Case Study
Pathology Lab Management Guide: Find Out How Experts Utilize Best Practices to Thrive
May 15, 2026
Editor's Note: The editorial team originally published this blog post on April 28, 2020, and it has been updated since.
Since 2006, LigoLab has partnered with anatomic pathology, clinical, and molecular diagnostics testing organizations to deliver advanced laboratory information systems (LIS software) and modern laboratory billing solutions (lab revenue cycle management). Working alongside some of the most innovative laboratories in the country, the enterprise LIS company has built deep expertise in pathology lab management and continuously evolved its all-in-one medical LIS & lab RCM platform to meet the industry's changing needs.
LigoLab stays close to its customers, ensuring the LIS software platform with embedded lab billing capabilities grows with their needs, improving service and streamlining workflows amid industry changes.
Discover More: The Four Most Important Things to Consider When Modernizing a Laboratory
If you’re following the LigoLab series on laboratory challenges and medical laboratory information system solutions, this post builds on key issues and strategies discussed earlier. For reference, here are the other posts:
- Pathology Lab Management Guide Part 1: Best Laboratory Information System Software and Practices
- Pathology Lab Management Guide Part 3: The Future of Digital Pathology
More Lab Information System Survey Results
A few weeks back, LigoLab asked customers to highlight recent changes in their laboratory workflow management that had improved efficiency and production levels. In this blog post, the focus is on the issues these labs face daily and how they measure production and identify inefficiencies.
Jacie R. (LIS Administrator, Baton Rouge, LA)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "Our pathology department is currently short-staffed, making it difficult to implement new initiatives. The validation process for new antibodies, equipment, and digital pathology is especially time-consuming for our pathologists."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "LigoLab reports play a critical role in evaluating employee performance. Lab staff generate productivity reports, enabling managers to compare performance across various departments and tasks. These reports support end-of-year evaluations and identify lab workflow or employee-specific inefficiencies."
Pam E. (Billing Analyst, Pensacola, FL)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "Collaborating with one of our hospitals poses significant challenges. The hospital's IT department imposes strict limitations on our activities."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "We retrieve data from the LigoLab platform to monitor both employee and physician efficiency."
Stacey G. (Project Director, San Antonio, TX)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "Our primary challenges include working with insurance groups that prefer using their own laboratories, as well as increasing public awareness of the innovative testing performed by our laboratory staff."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "We use error tracking, monitor daily, weekly, and monthly volumes, analyze employee overtime, and evaluate various quality measures."
Steve F. (LIS Administrator, Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "California regulations for smaller medical laboratories present significant operational challenges for us."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "The flexibility of the LigoLab platform provides the agility required to compete effectively. Its robust reporting and distribution features help drive client value and promote high business retention."
Shamim A. (LIS Administrator, San Diego, CA)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "The main obstacle we face is the use of two different systems to process our workload. One system is dedicated to working from a specific regional health system, while LigoLab handles the remainder of our business. Direct interfacing with this health system is not currently available to streamline processes."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "Inefficiencies are typically identified at the case level by examining workflows and potential problem areas. Unless someone raises issues directly, periodic reviews uncover them. Solutions frequently involve simplifying existing processes for easier use."
Darlene S. (Project Manager, Tampa, FL)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "The pace of regulatory compliance processes and difficulties with third-party payment collection pose ongoing challenges. As a result, securing the necessary funds for investment in infrastructure and skilled personnel is difficult."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "We rely on standard measures and key performance indicators, including P/L statements, volume assessments, turnaround time, and client feedback."
Roxane R. (Chief Administrative Officer, Baton Rouge, LA)
Challenges, frustrations, and obstacles: "Our most significant recent challenge is hiring sufficient pathologists to meet business needs. Recent retirements have prompted active recruitment efforts to restore optimal staffing levels."
How teams measure production and inefficiencies: "We monitor the daily number of specimens logged and the production of blocks and slides in the histology lab. A manual system helps allocate workload, and our team generates periodic retrospective reports from our separate lab revenue cycle management system for review."
Summary of Laboratory Information System Survey Results
Medical laboratories across various locations face unique yet overlapping challenges in their operations. Staffing shortages, regulatory constraints, and interface issues with external systems are recurring obstacles across geography and specialties.
Common Themes Across Labs
Most labs rely on structured reporting and performance tracking to measure productivity and identify areas for improvement. Many utilize the LigoLab platform to generate productivity reports and track efficiency, which optimizes performance evaluations and workflow optimization. Others focus on key performance indicators such as turnaround times, error tracking, and financial statements to assess operational effectiveness.
How Labs Are Responding
While challenges persist, these laboratories continue to seek ways to refine processes and improve efficiency. Some identify bottlenecks at the case level and adjust workflows accordingly, while others implement a manual lab track system software to distribute workloads effectively among pathologists.
Overall, leveraging laboratory information system technology, optimizing workflows, and addressing staffing and regulatory hurdles remain top priorities for lab professionals working to enhance laboratory operations.
Discover More: What You Need to Know Before Contracting with a Laboratory Information System (LIS) Company
Ready to Get Your Questions Answered?
If you're a lab director or manager ready to learn more about LigoLab's LIS system solutions, start by exploring our website for product details, features, and case studies. Then reach out to a product specialist and schedule an introductory call to discuss the current state of your lab.
Act Now: Contact a LigoLab Product Specialist!
Frequently Asked Questions About Pathology Lab Management Challenges and Laboratory Information System Software Solutions
What are the most common challenges facing pathology labs today?
Based on LigoLab’s customer survey data, the most frequently reported challenges include workforce shortages among pathologists and laboratory technicians, interoperability issues with external hospital systems, increasing regulatory compliance demands, growing third-party payer complexity, and the operational difficulty of implementing and validating emerging technologies such as digital pathology while maintaining day-to-day laboratory performance.
How do labs measure production and identify workflow inefficiencies?
Labs use a variety of methods, including productivity reports generated from their LIS systems, key performance indicators such as turnaround times and error-tracking rates, daily, weekly, and monthly volume monitoring, P/L statements, and case-level workflow reviews. Many LigoLab customers rely directly on the platform's reporting and analytics tools to track employee performance and uncover bottlenecks.
How does LIS software help labs address staffing shortages?
Advanced LIS software reduces reliance on manual processes by automating repetitive tasks such as specimen tracking, CPT coding, report generation, and data entry. This enables existing staff to handle higher volumes without proportional increases in headcount, helping labs maintain throughput despite being short-staffed.
What happens when a lab is using two different systems for different parts of its workflow?
As Shamim A. noted in the survey, using two separate systems creates friction, complicates laboratory workflow management, and prevents the kind of seamless integration that drives efficiency. An integrated LIS system, such as LigoLab's, eliminates this problem by unifying all lab operations, including interfacing with health systems, lab billing, and specimen tracking, within a single informatics infrastructure.
How does LigoLab's reporting functionality help track performance?
The LigoLab platform generates customizable productivity reports that enable lab managers to compare employee performance across specific tasks, monitor volume trends, track turnaround times, and identify workflow inefficiencies. Managers use these reports for both real-time operational management and retrospective performance evaluations.
How can labs overcome interfacing challenges with hospital IT departments?
Limitations within legacy laboratory information systems and hospital IT infrastructures often create significant interfacing challenges. In contrast, modern LIS software platforms with embedded interface engines, such as LigoLab’s, are built to support broad interoperability across diverse external systems, helping eliminate manual workarounds, reduce data silos, and streamline integrated laboratory workflows.
What role do key performance indicators play in pathology lab management?
KPIs such as turnaround times, error rates, specimen volumes, employee overtime, and financial performance provide laboratory directors and managers with a clear and objective view of operational health. When consistently monitored and integrated with LIS system data, these metrics enable labs to identify trends, detect inefficiencies early, and make informed, data-driven decisions that support long-term operational stability and growth.
