Blog
It’s Time for Medical Labs to Embrace the Potential of Laboratory Informatics
December 12, 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines laboratory informatics as the “specialized application of information technology to enable and enhance scientific processes and the delivery of laboratory information, helping to ensure high quality and reliable data and results.”
In layman’s terms, a medical laboratory that’s fully committed to the successful transformation of laboratory informatics will be able to handle large volumes of patient and specimen data, integrate advanced technologies, streamline operational and financial workflows, meet all compliance requirements, and improve both client relations and patient care.
Laboratory Informatics and Advanced Laboratory Information Systems (LIS)
The importance of laboratory informatics is on the rise thanks to an ever-increasing volume of complex healthcare processes and data. Because of this efficient management of staff, lab workflow, and data are keys to ensuring healthcare providers have quick and seamless access to diagnose diseases and make treatment decisions.
Laboratory data comes in many forms, including patient demographics, patient samples, patient test results, and patient history. This data has been traditionally managed by a laboratory information system (LIS), a laboratory software system that records, updates, and stores patient-related information, tracks samples, and generates and distributes lab reports.
For clinical and reference labs, as well as anatomic pathology groups, to keep pace with the changing times and added demands on their businesses, investing in robust and modern LIS systems that bring innovation into their labs is imperative. Without it, the labs will struggle with efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility.
They’ll struggle because legacy LIS systems that may date back 10 years or more will most certainly lack several features and functionality housed within modern medical LIS systems. These modern lab management LIS solutions are much better able to serve as a mission-critical system of record and a single source of truth for many reasons.
For a closer look at the stark differences between modern laboratory information systems and rigid and outdated legacy LIS software, I invite you to click on the link below.
Learn More: Comparing LigoLab Informatics Platform with Legacy Laboratory Information Systems
Examples of How Modern Laboratory Information Systems Enable the Integration of Advanced Technology within the Medical Lab
Now that we’ve established the importance of modern laboratory information systems and their critical role in enhancing laboratory informatics, let’s dive a little deeper and highlight specific examples of how these LIS systems promote overall value by effectively integrating advanced technology into the laboratory setting.
Specimen Tracking
A pathology specimen tracking system or lab sample management system comes standard with advanced LIS software, offering comprehensive and error-free sample tracking capabilities. From sample collection to the test result, these systems ensure that every sample is accounted for and correctly processed through the entire lifecycle.
Gone are the days of missing or misidentified samples and delayed turnaround times. Those headaches have been replaced by pathology lab management systems that assign specimen-unique identifiers when a test order has been placed, integrate with barcode printing hardware, and provide full traceability for all specimens, including specimens attached to batch orders.
Rules and Automation
Advanced laboratory information system software (also often referred to as pathology lab software or pathology lab reporting software) features rule configuration functionality. By stringing together rules that lead to a logical conclusion, automation is created to eliminate repetitive manual tasks.
This automation significantly increases efficiency and reduces the chance of errors during laboratory workflow. Also noteworthy, automation helps with another ongoing problem within lab circles: an ongoing shortage of qualified lab personnel.
Interfacing with Other Software Systems and Third Parties
Interfacing laboratory information systems with other software systems and other lab vendors remains an industry-wide problem thanks mainly to a lack of standardization and the use of older LIS systems that weren’t designed with modern interoperability capabilities in mind.
Fortunately, that’s changing because modern LIS systems can excel where legacy LIS systems can’t, making maximum interoperability with lab analyzers, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), State Registries, and third-party plug-ins much easier than in years past. These modern laboratory information systems come equipped with interface engines that support all standard interchange protocols (including FHIR, HL7, X12, XML, CSV, PDF, Flat File, ASTM, and Restful API).
Compliance
Regulations within the healthcare industry are constantly evolving, so not having an adaptable lab information system that prioritizes compliance heightens the lab’s risk of an audit and potential punitive penalties for noncompliance.
Modern LIS systems have features like ad hoc data query capabilities, compliance verification at every stage, and training and support modules. These features make it much easier for labs to operate within the guidelines put forth by regulatory bodies.
Ad Hoc Data Query Capabilities: This feature allows laboratory personnel to efficiently access and analyze any lab data as needed, and that’s crucial for responding to unexpected queries or audits, enabling labs to provide specific information quickly and accurately. This feature also ensures that labs can adapt to new reporting requirements or data analysis needs without an extensive overhaul of system modifications.
Compliance Verification at Every Stage: Modern LIS systems are equipped with built-in checks and balances that continuously verify compliance throughout various stages of laboratory operations. This includes everything from patient data entry, to sample processing, to test result reporting, to data storage and retrieval. By automating compliance checks, the lab information system reduces the risk of human error and ensures consistent adherence to regulations at all times.
Training and Support: Understanding the complexities of compliance requires continuous education and support for laboratory personnel. Advanced LIS systems often come with training modules and support teams to help staff stay informed about compliance-related changes and system functionalities.
Alignment with Regulatory Bodies: Modern LIS system software is designed to align with guidelines set forth by major regulatory bodies such as the College of American Pathologists (CAP), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This alignment is vital as it ensures that the laboratory's operations are up to date with the latest industry standards, reducing the risk of non-compliance and penalties. As regulations change, LIS systems must be capable of adapting through regular updates. Modern LIS systems are designed for this type of scalability.
Laboratory Billing
Laboratory billing has taken on greater importance thanks to ongoing reimbursement cuts coupled with rising costs and complex payer arrangements. Legacy LIS systems that are interfaced with disparate laboratory billing systems are without exception subject to revenue leakage thanks to major issues with data integrity and synchronization as information flows from one system to the other.
Modern LIS systems such as the LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Informatics Platform have addressed this data integrity problem head-on by engineering a creative and effective solution that enables lab revenue cycle management (Lab RCM) to begin as the test order is created.
The LigoLab platform also supports demographics verification, eligibility, and claim scrubbing features at this stage, plus automated ICD and CPT coding. This is possible thanks to LigoLab’s unified database and software infrastructure that allows its LIS and RCM modules to share the same data and operate in parallel. Because of this, end-to-end data integrity is assured.
These innovative RCM tools are supported by LigoLab’s all-in-one platform, enabling labs to greatly increase their clean claims ratios, boost their net collections, and reduce time spent on accounts receivable.
To learn more about LigoLab’s laboratory information system functions and the platform’s laboratory billing solutions, I invite you to click on the link below.
Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing
Direct-to-consumer lab testing, a service where patients can order diagnostic tests and receive their test results directly from the laboratory provider, gained prominence during the Coronavirus pandemic and remains important today, too. Laboratory software applications like TestDirectly make this sort of direct interaction possible for any type of diagnostic testing or preventative screening, providing patients with convenient and private access to testing, and laboratories with a scalable solution that expands services and supports the growth of consumerism in healthcare.
Labs with legacy LIS systems will struggle to add this type of service to their testing menus due to their outdated design, interoperability issues similar to the ones already mentioned above, and lack of capacity to handle a large influx of consumer-generated data while still maintaining data security.
Digital Pathology
With every passing day, more and more anatomic pathology groups are discarding their traditional glass slides for digitized ones. The advantages created by digital pathology are many, including shorter wait times for results, increased precision of diagnosis, and better collaboration between pathologists.
But labs with legacy LIS systems are unable to enjoy these advancements, due mainly to interoperability issues and non-aligned formats. For example, older LIS systems lack the interfaces or APIs (application programming interfaces) required for connectivity with digital pathology systems.
This is not a problem for modern LIS systems that are designed with flexible architecture and better interoperability features, including standardized interfaces and APIs. Modern laboratory information systems are also customizable and scalable, two other key requirements for digital pathology.
Turning Insight into Action
Medical laboratories that partner with LIS software vendors that produce modern LIS systems stand to benefit today with the addition of advanced technology within the lab space, and in the future as well thanks to the insights gained from employing these advanced applications.
Modern laboratory information systems bridge the gap between laboratory informatics and laboratory operations in several ways.
Improved Efficiency: Modern LIS systems streamline lab workflow, automate processes, and reduce manual repetitive tasks. All this leads to faster turnaround times, decreased errors, and a level of overall efficiency that labs using legacy LIS systems simply can’t match.
Enhanced Data Management: Advanced lab information systems ensure data integrity and specimen traceability at every stage. These LIS systems collate data from multiple sources into one unified database, eliminating the need for manual data entry and its associated errors, and they also excel in areas like specimen storage, and retrieval, making it much easier for lab personnel to access and analyze the collected data.
Quality Control and Compliance: Advanced LIS software helps medical laboratories remain compliant thanks to built-in quality control measures that ensure consistent and accurate test results, and robust audit trails that record all user and system-based actions and events.
Data Analysis and Interpretation: Laboratory informatics tools that enable analysis and interpretation of the data also reside within modern LIS systems. For example, widgets and dashboards allow labs to identify trends and visualize the data in a way that aids in decision-making and interpretation of test results.
Integration and Interoperability: Modern laboratory informatics platforms come equipped with purpose-built interface engines that support all standard exchange protocols and integrate with various analytical instruments and laboratory software systems. These engines facilitate seamless data exchange between different departments and external third-party entities such as laboratory billing services and state reporting agencies.
Remote Access and Collaboration: Modern LIS systems enable remote access to data and test results, fostering both enhanced collaboration opportunities and faster turnaround times.
Enhanced Focus on the Patient: Modern informatics solutions support patient consumerism, and that’s a big plus when it comes to potential new revenue opportunities for medical labs. Patients want more control and convenience when it comes to their healthcare. Labs that can accommodate this by organizing and presenting laboratory data in a way that’s easily understandable for them will be way ahead of the curve.
Laboratory Inventory Management: Advanced laboratory information systems can also help with the management of laboratory supplies, By tracking inventory and alerting lab leadership when it’s time to procure more items, this type of lab informatics can prevent shortages and reduce medical waste.
Two More Important Benefits to Consider
In addition to what’s been listed above, labs that invest in modern LIS systems and the advanced laboratory informatics they provide will also win in two more key areas: Customization and Cost Savings.
Unlike legacy LIS systems, modern LIS software solutions offer highly configurable options that cater to a lab’s specific needs and environment. This level of customization promotes scalability, allowing for the adaption and expansion of capabilities to meet new requirements or go after new business opportunities.
Lastly, no matter the business, costs are always a factor, so having a laboratory information system that automates processes, reduces errors, and optimizes both resources and connectivity will lead to big cost savings in the long run.
