From Launch to Lift-Off: Highlighting Goldfinch Laboratory’s Formula for Rapid Growth

Goldfinch Laboratory, an independent pathology practice based in Iowa, was founded by Dr. Jared Abbott, Dr. Tiffani Milless, and two other partners on February 1, 2023. The name "Goldfinch" pays homage to Iowa's state bird and reflects the pathology group's ambition to provide specialized services beyond state borders and to underserved rural communities. Their vision was to create a subspecialty-focused pathology practice that leveraged cutting-edge laboratory information system software and the latest digital pathology solutions to enhance diagnostic accuracy and efficiency.

Vision and Goals

Goldfinch Laboratory aimed to:

• Establish a highly specialized pathology practice offering expert-level diagnostics across multiple subspecialties.
• Leverage lab information system features and the benefits of digital pathology to automate tasks, reduce errors, and enable faster, reliable reporting.
• Expand their services beyond Iowa to ensure rural communities receive the same high-quality diagnostic services as those in major metropolitan areas.
• Foster a scalable, customizable laboratory infrastructure that adapts to evolving industry demands.

"We wanted to start a company focused on a subspecialty model where we could bring together the best minds for the best diagnoses." - Jared Abbott, MD, PhD

Challenges Goldfinch Faced From Day One

Starting from scratch, Goldfinch Laboratory faced several significant challenges:

• Building from Zero: On their first day of operations, they processed only four blocks, raising concerns about immediate financial sustainability.
• Technology Integration: Selecting and implementing the best LIS software and digital pathology solutions to support their growth and maintain seamless laboratory workflow management.
• Recruitment and Retention: Attracting top-tier pathology talent to a rural state where recruitment can be difficult.
• Laboratory Revenue Cycle Management (RCM): Identifying the most effective approach to laboratory billing and lab revenue cycle management while maintaining financial efficiency.

Strategic Decisions and Implementation

1. Specialization & Digital Pathology Integration

Goldfinch Laboratory adopted a remote subspecialty model, incorporating experts across multiple pathology subspecialties to ensure consistent, top-tier diagnostics across regions. They implemented LigoLab's interoperable LIS system to support digital pathology initiatives, automate routine workflows, improve specimen tracking, accelerate turnaround times, and enable secure collaboration among specialists. The scalable architecture supports growth and innovation without requiring a future system replacement. 

"We wanted the kind of business, the kind of lab, the kind of medical care, that can pivot on a dime and without hesitation, react decisively to what's coming in the latest in clinical care, the latest in technical advances within pathology, and the latest in what our clients need and what they tell us." - Tiffani Milless, MD

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2. Laboratory Information System Software Selection: LigoLab

Choosing LigoLab as their laboratory information system software provider proved to be a crucial decision. Goldfinch Laboratory sought a pathology lab management system that could:

• Enable a completely barcoded, paperless lab information system workflow from accessioning to reporting.
• Integrate seamlessly with their digital pathology solutions partner (Lumea).
• Offer customizations tailored to Goldfinch's evolving needs, supporting multiple specialties and state expansions with rule-based customizable report templates that cater to client preferences for design and distribution.
• Automate complex and time-consuming processes, reducing administrative overhead and turnaround times for case results.

"Our clients can get their reports the way they want them, and we know we can deliver thanks to all the LIS system customization. That's really powerful. It gives us that confidence, and we don't feel like we're over-promising when we say, 'Oh yeah, I'm sure we can do that.'" - Tiffani Milless, MD

Discover More: LigoLab’s Approach to LIS System Implementation and Support

3. Lab Revenue Cycle Management (Lab RCM) Strategy

Initially, Goldfinch Laboratory outsourced lab billing to an external vendor but found the results unsatisfactory. After switching to another provider, they realized the potential benefits of LigoLab's integrated lab billing module and now believe adopting it from the start would have been better.

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4. Scalability and Customization

From handling just a handful of cases daily, Goldfinch Laboratory scaled to processing over 400 blocks per day within two years. Their decision to invest in scalable LIS pathology technology allowed them to expand seamlessly while maintaining efficiency.

5. Enhancing Pathologist and Staff Workflow

Goldfinch Laboratory ensured the team optimized every process for efficiency. The testing organization:

• Engaged directly with accessioners, histotechs, and pathologists to refine workflows.
• Eliminated redundant manual tasks through LigoLab's rules and automation engines.
• Used digital pathology to attract top-tier specialists, regardless of geographic limitations.

"Whenever you're thinking about a lab, think about laboratory workflow management and the processes within the lab, and less about the pathologist sign-out experience. Look at a bigger world because that's where most business success happens." - Jared Abbott, MD, PhD

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Impact and Results

Goldfinch's strategic investments paid off in measurable ways across every dimension of the practice:

• Improved Efficiency: LigoLab's laboratory information system module automates routine processes, tracks specimens (in real time), facilitates secure data sharing, and accelerates reporting, reducing delays and decreasing administrative workload.
• Expanded Service Area: By leveraging digital pathology, Goldfinch serves multiple states and delivers high-quality subspecialty pathology services to underserved areas.
• Increased Case Volume: From processing four blocks on day one to handling over 400 blocks daily within two years.
• Enhanced Patient Care: Patients in rural areas receive expert pathology diagnoses comparable to those from leading academic centers.
• Strong Recruitment and Retention: The combination of advanced LIS lab technology and a flexible work environment helped Goldfinch attract highly skilled subspecialty pathologists.

"LigoLab has really shone in being able to create automation and lean processes that save us on payroll. The LIS-digital pathology integration has helped us with recruitment. We get so much young, bright talent because they really enjoy the workflow and they see this high-tech, great IT product that we have." - Tiffani Milless, MD

Lessons Learned

Goldfinch Laboratory's rapid rise offers transferable insights for any pathology practice or healthcare startup:

• Investing in the Right Technology Pays Off: While acquiring LigoLab and its digital pathology solution required some upfront investment, both provided scalability and efficiency essential for Goldfinch's rapid growth.
• Customization is Key: An out-of-the-box LIS software solution would not have met the lab's complex needs. LigoLab's customization enabled Goldfinch to tailor workflows, interfaces, and lab reports to client-specific requirements.
• Lab Billing Should Be a Core Consideration During LIS System Implementation: Had the team managed lab billing in-house from the start, they could have avoided many of the early process inefficiencies.
• People Are the Most Valuable Asset: Recruiting and retaining the right team members was crucial to the lab's success.
• Be Adaptable: The ability to pivot and scale operations in response to new opportunities and challenges was a major factor in the lab's success.

"The hardware is costly. The LIS software and digital pathology solutions are costly. The integration project costs time and money. All of that is upfront costs. The question is, what’s your return on investment? For us, it's been bringing on service lines that we otherwise couldn't access." - Jared Abbott, MD, PhD

Discover More: Leveraging LigoLab for Optimal Return on Investment: An LIS System Guide for Lab Directors

Future Outlook

Goldfinch Laboratory has positioned itself for continued growth over the next three to five years. The lab's strategic plan includes:

• Expanding into additional subspecialties and geographic regions.
• Strengthening the LIS system and digital pathology integrations for even greater efficiency.
• Enhancing automation and AI capabilities to optimize pathology workflows.
• Continuing to serve underserved populations while maintaining the highest quality standards.

"As we build partnerships and networks throughout the state, we keep hearing from more and more people who want a better anatomic pathology solution. We just need to listen to them and see how we can potentially deliver that to them in all sorts of different settings, whether it's hospitals, surgery centers, clinics, and different specialties; we can bring this LIS model with digital pathology to more and more places." - Jared Abbott, MD, PhD

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Conclusion

Goldfinch Laboratory's story highlights how vision, innovation, and strategic partnerships can transform a startup pathology practice into a thriving multi-specialty laboratory. By embracing laboratory information system customization, digital pathology, and a client and patient-centered approach, Goldfinch has rapidly grown while setting a benchmark for modern pathology practices. Their success serves as an inspiration for pathologists and healthcare entrepreneurs looking to build a practice that is both high-quality and scalable.

Goldfinch Laboratory: Leading Pathology Services in Iowa and the Midwest

Goldfinch Laboratory is a trusted provider of precise and timely pathology services, delivering expert diagnostic solutions to healthcare providers across Iowa and the Midwest. With a team of board-certified, fellowship-trained pathologists, the practice specializes in subspecialty pathology, ensuring accurate diagnoses that guide effective treatment plans. The laboratory's focus on efficiency and quality enables most test results to be reported within 24–28 hours, helping clinicians diagnose and treat patients more quickly. 

The laboratory offers comprehensive pathology services, including dermatopathology, gastrointestinal pathology, urologic pathology, breast pathology, hematopathology, gynecologic pathology, and cytopathology.

Goldfinch enhances service and efficiency by providing multiple reporting solutions, including bidirectional interfaces, web portal access, auto fax, and color-printed reports, enabling healthcare professionals to receive results in their preferred format. 

Jared Abbott, MD, PhD (Pathologist)

A native of Northern Minnesota, Dr. Abbott received his MD/PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern and completed advanced training in pathology and dermatopathology at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Board-certified in Anatomic Pathology and Dermatopathology, he has spent more than 15 years serving patients and providers in Iowa. He is a past President of the Iowa Association of Pathology and continues to contribute nationally through his work with the College of American Pathologists. 

Tiffani Milless, MD (Pathologist)

Board-certified in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology, and Dermatopathology, Dr. Tiffani Milless has nearly 10 years of experience diagnosing and caring for patients in Iowa. She earned her Anthropology degree from the University of Notre Dame, completed medical school at the University of Toledo, trained in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at Yale New Haven Hospital, and completed a Dermatopathology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. A dedicated physician leader, she is a past President of the Iowa Medical Society and remains actively engaged with the Iowa Association of Pathologists and the College of American Pathologists. 

LigoLab: Powering the Future of Laboratory Information System Software

The passionate team at LigoLab didn't just create another LIS software; it redefined what a modern laboratory information system can achieve with its all-in-one medical LIS and lab revenue cycle management platform, an advanced clinical and pathology lab software application that seamlessly integrates advanced tools with intuitive features and widespread automation capabilities, empowering independent healthcare laboratories to evolve, scale, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.

Unlike outdated laboratory information systems that offer cumbersome workflows, require workarounds and manual labor, creating inefficiencies and errors, LigoLab unifies and streamlines operations, eliminates manual workarounds, and enhances interoperability, empowering labs to work smarter, not harder. The comprehensive and flexible informatics platform transforms pathology lab management by optimizing workflows, improving patient outcomes, and driving industry-wide innovation.

For 20 years, LigoLab has been the trusted choice for hundreds of medical laboratories nationwide, supporting pathology, molecular diagnostics, microbiology, genomics, and more. 

Discover the power of LigoLab firsthand. Connect with a product specialist today and request a personalized LIS system demo tailored to your lab's unique needs!

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Frequently Asked Questions About Goldfinch Laboratory and Its Rapid Growth

What is Goldfinch Laboratory, and where is it located?

Goldfinch Laboratory is an independent, subspecialty-focused pathology practice founded on February 1, 2023, and based in Iowa. The name honors Iowa's state bird and reflects the lab's mission to deliver expert pathology services both within the state and to underserved rural communities across the Midwest and beyond.

How quickly did Goldfinch Laboratory grow after opening?

Goldfinch grew remarkably fast. On their first day of operations, they processed just four blocks. Within two years, the lab scaled to processing more than 400 blocks per day, a growth milestone driven by strategic investments in LIS technology, digital pathology, and a remote subspecialty model.

Why did Goldfinch Laboratory choose LigoLab as its LIS software provider?

Goldfinch selected LigoLab because of its high configurability, automation capabilities, and seamless digital pathology interoperability. The platform enabled a fully barcoded, paperless workflow from accessioning to reporting. It offered the level of customization needed to support multiple subspecialties, state expansions, and varied client reporting preferences, all within a single, scalable system.

What subspecialties does Goldfinch Laboratory offer?

Goldfinch Laboratory provides pathology services across a broad range of subspecialties, including dermatopathology, gastrointestinal pathology, genitourinary (urologic) pathology, breast pathology, hematopathology, gynecologic pathology, and cytopathology.

How does Goldfinch Laboratory serve rural and underserved communities?

By leveraging digital pathology and a remote subspecialty model, Goldfinch extends expert-level diagnostic services to patients in rural areas who might otherwise lack access to fellowship-trained subspecialty pathologists. Most test results are available within 24–28 hours, helping physicians in these communities make timely, informed treatment decisions.

What role did lab revenue cycle management (RCM) play in Goldfinch's growth strategy?

Lab billing was one of Goldfinch's early learning curves. The practice initially outsourced laboratory billing to an external vendor and later switched providers, only to realize that integrating LigoLab's built-in lab RCM module from the start would have been the more efficient path. Their experience underscores the importance of treating lab billing as a core component of LIS system implementation rather than an afterthought.

What advice do Goldfinch's founders offer to other pathology startups?

Goldfinch's founders emphasize several key lessons: invest in scalable, customizable LIS software early; prioritize laboratory workflow management over individual pathologist preferences; treat lab billing as a foundational decision; recruit and retain exceptional people; and above all, stay adaptable; the ability to pivot quickly in response to new opportunities is a defining factor in long-term success.