Blog
The LigoLab Partnership with Summit Pathology: A Lab Success Story
May 27, 2026
Editor's Note: The editorial team originally published this partnership profile on April 11, 2020. It has been updated since.
Joseph Guido is curious by nature. A few years ago, while working as a Gross Tech at Summit Pathology in Loveland, Colorado, he became intrigued by the lab's LIS (laboratory information system) software. It seemed to him that there was far more power behind the lab information system technology housed within the Summit environment than the staff was actually leveraging. He had a hunch and wanted to learn more about the diagnostic lab software.
Guido's curiosity led to his role as Director of Information Technology, and his insight launched a strong and productive partnership between Summit Pathology and LigoLab.
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About the LigoLab Informatics Platform
For those unfamiliar with LigoLab, it is an all-in-one laboratory information system platform that serves all diagnostic disciplines, including anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and molecular diagnostics. The platform also features embedded laboratory billing (lab revenue cycle management) and direct-to-consumer lab testing (TestDirectly) software solutions, all of which help laboratory businesses remain agile and innovative in a rapidly changing industry.
Guido recalled attending a LigoLab user conference, stating, "It was an intense experience featuring hands-on workshops with developers, the help desk, and support staff. The direct instruction provided is rare among laboratory information system companies."
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Modern Laboratory Information System Functions Promote Lab Growth
Guido took what he learned during those LigoLab workshops and quickly began leveraging the platform’s advanced laboratory information system functions to spur lab growth and improve patient care.
"We have grown from 10 to 23 pathologists," said Guido. "Our partnership with LigoLab enabled this growth by streamlining workflows, improving efficiencies, and enabling us to quickly expand offices across northern Colorado, Colorado Springs, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Better laboratory workflow management tools drove our rapid progress."
White Paper: Comparing LigoLab Informatics Platform with Legacy Laboratory Information System Software
LIS System Workflow Automation, Data Analytics, and Lab RCM
Summit Pathology's success demonstrates clear business benefits from advanced anatomical pathology software. By utilizing LigoLab's modern LIS pathology solutions, they achieved lab workflow automation, actionable data analytics, and smoother lab revenue cycle management (lab RCM), helping the lab grow efficiently.
Workflow Action Queues
LigoLab's configurable workflow action queues deliver two primary benefits: they expedite operations by enabling case progression as staff resolve issues, and they enhance quality control. This flexibility also eases onboarding and credentialing for new pathologists.
Discover More: A Detailed Look at How Modern Laboratory Information Systems Fully Support Quality Control
Lab Billing Automation
Collaboration between in-house coders and external lab billing services ensures accurate and timely claim submissions, a major benefit provided by LigoLab's RCM cycle automation. This automation minimizes errors, reduces administrative work, and strengthens communication throughout the laboratory billing process.
Discover More: How Much is Your Outdated Laboratory Revenue Cycle Management Costing Your Lab?
MIPS Reporting
Advanced medical LIS technology automates the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting process, transforming a time-intensive, manual task into a streamlined, accurate laboratory workflow management process that maximizes CMS reimbursements and achieves top performance scores.
Data Analytics and Reporting
Summit Pathology leverages data from its LIS system software for decision-making, compliance reporting, and client lab billing. Custom scripts and dynamic reports enable precise case tracking, identification of coding errors, and tailored client services, such as generating adenoma detection rates for GI clients.
On-Demand Webinar: Leverage LIS System Rules, Automation, and Data Analytics to Increase Efficiency and Cut Costs
LIS Software Vendors and the Value of High-End Support
Many laboratories across the nation have experienced similar success with LigoLab. Partnerships with LigoLab deliver benefits such as rapid business growth, faster turnaround times, optimized LIS lab workflow, and reduced errors and safety issues for both anatomic and clinical pathology labs.
"The support that LigoLab provides is unique," continued Guido. "I don't have this when I'm working with other laboratory software systems. I don't get the same hands-on contact and results that I get when working with LigoLab."
Discover More: LigoLab’s Approach to LIS System Implementation and Support
"I've never had an outstanding LIS software problem that LigoLab's support team didn't help solve," continued Guido, citing an improved quality control process as a prime example, where the lab can now quickly track and identify user errors and take corrective action without slowing specimen processing.
"The beauty of it is that we're able to push these specimens along and then fix the problems as we're processing, so the turnaround time for the patient is paramount. That's been a huge success. The pathologists love it, and at the end of the day, it serves our patients in the best possible way," he said.
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Easy Access to Laboratory Information System Data
"There is so much information captured in LigoLab, and then you're able to specifically drill down and take and use whatever information you need," added Guido. “From order entry to grossing, histology, and case signout, the specimen starts as tissue and then ends up as a glass slide for diagnosis, and staff can accurately track it the entire way through."
A Platform Built Around the Pathologist
Guido believes a lab's informatics platform should serve the pathologist, who should never have to resort to workarounds or leave the LIS medical application to solve a problem.
"In so many of the labs I've visited, they've had so much middleware and programs running in parallel," he said. "With LigoLab's LIS system and anatomic pathology software solutions, it's amazing because it's all built-in. And if it's not built-in, their development engineers are pretty good at building it for you."
"If you can think of a new process to overcome a problem, track quality, or improve client relationships, staff can do it all within LigoLab's LIS software," noted Guido.
Case Study: Summit Pathology - Achieving Laboratory Profitability Amidst Operational Pressures
Advanced Laboratory Information Systems and Modern Anatomic Pathology Software Solutions
LigoLab is a successful LIS company based in Los Angeles and specializing in advanced pathology software for laboratories of all sizes. Its main benefits include a unique tiered pricing LIS model and an all-in-one LIS system, making advanced lab management tools accessible while driving efficiency and growth.
Ready to See What LigoLab Can Do for Your Lab?
Contact a product specialist to request a LIS software demonstration personalized to address the bottlenecks in your current lab environment.
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Frequently Asked Questions About the Summit Pathology and LigoLab Partnership
When did Summit Pathology's partnership with LigoLab really begin to produce dividends?
The partnership grew out of Joseph Guido's curiosity while working as a Gross Tech at Summit Pathology, who noticed that the lab was only scratching the surface of what LigoLab's platform could do. After attending a LigoLab user conference with hands-on workshops, Guido began systematically leveraging the platform's capabilities, a process that ultimately drove significant growth and operational improvements.
How much has Summit Pathology grown since partnering with LigoLab?
Summit Pathology has expanded from 10 to 23 pathologists and grown beyond its headquarters in Loveland, Colorado, establishing locations across northern Colorado, extending south to Colorado Springs, and reaching into Cheyenne, Wyoming. Guido attributes much of this operational and geographic growth to the efficiencies achieved through the organization’s partnership with LigoLab.
What specific LIS system features has Summit Pathology used most effectively?
Summit Pathology has utilized workflow action queues to strengthen quality control and streamline pathologist onboarding, implemented laboratory billing automation to improve claim accuracy and reduce administrative workload, automated MIPS reporting to optimize CMS reimbursement opportunities, and deployed custom analytics with dynamic reporting capabilities to enhance client services, including adenoma detection rate reporting for gastroenterology clients.
How does LigoLab's support model differ from other LIS software vendors?
Guido described LigoLab's support as uniquely hands-on, noting that he has never had an outstanding issue that LigoLab's support team couldn't resolve. The company's user conference offered direct access to developers, help desk staff, and support teams, a level of engagement that Guido said is not available from other laboratory information system companies.
How does LigoLab's workflow action queue feature improve quality control?
Workflow action queues enable cases to continue moving through the lab, including grossing and histology, even when a flagged issue is present. The issue remains visible in the queue, and staff must resolve it before releasing the report to ensure data accuracy without delaying specimen processing. This approach has significantly improved turnaround times and quality control at Summit Pathology.
What does Joseph Guido say about the completeness of LigoLab's platform?
Guido highlighted that LigoLab builds its platform to serve the pathologist, with everything they need accessible within the LIS system itself, eliminating the need for middleware or parallel programs. He noted that if LigoLab's team hasn't already built in a specific feature, its development engineers can build it, making the platform highly adaptable to any workflow or client service need.
How does LigoLab compete with larger laboratory information system vendors?
LigoLab differentiates itself through a unique tiered pricing LIS model that removes upfront capital investments and traditional licensing fees, combined with its all-in-one medical LIS and lab RCM platform that unifies anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, molecular diagnostics, laboratory billing, and direct-to-consumer lab testing within a single integrated infrastructure. This blend of flexibility, value, and customer support enables LigoLab to effectively serve laboratories of all sizes while competing with larger industry providers.
