The New Era of Laboratory Informatics: From Manual Tasks to Sustained Success

Clinical labs and pathology groups are under pressure from every direction: growing volumes, staffing shortages, tighter reimbursement rules, and complex compliance demands. In such an environment, manual workarounds and stitched-together laboratory software systems quickly turn a stable operation into a fragile one. 

So, what turns the tide and gives these medical labs the power to persevere and even thrive? 

A modern, rules-driven laboratory information system (LIS software) that standardizes, automates, and unifies their work.

During LigoLab’s recent “From Manual to Magical” webinar, LIS System Product Specialist Allison Still walked through concrete examples of automation. She demonstrated how LigoLab’s information system automation streamlines every step of the workflow, from accessioning to pathologist sign-out and laboratory billing reimbursement. Taken together, these capabilities make today’s shift easier while compounding into sustained operational and financial gains for forward-thinking lab leadership.

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Why Fragmented Solutions Create “LIS System Monsters”

Many labs accumulate tools over time: one system for orders, another for histology tracking, a separate laboratory billing vendor, a reporting add-on, a scheduling portal, and yet another interface layer to enable connectivity among them. The result is a complex stack that’s brittle to maintain and slow to change. Handoffs between software systems open the door to re-keying, delays, and avoidable errors. Leadership loses real-time visibility because data is scattered across systems. 

Modern medical LIS platforms reverse this logic. They create a single source of operational truth and utilize configurable rules to automate routine decisions, validate data at the point of entry, and advance work forward without manual interventions. As Still put it, automation runs “in the background,” so users stay focused on their task rather than the inner workings of the LIS system application.

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Accessioning That Starts Clean and Stays Clean

The best time to prevent downstream problems is the moment an order is created. Still showed how LigoLab automates clean data capture the instant a client order comes in:

• Patient Matching: “You don’t even need to search actively for a patient profile,” she noted. “The LIS system will automatically detect if the patient you’re entering potentially matches an existing patient, prompting you to link it.”
• Smart Requirements: Client- and provider-specific tags enforce rules such as “referring physician required” or “patient ID required.” If a required value is missing, order save rules stop the order and highlight what part of the order needs fixing.
• Standing Orders and Reflex Logic: Provider-specific rules (e.g., reflex HPV) run automatically. Users can view these when needed, but they don’t have to manage them.

Clean accessioning then drives consistent downstream behavior, from histology protocols to coding and laboratory revenue cycle management (lab RCM), because the laboratory information system applies the right metadata from the start.

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Grossing and QA Without Friction

At grossing, LigoLab’s touch-friendly grossing screen presents the scanned requisition side by side with the case, enabling techs to work from a single view. Histology protocols, specimen descriptions, and site selections that were captured earlier carry forward automatically.

The clever part is how tags and workflow actions turn quality assurance into a living process:

“Tags and workflow actions are like flags,” said Still. “They’re entirely customizable and support both internal and external workflows. They can even be configured to prevent reports from being released until issues are resolved.”

A grosser who spots a mismatched patient name can flag it instantly without leaving the screen. That creates a dedicated queue for follow-up, blocks final release until it’s resolved, and, importantly, feeds analytics so the lab can view patterns by client, site, or user. You get real accountability without adding bottlenecks.

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Blocks and Slides: Real-Time Work Queues and Full Traceability

For histology, LigoLab provides real-time block and slide queues that reflect the exact work needed at a given facility. Labs can scan blocks into the processor, scan them again at embedding, and scan slides at completion. Every scan stamps who did the step and when, building a full audit trail.

• Optional Processing Steps: Labs can enable granular steps when they want extra tracking or skip them if they prefer a lighter workflow.
• Actionable Instructions: Tags applied at grossing (e.g., “embed on edge”) appear for the histotech at exactly the right moment.
• Unique Identifiers: “Every specimen gets its own unique identifier,” Still explained. That ID is what’s embedded in barcodes, so scanning always points to the right bottle, block, or slide.

This level of traceability reduces lost pieces, accelerates troubleshooting, and strengthens compliance.

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Multi-Facility Support That Manages Both Workflow and Security 

LigoLab is an enterprise LIS software application built for organizations with multiple facilities, outreach sites, and hospital partners. Users log in to a specific facility, and their queues automatically filter only the work at that location.

“It’s a workflow and security advantage,” Still said. “Users only see the minimum cases they need to perform their work.”

Transfers between facilities are managed within the LIS lab platform, and queues display the originating site, enabling teams to prioritize accordingly. Role-based access and facility scoping reduce friction, protect PHI, and keep staff focused.

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Pathologist Resulting and Coding, Tightened by Rules

Pathologists open cases straight into the final diagnosis field of the LIS system module with linked macros, comments, and microscopic descriptions ready to go. Client-specific tags streamline required report elements such as margins or microphotographs. A floating report viewer updates in real time as text is entered.

Automation also extends to coding:

• CPT Assignment: Based on protocol, site, and standards (e.g., 88305 for biopsy, 88342 for IHC).
• ICD Assignment: Based on selected diagnosis macros.
• Automatic Correlations: Created in the background for documentation and review.

Voice-to-text is compatible with both third-party systems and LigoLab’s native speech feature, enabling pathologists to trigger macros and even issue commands like “release report” hands-free.

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Digital Pathology Solutions and Interoperability

Digital pathology viewers connect to LigoLab just like any other device, allowing slide images to open directly alongside the case. Captured fields of view feed back into the system and onto the report. The same interface framework also links instruments, EHRs, laboratory billing systems, outreach portals, and public health agencies.

“On the technical side, [digital pathology] is treated like any other interface,” Still explained.”

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Dashboards and Analytics for Real-Time Decisions

Lab leaders shouldn’t have to wait for a month-end spreadsheet to see what’s happening now. LigoLab’s dashboards visualize live operational metrics, turnaround time by step, pathologist trends, grossing productivity, and workloads by time of day, using bar and line charts or tables.

“Having more information sooner is always better,” said Still. “Dashboards make it easy to visualize productivity and workflow bottlenecks. Instead of waiting for monthly reports, managers and directors can make decisions daily, or even hourly, based on live data.”

Dashboards can be assembled from out-of-the-box reports or built (with JavaScript and SQL); many labs ask LigoLab to create them, and those widgets are then eventually made available to other customers, too. Because they’re real-time, leaders can intervene before SLAs slip, rebalance workloads, and validate the impact of process changes.

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What Success Looks Like

Labs that push automation into daily work consistently report:

• Reduced complexity by standardizing common workflows across sites and departments.
• Simplified interoperability for instruments, EHRs, and third-party systems.
• Streamlined and automated operations that remove clicks, paper, and manual handoffs.
• Optimized compliance and reduced risk through validation rules, audit trails, and release holds tied to QA.
• Competitive advantage with faster TATs, better report consistency, and modern digital pathology support.
• Growth and retention as clients notice service improvements and transparency.
• Scalability and future-proofing as new sites, services, and integrations come online without major disruption. 
• Data-driven decisions using dashboards and on-demand analytics. 

As Still summarized during the session:

“Transforming your laboratory is not impossible. With the right platform and the right partner, you can reduce complexity, automate operations, gain a competitive advantage, and set your lab up for long-term success.”

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What Is the LigoLab Informatics Platform?

LigoLab is an all-in-one laboratory informatics platform that unifies operations, revenue, and outreach in a single system of action. 

Core Modules

• Anatomic Pathology (AP)
• Clinical Pathology
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Laboratory Revenue Cycle Management
• Direct-to-consumer Lab Testing Portal

Platform Capabilities

• Rule & Automation Engines to support streamlined processes, route work, assign cases, reflex tests, and lock release on QA exceptions.
• Interface Engine for EHRs, instruments, digital pathology viewers, payers, and registries.
• QC/QA & Compliance with audit trails, workflow actions, and hold-to-release controls.
• Dashboards & Analytics for real-time operational and financial insight.
• Role-based Access and Multi-Facility Support so users see only what they need, where they work. 

LigoLab doesn’t stop at pathology lab software. The LIS company partners with labs and aligns with their business goals. 

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Ready to Turn Complexity into Momentum?

If your lab team is juggling manual steps, inconsistent data, and siloed systems, it’s time to consider a different approach. A modern laboratory information system backed by advanced automation doesn’t just remove pain points. It converts them into durable advantages: better turnaround times, fewer errors, stronger compliance, clearer visibility, and faster, cleaner revenue capture.

Now’s a great time to speak with a product specialist to see how the LigoLab Informatics Platform can help your organization reduce complexity, standardize and automate workflows, and become a thriving, profitable testing organization.

Act Now: Speak with a Product Specialist!