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

Sometimes the most fundamental challenges are also the most difficult to address. Laboratory workflow management is a prime example. Clinical laboratories and pathology groups must ensure streamlined lab workflow and end-to-end data integrity across every phase of the specimen lifecycle, from pre-analytic through analytic and post-analytic processes.

When laboratory workflow and data management systems are not optimized, processing errors and delayed results can occur, creating downstream consequences that directly impact patient care and increase organizational risk. In an environment where accuracy and timeliness are critical, these issues cannot be left to chance.

As a result, medical laboratories continue to seek more effective laboratory workflow management tools and efficiency-tracking software solutions that strengthen data integrity and safeguard the patients they serve.

Discover More: Automate Complex Processes & Simplify Clinical Lab Operations with LigoLab Informatics Platform

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

To address the foundational challenges of laboratory workflow management and data integrity, leading medical laboratories take a dual approach. They pair strict adherence to proven best practices with advanced laboratory information system (LIS) solutions and modern laboratory data analysis software technology.

Together, these elements create the operational discipline and visibility to support accurate, reliable clinical laboratory management and faster, safer, and more consistent patient outcomes. With that framework in mind, let’s begin by examining how established best practices directly contribute to high-quality laboratory operations and improved patient care.

• 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 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 then correcting them promptly.

• Staff Education and Training: Medical laboratories should prioritize ongoing training and education covering new testing methodologies, systems, equipment, and operational procedures. Regular, structured learning ensures laboratory staff remain knowledgeable, current on best practices, and confident in their roles.

• 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.

Discover More: A Detailed Look at How Modern Laboratory Information Systems Fully Support Quality Control

Ensuring End-to-End Data Integrity With Best Practices and Modern Medical LIS Technology

Next, we’ll explore how the integration of proven best practices with advanced laboratory information system technology ensures data integrity throughout the entire testing lifecycle, from order entry through report generation and distribution.

Experienced laboratory leaders understand that while best practices provide a strong foundation, they have practical limits. Modern pathology lab reporting software and enterprise-grade LIS software platforms are essential for laboratories to scale productivity without increasing the risk of medical errors or compromising patient care.

This need is further amplified by two closely linked challenges facing the pathology industry today: rising burnout driven by historically high testing volumes and an ongoing shortage of qualified laboratory professionals to manage that demand.

Fortunately, pathologists, medical directors, laboratory managers, technologists, and support staff are accustomed to operating efficiently under pressure. In today’s environment, that means adopting smarter workflows and advanced diagnostic lab software technology that enable greater efficiency and productivity, without adding headcount or escalating costs.

On-Demand Webinar: How Standardization and Enhanced Reporting Capabilities Improve Lab Workflow and Overall Business Operations

The Advantages of Modern Medical LIS Systems

The current laboratory environment demands efficiency achieved through deliberate process optimization, identifying and removing bottlenecks, paired with the best laboratory information system software enhancements that leverage automation and the latest pathology lab management technologies.

When integrated into clinical laboratory workflows, LIS-driven automation streamlines and simplifies routine tasks, such as:

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

• Streamlining Workflows: A modern lab information system in healthcare can automate tasks like sample tracking, test ordering, and test result reporting. This LIS lab 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: The best 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 staff 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.

Discover More: Best LIS Software - Maximize Growth With Cutting Edge Pathology Lab Management Software

Simplify, Automate, Succeed: The Role of the Modern LIS System in Lab Workflow Optimization

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

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

• Tissue Processing: Automation streamlines tissue preparation steps, including fixation, embedding, and sectioning, by enabling automated processors to handle multiple specimens simultaneously. These systems can be scheduled to run overnight, significantly reducing turnaround times while increasing throughput.

• Slide Staining: Automated slide stainers apply stains to tissue sections with speed and consistency and can be configured to produce multiple stains on a single slide. This automation supports high-volume processing while improving accuracy and repeatability.

• Digital Imaging: Digital pathology uses advanced imaging technology to capture high-resolution images of tissue specimens for on-screen review rather than traditional microscopy. Image acquisition is fast and precise, and when paired with a modern LIS system, digital images can be seamlessly integrated with diagnostic data within the laboratory report.

• Image Analysis: Automated laboratory data analysis software can rapidly evaluate large volumes of digital pathology images, helping identify abnormalities such as cancer cells. These tools support pathologists by enhancing accuracy, consistency, and diagnostic confidence.

• Report Generation: Automated pathology reporting software accelerates the creation of comprehensive diagnostic reports by summarizing analytical findings with precision. By reducing manual steps, automation minimizes the risk of errors and shortens the time to final diagnosis.

Industry Insights: The Rise and Fall of CoPath LIS - A Legacy Casualty of the Modern Lab Information System Era

Choosing the Best LIS System: What Modern Labs Need - and What to Avoid

A word of caution is warranted: not all LIS software platforms offer the same level of automation or flexibility. While some laboratories operate with modern, highly automated LIS system solutions, others remain constrained by legacy LIS systems that are rigid, inflexible, and increasingly unreliable.

The best LIS software platforms combine advanced automation with comprehensive, highly configurable modules that can standardize both technical and financial processes, including laboratory revenue cycle management (lab billing), while improving productivity and accuracy and integrating seamlessly with existing laboratory software systems.

To ensure the LIS software solutions and lab vendors you are evaluating truly deliver modern, dependable capabilities, click the link below to review a detailed comparison of modern versus legacy laboratory information systems.

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

Here’s an additional post that details what lab leadership should know before contracting with a particular LIS company.

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

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