LigoLab’s Direct-to-Consumer Portal: An Innovative Solution for an Industry-Wide Problem

At the start of the pandemic, all molecular laboratories faced the same problem. How do we provide patients with safe and fast COVID-19 test results? 

This disruption within the lab industry led to innovative solutions like the TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Web Portal, a cloud-based patient engagement tool that replaces paper forms and manual processes with an electronic workflow that entirely supports a case from specimen collection to the delivery of the report, and everything in between.

TestDirectly removed the bottlenecks that labs were facing in the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical stages of the testing. With the portal in place, these labs were able to quickly adapt and support new collection workflows and move specimens through lab processing more efficiently. The portal boosted capacity and at the same time improved turnaround times, two key factors in our country’s collective efforts to slow the spread of infections.

Now, nearly two years later, the portal remains a must-have for medical laboratories and first care facilities that want to directly connect with patients and provide convenient, safe, fast, and accurate direct-to-consumer testing. Along the way, several features have been added to the platform, and core services include patient and family self-registration and scheduling, capacity management, specimen collection, specimen tracking and processing, billing, compliance, report generation, patient results notification (by email and text), automated report delivery, at-home specimen collection, and SMART Health Card and Common Pass integration (COVID-19 testing and vaccination verification via QR codes). 

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TestDirectly Core Services and Features

Core Workflows

• Direct-to -Consumer drive-through testing
• On-site organizational testing (example: state penitentiary) 
• Large scale network testing (example: school district)
• At-home testing kit solution
• Pooled/surveillance testing 
  

Pre-Analytical/Registration

• Test site search capability via zip code, city, or facility name
• Email/SMS account security verification
• Patient self-registration
• Patient self-scheduling 
• Multiple test options are available for the patient to select as one order
• Credit card validation and processing (at check-out or collection)
• Client billing option (for third-party clients)
• Insurance detail capture and upload of insurance card and ID 
• Patient acknowledgment of terms and conditions
• Customizable ask on order entry (AOE) questions
• English/Spanish translation of AOE questions
• Brandable requisition/report templates
• Email and/or SMS confirmation when orders are placed (includes appointment details, special instructions, and a barcode that identifies the patient and order)
• Adding additional family members to one account
• Replicating an order for other family members
• Order cancellation functionality
• Email and/or SMS notification when results are available 
• Integration to third-party software systems (LIS, RCM, EMR, etc.)
• Customizable email templates based on a company’s specific needs
  

Pre-Analytical/Collection

• An easy patient registration template that’s deployed via QR code (per site and per test)
• A pre-generated barcode that’s received by the pre-registered patient via a confirmation email and scanned upon arrival at the testing site (paper-free, contact-free check-in)
• On-demand order entry for walk-up patients (or patients without an email/phone number)
• Daily schedule available that displays all confirmed appointments
• The patient’s address appears as a hyperlink in the scheduled list for driving directions (of particular value for the concierge at-home service workflow)
• The patient’s vehicle make/model/color/license plate is listed in the checked-in queue to help staff streamline and organize lane management for drive-through testing 
• Multiple labeling options (Pre-printing specimen labels for all patients scheduled for the day, Dynamically printing labels upon patient check-in, Supports the pre-printed barcodes on specimen tubes workflow)
• Configurable lab labels generated on-demand
• Configurable patient labels generated with a unique access key and order ID used to  check results without creating a TestDirectly account
• Supports the printing of duplicate patient/lab Zebra labels from the Processing Queue (example: damaged labels)
• The lab receives an electronic order once it’s released from the Processing Queue
• Users can view, print, and edit requisition/intake forms from the Processing Queue
• Last Released tracking validation
• A Live Queue for checking insurance eligibility (payment validation)
• HRSA submission integration
• Dynamic KPI metrics and dashboards for capacity management 
• Comprehensive and robust order search functionality within the Provider Java workstation and the Provider Web Portal

Pre-Analytical/Organizational

• CSV file upload of patient demographics linked to an organization
• Batch generation of orders based on patient type/location (example: all freshman students in School A)
• Batch generation of orders based on an unplanned event (example: a soccer team qualifies for the conference finals) 
• Single “New Order” creation available to satisfy sporadic testing scenarios (example: ill student is unexpectantly sent to nurses office)
• “Allow Direct Patient Access”: patients linked to an organization can self-register on- demand for on-site or off-site testing
• “Campaign Events”: patients are invited to a one-off testing event via email invitation
• Restriction/Permissions to view reports (example: only an organization administrator can view a finalized patient report)
  

Analytical

• Lightweight internal LIS system (or integration with any other LIS)
• Supports the download of patient orders in CSV format
• Supports the upload of patient results in CSV format
• Specimen barcoding and tracking support
• Supports the delaying of non-negative reports and adds them to the Call Queue 
  

Post-Analytic/Reporting

• Email and/or SMS notification when results are released
• CommonPass integration: (COVID-19 testing and vaccination verification via QR code)
• Travel documents attachable as a supplement to finalized report upon request 
• Requisition Form and Result Report downloadable/printable via the patient web portal
  

Administration/Configuration

• Users can easily construct test site(s) based on the configuration requirements
• Create testing lane(s) based on the workflow
• Capacity management test site to test site
• Caseload management between testing facilities
• GEO search parameter settings
• Create tests/panels to be offered to patients
• Definable timezone project to project
• Create a “Campaign” (example: a physician, AOE questions, tests offered, payment options, constraints, and settings to a specific project are all attached to the campaign)
• Create a system of users and define permissions based on security clearance
• Add a company’s images to multiple TestDirectly URLs
• Add text/instructions for patients that appear on multiple TestDirectly URLs
• Create labeling options (Zebra labels/Avery labels etc.)
• Create customizable email and SMS templates 
• Manual result entry (P/N/I)
• Readily available requisition and result report templates customizable with the company’s logo
• Add Terms and Conditions that patients must acknowledge at order checkout
• Rule/logic creation based on specifications (example: only accepting asymptomatic patients)
• Automation Engine
  

Benefits

• Boosts testing capacity and improves turnaround times
• Creates end-to-end efficiencies in laboratories and collection facilities
• Increases testing accessibility and opens new streams of revenue
• Automates patient support and relieves customer service staff
• Supports back-to-work/school and organizational testing
• Prevents lost revenue with patient demographics and insurance validation
• Drastically reduces data entry errors and lost results
• Supports the download of on-demand travel documents for state-to-state air travel
• Replaces paper requisitions and reduces manual labor with an electronic workflow
• Features specimen barcoding and tracking support
• Removes the risk of exposure for staff members, patients, and providers
• Saves the laboratory time and resources that would otherwise be spent on manual order entry and case follow-up
• Provides real-time results and analytics for public health, employers, etc.
• Users can add multiple family members to one linked account

LigoLab’s LIS & RCM Platform Removes Growth Barriers

LigoLab is a leading provider of innovative end-to-end healthcare software for pathology laboratories, servicing 100+ facilities nationwide. As a comprehensive enterprise-grade solution, the LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Operating Platform™ includes modules for anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, molecular diagnostics, revenue cycle management, and direct-to-consumer, all on one powerful and integrated platform that supports every role, every department, and every case. LigoLab empowers laboratories to better serve patients, differentiate themselves in the marketplace, scale their operations, become more compliant, and more profitable.

To learn more, visit LigoLab.com.