Laboratories handle enormous amounts of data and complex workflows. Managing this information manually can be time-consuming, prone to errors, and make it difficult to draw insights. Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) are software solutions that help automate lab data management, improve quality control, increase productivity, and more. By implementing an LIS, laboratories can work smarter, faster, and better.
1. Automate Workflow
An LIS delivers impactful workflow automation that manages everything from sample scheduling and status tracking to inventory management. It seamlessly coordinates the end-to-end flow of samples through the lab, from initial accessioning all the way through result reporting and delivery. Staff are freed from time-consuming administrative tasks, enabling them to focus efforts on more value-added work. The system tracks current inventory levels and upcoming testing volumes to calculate needed lab supplies and reagents. By ensuring stock levels are adequate, unexpected workflow disruptions and bottlenecks due to missing materials can be avoided.
Speaking of LIS, Novopath’s LIS provides robust workflow automation to optimize sample flow, inventory management, and staff efficiency. Inventory levels are continually monitored to prevent stock-outs.
2. Improve Data Management
A major advantage of an LIS is robust and centralized data management. The system becomes the single source of truth by compiling disparate information such as patient demographics, physician orders, laboratory test results, quality control data, instrument maintenance logs, and inventory information into a unified database. This provides authorized lab staff quick and easy access to all necessary data in one place. The consolidated data environment also facilitates superior sharing of information with other healthcare providers involved in patient care. An LIS eliminates the need for cumbersome physical records and enables relevant data to be accessed wherever and whenever it is needed, delivering significant time savings and improving clinical coordination.
An LIS by novopath.com integrates all lab data into a centralized database that is easily accessed by authorized users. This improves workflows while facilitating seamless data sharing between the lab and healthcare partners.
3. Enhance Quality Control
LIS enhances quality control by automatically flagging abnormal test results for review so that potential issues are never overlooked. It also documents scheduled quality control checks and calibration routines for laboratory equipment while providing reminders to staff when these mandatory activities are coming due. This prevents the use of instruments that are not properly maintained and calibrated, which is a critical mistake that undermines result accuracy. By strictly enforcing a laboratory’s best practice quality control procedures, an LIS ensures high standards are consistently met across all equipment, workflows, and staff. This delivers reliable, compliant outputs that physicians can confidently rely on for clinical decision-making and patients can trust for their care.
Novopath’s LIS has robust quality control functionality. This ensures the consistency and accuracy of test results that doctors and patients can trust.
4. Increase Productivity
An LIS boosts productivity in multiple ways, starting with the elimination of manual data entry, which is slow and prone to errors that require additional staff time to fix. The system optimizes workload distribution across the lab, identifying and smoothing bottlenecks as well as maximizing the utilization of available resources. Together, these capabilities allow the staff to focus efforts on higher-value tasks like the review and verification of test results rather than mundane administrative work. An LIS also enables authorized remote access to results and interfaces, supporting more flexible work arrangements that minimize unproductive downtime.
Novopath LIS optimizes staff productivity by reducing manual data entry and balancing workloads. It also enables remote access for more flexibility. Staff can be more productive and focus on high-value tasks.
5. Reduce Errors
LIS provides impactful error reduction capabilities by first standardizing lab processes and procedures to minimize purely manual mistakes. The system adds additional checks that automatically catch common oversights like duplicate orders or missing test results before they lead to problems. An LIS makes it far more difficult for minor errors to slip through the cracks and instead proactively traps them early in the process when they are easiest to correct. This prevents errors from compromising sample handling and testing activities, which could lead to inaccurate results with serious consequences for patient care. By combining standardized protocols with automated error-checking, an LIS provides invaluable safeguards that improve the accuracy and reliability of laboratory operations and outputs.
Novopath LIS minimizes errors by standardizing processes and automatically checking for issues like duplicate orders. This improves accuracy and reliability.
6. Facilitate Billing and Cost Analysis
An LIS delivers robust capabilities to facilitate accurate billing and detailed cost analysis. The system tracks all tests, procedures, and supply usage at a granular level, ensuring that billing reflects actual materials and work performed. Test usage data can also be analyzed to enable precise per-patient or per-procedure cost tracking. Both fixed and variable costs can be allocated appropriately for a true understanding of profitability. Usage trends may identify ways to improve financial processes or uncover areas where costs can be reduced without impacting quality. The rich billing and cost data provided by the LIS enables labs to make positive financial changes and operate as efficiently as possible while still delivering top-notch patient care.
Novopath LIS provides detailed tracking of tests, supply usage, and procedures for accurate billing and cost analysis. This supports optimized lab finances and efficiency.
7. Support Telemedicine
Telemedicine capabilities are enabled by the LIS features that facilitate secure remote access to results and interfaces. This allows physicians located offsite to remotely consult with in-lab experts regarding a diagnosis or recommended patient care protocol. Patients also benefit from telemedicine supported by LIS, as they can conveniently obtain test results and connect with their healthcare providers without needing to travel to the lab or clinic for a face-to-face visit. Appointment scheduling and other services can similarly be handled digitally. By enabling seamless information sharing and remote consultations, an LIS expands access to vital laboratory services and expertise to guide improved patient outcomes no matter the setting.
Novopath LIS supports telemedicine initiatives through remote data access and interfaces. This facilitates provider consultations and patient access from anywhere.
Conclusion
LIS delivers invaluable advantages that allow labs to work smarter, faster, and better. The system becomes the central nervous system of the lab, automating time-consuming tasks, improving quality, eliminating errors, and providing data insights. LIS solves workflow inefficiencies and meets the growing demands placed on modern laboratories. All labs should consider implementing an LIS to advance their performance.
