrumentation processing
• Automatic detection of duplicate patient profiles at order entry 
  

Highly Customizable Pathology Reporting Software

LigoLab allows users to create fully customizable and intelligent lab reports with the platform’s high-performance reporting and distribution engines that feature rule-based formatting and uniform presentation. The report generation engine supports the full rich-text capability (format, size, colors, highlights, tables, bullet points, etc.), as well as images, diagrams, annotation, macros, conditional rules, dictation to text, and CAP cancer protocol templates, plus automated distribution that fulfills the customer’s preference. Delivery options include provider portal, outreach software, EMR/EHR, fax, secure email, in-house printing, PDF drops, APIs, IVR, SMS, and remote print server.

• Standardized report structure based on industry trends 
• Custom template format for client satisfaction and co-branding
• Integrated reports for time-saving efficiency
• Cumulative reports for patient safety and continuity  
• Automated distribution based on customer preference

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LIS Software with Remote Access for Orders and Results Retrieval

Medical practitioners and laboratory specialists can leverage the LigoLab Connect feature that enables remote interaction between the client and the laboratory. Users can receive and search for reports, pull cumulative charts, fax out of the system, and gain access to all patient-related scanned documents.

• Free and easy to install with unlimited licensing for downloads
• A secure internet application that serves as an extension of the business
• No third-party outreach or middleware software is needed
• Can be laboratory branded with company logos
• Reduce incoming customer service calls with self-service tools for inventory management and access to scanned documents

LigoLab Web Connect is another new option for remote access. Like LigoLab Connect, it offers instant access to LigoLab Operating Platform from anywhere at anytime, but a software install is not required with this web-based feature.

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TestDirectly Web Portal Steamlines Patient Engagement

The TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Web Portal (DTC) removes the manual order entry and follow-up bottlenecks and creates a streamlined electronic workflow for specimen collection, lab testing, and reporting that boosts testing capacity and improves turnaround times.

• Integration with all LIS and RCM/billing systems resulting in efficient laboratory management reporting
• Increased testing accessibility that opens new revenue streams
• The patient self-registers and schedules the collection appointment
• Support for live insurance eligibility checks
• Specimen barcoding and sample management support
• Report delivery via email, SMS, portal, or interface 
• Automated result notification for patients via email and/or SMS
• Real-time results and analytics for the patient, provider, employer, and public health
• Support for all collection workflows, including drive-through, walk-up, concierge, business-organizational, school districts-universities, government agencies, travel, pooled-surveillance, provider test kit, and home test kit

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Laboratory Software with Maximum Interoperability 

LigoLab’s laboratory information management software features an open architecture and a best-in-class interface engine that functions with maximum interoperability, enabling the LIS to connect to a majority of analyzers (over 600 different instrument types), EMRs (connected with every certified Electronic Medical Record and Electronic Health Record [EHR]), and third-party services with ease. This includes internal networking (LIS/RCM) as well as connections with external networks of healthcare organizations, such as billing services, the Tumor Registry, and state reporting agencies. 

LigoLab’s proprietary interface engine supports all standard interchange protocols, including API, FHIR, HL7, X12, XML, Flat File, and ASTM, and more. 

LIS Systems that Automates Complex Processes and Reduces Human Intervention

LigoLab designed its rule engine to give users the ability to substitute inefficient and manual laboratory processes with conditional rules and actions that can be built without custom scripts, and that fire when certain logical conditions are met. These rules and actions are strung together as decision support trees by the automation engine that resides within the suite of applications.

• An agile platform that automates laboratory processes so that laboratory staff may be reassigned to more productive roles
• High-visibility and real-time workflow queues for clinical data
• Flexible rule engine for optimal automation
• Multi-layered workflow management control 
  

Regulatory Compliance that's not Labor-Intensive

To minimize compliance risk, LigoLab offers a variety of specialized tools that reduce both audit risk and revenue loss without being labor-intensive. Users can effectively operate within the guidelines of CAP, CLIA, HIPAA, and other regulatory bodies to mitigate compliance concerns and avoid penalties. 

• Compliance-conscious workflows and reports
• Ad hoc data query capabilities
• Support for all established regulatory protocols
• Compliance verification at every stage 
  

A Safe and Secure Laboratory Software

LigoLab offers advanced security and privacy features that protect both the laboratory and patient data.

• Automatic log-off for user inactivity 
• A robust and searchable audit trail that logs every activity
• User permission and visibility control

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Laboratory Information Management Software with a Proven ROI

“The end-to-end efficiency created by the LigoLab Operating Platform is a major reason why lab managers choose a system like ours,” said LigoLab CEO Suren Avunjian. “Many of our lab partners migrated from homegrown or legacy systems that lacked functionality, reliability, and scalability.”

Avunjian said that it’s common for lab managers to resist making a switch, even though they know it’s needed to remain relevant, because of fear.

“These lab managers are being held hostage by their current vendor because they haven’t seen a return on their initial investment. This leaves lab management feeling stuck and forced to make the best out of a bad situation that will only get worse,” said Avunjian.

So how can lab managers be assured of a healthy return on their investment with LigoLab's LIS software solution?

“Our platform drives workflows supported by automation and rules that help the laboratory become super-efficient and virtually mistake-free,” continued Avunjian. "The platform removes the bottlenecks and barriers that prevent scalability. When we survey our clients, we regularly hear how they’ve increased lab productivity, as measured by samples processed per FTE staff, by two-and-a-half times simply by deploying our software.”

Avunjian noted that ROI can be difficult to measure, but the fact that the platform enables labs to scale without adding FTEs is a good place to start.

“As soon as our system is deployed, labs can take on more business with the same amount of personnel because they are no longer limited by an old and antiquated system. With LigoLab, they can break that artificial ceiling that’s holding them back as an organization,” he said.

For Avunjian and his team, it’s no surprise that the fastest-growing labs in the country are using LigoLab's game-changing platform. 

“They’ve abandoned their old restrictive systems and the legacy laboratory information system companies they were working with and replaced them with a comprehensive and infinitely configurable platform that's supported with unlimited and unmatched customer service,” concluded Avunjian.

The LigoLab Process: LIS Software Implementation in Four Phases

In terms of LIS software implementations, LigoLab has a 100 percent success rate. That's because the company leaves no stone unturned while painstakingly laying out a phased installation plan. This plan is backed by nearly two decades of expertise resulting in hundreds of successful go-lives. Here are the four phases:

Discovery - A complete domain analysis takes place, and this includes an examination of all workflows, tools, and instruments. Our team maps out a lab’s entire operation and identifies key areas where improvements can be made.

Configuration - The implementation team starts with the baseline configuration of master files, enhancement requests, historical data imports, and interface builds.

Testing and Validation - At this stage, the laboratory begins to process live cases in parallel and any workflow gaps are discovered and addressed.

Go-Live - With testing and validation completed, the new system is ready for go-live. As the lab starts to use the new system in a live environment, the implementation team handholds lab personnel, working directly with them to iron out any last-minute issues and make tweaks as needed.

The LigoLab Commitment - We Help Labs Grow and Thrive 

From Latin, “Ligo” means to unite or connect, and that’s precisely what LigoLab Information System does for its LIS medical laboratory partners, turning them into information-driven, connected, and thriving businesses with its enterprise healthcare software solutions. 

LigoLab empowers laboratories nationwide to run their data management operations transparently and efficiently, providing turnkey and agile LIS software solutions designed to meet the diverse needs of all diagnostic disciplines including molecular, clinical, and anatomic pathology laboratories.

LigoLab supports and streamlines the complete life-cycle of all cases, enabling laboratories to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and transform their operations and finances. The platformis intuitive and easy to learn, accessible from anywhere at any time, and constantly evolving, with new features and enhancements added to the platform every day. 

This comprehensive LigoLab platform is powered by laboratory information management software that’s internet-enabled, can be hosted on a local server or in the cloud, and runs on any operating system anywhere around the world with no need for VPN connections. 

Security is built-in throughout the LigoLab Platform, which has been designed to support high volume and complex testing labs with one to dozens of facilities, in multiple states, and in multiple time zones.

With LigoLab, there is no longer a need to interface with data silos or stand-alone systems. Instead of the finger-pointing and headaches that come when interfacing with multiple software systems, users enjoy end-to-end clinical data integrity that no longer requires synchronization or middleware.

Through domain expertise, best practices, and constant customer feedback and analysis, business-savvy lab operators benefit from a lab information system that automates workflows, increases productivity, and positions them to scale quickly. 

LigoLab is a privately-owned company that’s headquartered in Los Angeles. Since 2006, its mission has been to develop dynamic and diverse end-to-end LIS medical software solutions for laboratories, helping them expand services and add revenue sources as they grow and thrive.

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