How Specimen Tracking Software Improves Efficiency and Reduces the Chance for Diagnostic Errors

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 14 billion laboratory tests are ordered each year. Given that nearly 70 percent of medical decisions depend on lab results, the scale and impact of diagnostics make one thing clear: accurate sample tracking and an efficient lab sample management system are fundamental to patient care.

With this level of influence comes an equally significant responsibility. Molecular, clinical, and pathology organizations must rely on advanced lab sample management system software and disciplined processes to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and scalability across every stage of testing.

The stakes are high. The CDC estimates that 40,000 to 80,000 deaths annually are associated with preventable diagnostic errors. Alarmingly, research from Johns Hopkins suggests the problem may be even more severe, citing limitations in existing data collection and estimating that medical errors may be the third leading cause of death in the United States, contributing to more than 250,000 deaths each year.

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One of the most common (and preventable) causes of misdiagnosis is improper labeling and tracking of tissue samples and specimens. This is why a dependable, error-free pathology specimen tracking system is essential for laboratories of every size, starting with precise, standardized sample identification and consistent tracking practices throughout the workflow.

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What Sample Tracking Means in Modern Medical Laboratories

Sample tracking is the laboratory workflow management process that ensures each patient specimen is accurately labeled, monitored, and moved through a laboratory information system (LIS) throughout the entire diagnostic testing lifecycle. From accessioning to final reporting, effective sample tracking maintains the chain of custody, prevents errors, and preserves full traceability at every step.

Modern laboratory information systems, such as LigoLab's all-in-one Medical LIS & Laboratory Billing Informatics Platform, combine advanced clinical and pathology lab reporting software with error-free sample tracking. These platforms provide complete visibility into medical LIS workflows, enhance traceability, and support more efficient, accurate, and scalable laboratory operations.

Full Chain-of-Custody Visibility with Advanced Lab Information System Sample Tracking

"With our all-in-one LIS system featuring advanced sample tracking, lab directors and managers always know who handled a specimen and where it moved throughout the workflow," said Suren Avunjian, CEO of LigoLab. He added that the platform's lab track system is designed to account for (and expose) pathology and clinical lab workflow bottlenecks across the laboratory information system environment.

"We built LigoLab to closely reflect real-world laboratory operations, with full visibility into parent–child relationships as specimens, derivatives, and aliquots move through each stage," Avunjian explained.

The LigoLab platform assigns a unique specimen identifier when an order is placed, ensuring specimen security across multiple workflows and processes. Each sample is then tracked through departments, racks, instruments, and testing steps, creating a complete chain of custody and a comprehensive, searchable audit trail.

Enterprise-Level Sample Tracking Traceability Across Every Laboratory Workflow

All specimens are fully traceable within LigoLab’s laboratory information system software, including batch processing and send-out orders between facilities. When additional testing is requested, LigoLab's lab sample management system, powered by robust rules and an automation engine, enables customers to instantly access patient details and related historical test data, eliminating delays and manual lookups.

By leveraging LigoLab's enterprise-grade LIS software, these businesses enhance end-to-end laboratory workflow management while significantly reducing manual intervention and associated costs. The result is accurate, efficient sample tracking and more streamlined, scalable technical operations.

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Why Automated Sample Tracking is Essential for Patient Safety

Modern tracking applications, such as LigoLab’s powerful sample tracking and handling module, reduce errors by barcoding every specimen and assigning multiple identifiers. The module automatically generates a complete audit log that records where each specimen has traveled and which technician handled it at every step of the workflow.

Despite this technology being readily available, many laboratories still rely on manual, handwritten tracking logs. This approach not only consumes valuable technician time but also introduces unnecessary risk, increasing the likelihood of preventable errors.

Even the most accurate diagnosis loses its value if results are associated with the wrong patient. These mistakes can drive up healthcare costs, delay treatment, and, in some cases, lead to inappropriate care. Critically, a single sample tracking error can affect two patients: the one who is misdiagnosed and the one whose correct treatment is delayed.

For these reasons, protecting the integrity of patient information through reliable, automated sample tracking is a top priority for modern laboratories, a responsibility that should no longer rely on manual processes prone to avoidable, potentially serious errors.

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Why Specimen Labeling Errors Still Pose a Serious Risk

Not all laboratory errors stem from specimen mislabeling. Mistakes can occur for many reasons, including sample mishandling, slide contamination, or process breakdowns. That said, incorrect labeling remains one of the most significant contributors to patient misdiagnosis.

Patient identification errors in medical specimens are estimated to occur in approximately 0.4 percent of cases, with about 0.1 percent directly attributed to mislabeling. Although a 0.1 percent error rate may seem negligible, its significance becomes far more concerning when applied to the roughly 14 billion laboratory tests performed each year. 

"We help labs ensure that every specimen is visible and continuously tracked," said Avunjian. "Each step and every specimen scan serves as an additional validation point, making sure nothing falls through the cracks."

Avunjian explained that LigoLab's LIS system software operates on real-time lab workflow queues, enabling technicians to quickly identify specimens that remain in a queue longer than expected. Turnaround times are continuously monitored, and the embedded lab track system automatically highlights potential issues, such as changing the case color, to draw immediate attention to possible errors.

"It's easy to blame mistakes on overburdened staff or management," Avunjian added. "Most laboratories already go to great lengths to verify details. However, when a high-throughput testing process involves eight or more manual steps, the risk of human error becomes increasingly difficult to eliminate.”

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Rising Test Volumes and Staffing Shortages Increase Sample Tracking Risk

One of the biggest challenges in specimen collection and tracking is the sheer volume of laboratory testing. As test volumes rise, pressure to process specimens quickly rises, tightening timelines and increasing the potential for error. 

Compounding this challenge is the ongoing, industry-wide workforce shortage. Even before the recent pandemic, laboratories struggled to recruit and retain qualified personnel. COVID-19 intensified an already serious problem, transforming it into the staffing crisis organizations face today and further underscoring the need for efficient, automated labs with advanced sample tracking and laboratory workflow management systems.

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Common Failure Points in Manual Sample Tracking Processes

When laboratories manually enter, verify, and log patient information, each step introduces another opportunity for error in the specimen-tracking process.  Common risk points include:

• Misinterpreting faded labels or illegible handwriting.
• Handling slides in batches, thereby increasing the risk of mismatching slides to the wrong tissue block.
• Relabeling slides, creating additional opportunities for error.
• Manually entering data into laboratory information systems.
• Using pre-printed labels that lack secondary identifiers, resulting in loose or misapplied labels.

"The LigoLab approach is to generate specimen labels in real time, only when needed and at the exact point in the workflow," said Avunjian. "This dramatically improves security and tracking. Unfortunately, many laboratories still rely on pre-printed labels with legacy LIS systems, and that's a recipe for failure."

No matter how careful laboratory staff may be, human error is always a risk, especially when staff must capture critical data repeatedly throughout the day. Without automated labs with modern sample collection and tracking support, mistakes become not just possible, but inevitable.

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Barcoding and Early Sample Identification Reduce Risk and Improve Efficiency

Uniquely identifying specimens early in the testing process and using barcoding, combined with advanced clinical and pathology specimen tracking system functionality, dramatically improves efficiency while reducing errors. That’s why today’s leading laboratories use coded identification as a foundational component of their specimen-tracking workflows. 

Many labs still depend on numeric identifiers, which often require relabeling as they move through the workflow, introducing unnecessary risk. Modern LIS lab platforms eliminate this vulnerability by embedding barcoding and scanning directly into the LIS software’s lab track system, enabling specimens to be verified at every step without manual relabeling.

“When barcoding is combined with LigoLab’s sample collection and tracking capabilities, laboratories can confirm the identity of every specimen across the entire pathology and clinical lab workflow,” said Avunjian. “If a mix-up occurs, the lab track system within our LIS software automatically alerts the lab. The event is logged so teams can investigate the root cause and prevent future errors.”

This approach promotes clear, consistent specimen handling while reducing confusion throughout the testing process.  Each scan records who handled the sample and when, creating full traceability and a complete chain of custody.

“The most powerful lab sample management system solutions scale as laboratory volume and complexity grow,” Avunjian added. “The best LIS software enables highly granular tracking at every stage of testing, improving specimen management accuracy and significantly reducing errors.”

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The Rise of Advanced Scanning and RFID in Laboratory Information Systems

Most laboratories still rely on handheld barcode scanners to track specimens. However, clinical and pathology LIS systems with built-in scanning and automation capabilities are gaining traction. 

One emerging example is the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enabled labels, which LigoLab's LIS medical platform can automatically recognize without requiring individual scans.

"Typically, this technology is applied at the rack level," said Avunjian. "Our platform is aware of every specimen within a rack, so as the rack moves throughout the laboratory, the LIS system automatically records and tracks those movements."

While RFID technology is already available, adoption within lab customers has been limited to date. That is expected to change as more laboratory information system vendors follow LigoLab's lead and develop clinical and pathology lab report software that supports more advanced, automated approaches to sample tracking and workflow visibility.

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A Unified Informatics Platform for Clinical, Molecular, and Anatomic Pathology

The molecular, clinical, and anatomic pathology laboratory suites sit at the core of LigoLab's all-in-one Medical LIS & Lab Billing Informatics Platform. These suites serve as centralized data hubs for all cases, supporting rapid order entry, label and barcode generation, comprehensive sample tracking, document scanning, touch-enabled grossing workflows, electronic histology, efficient result entry and sign-out, image acquisition, and direct digital integration with microscopes and whole-slide scanners.

Additional capabilities include advanced reporting, quality control, integration with prior cytology results, automated reflex testing, and more. 

Designed for both general and specialized clinical laboratories and pathology practices of all sizes, the LigoLab platform integrates seamlessly with existing laboratory software systems, delivering flexibility, scalability, and enterprise-grade performance.

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An Award-Winning, End-to-End LIS System Platform for Modern Laboratories

LigoLab is an award-winning developer of innovative, end-to-end laboratory information system software. The enterprise-grade LigoLab Informatics Platform delivers a fully integrated solution with dedicated modules for anatomic pathology, clinical laboratory, and molecular diagnostics workflows. It also features embedded laboratory revenue cycle management (RCM) and direct-to-consumer lab testing modules, all unified on a single lab organization software platform that supports every role, department, and case.

Widely recognized as a leader in medical laboratory solutions, LigoLab empowers organizations to deliver better patient care, differentiate in competitive markets, scale with confidence, and operate with greater compliance, efficiency, and profitability.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Modern Lab Sample Management System Software

How many laboratory tests are ordered each year, and why does specimen tracking matter so much?

The CDC estimates approximately 14 billion laboratory tests are ordered annually, and nearly 70 percent of medical decisions depend on lab results, making accurate specimen tracking essential to patient safety at a massive scale.

How common are specimen mislabeling errors?

Patient identification errors in pathology specimens occur in approximately 0.4 percent of cases, with about 0.1 percent directly attributed to mislabeling. While that rate may sound small, it translates into a significant number of errors across 14 billion annual tests.

How does a modern medical LIS maintain a chain of custody for specimens?

A modern medical LIS assigns a unique specimen identifier at order placement and tracks the sample through every department, rack, instrument, and testing step, creating a complete, searchable audit trail of who handled it and when.

What are the most common failure points in manual specimen tracking?

Common risks include misreading faded or illegible handwritten labels, misaligned slides during batch handling, errors introduced during relabeling, manual data entry mistakes, and pre-printed labels lacking secondary identifiers.

How does barcoding reduce specimen tracking errors?

Barcoding embeds identification and scanning directly into the lab information system workflow, allowing specimens to be verified at every step without manual relabeling. If a mix-up occurs, the LIS system automatically alerts staff and logs the event for root-cause investigation.

What role does RFID play in specimen tracking?

RFID-enabled labels can be recognized automatically at the rack level without individual scans, allowing the LIS system to track specimen movement throughout the lab in real time. Adoption is still limited industry-wide but expected to grow.

How do rising test volumes and staffing shortages affect specimen tracking risk?

As test volumes increase, pressure to process specimens faster grows, and persistent staffing shortages compound that risk, making automated, real-time sample tracking increasingly essential to prevent errors that manual processes are prone to.