The Essential Things to Consider When Modernizing Your Lab

Anatomic pathology companies and clinical lab operators can either disrupt or be disrupted, and the trick to sustainable evolution and future success remains within their grasp. Equip them with the suitable laboratory information system (LIS) and revenue cycle management (RCM) resolution, and they can move ahead confidently, knowing their lab operating platform has the flexibility and capacity required to pivot and grow with whatever transformation comes next. However, select the wrong solution, and they may be burdened with a system that restricts growth potential and places the operation at risk of growing obsolete.

Thanks to the aging population and consolidation in the industry, there is an ever-growing demand for labs to manage more cases, even though reimbursement per case is dwindling. To benefit from the demand and flourish despite enterprise challenges like Medicare payment cuts, changing ordinances, expanded compliance pressures, and a workforce lacking qualified technicians, labs need to proactively discover and execute a solution that places a premium on configurability, efficiency, interoperability, and industry transparency.

Configurability

‍No two labs are alike. What’s most suitable for one laboratory may not be adequate for another. When selecting a new solution, lab operators should initially consider if the agent is marketing an off-the-shelf solution or one that can be tailor-made to suit the individual needs of their lab. Is the solution agile and adaptable? Can it customize lab reports and easily distribute them? Can it reinforce and positively alter every workflow? Is it straightforward to configure and support? Does it have the capacity to sustain a wide range of customer preferences? Does the broker have the field expertise and best practices familiarity to keep the lab up-to-date with continuous enhancements and advancements to the platform? Does the agent align with your lab’s demands and have interest in your lab’s capacity to scale and take control of the marketplace? Does the platform supply an end-to-end solution that moves beyond core workflows while delivering all the supporting modules a lab demands, including the economic ones?

Efficiency

Today’s challenge for labs is to satisfy the increasing demand for more tests by improving throughput. To fulfill the need and place the lab in a place to scale, the LIS & RCM solution must optimize efficiency via mechanization and streamlined workflows. For efficiency to improve, monotonous manual methods need to be automated. When searching for a new solution, lab operators should prioritize one that significantly decreases sample preparation duration and turnaround time while drastically restricting lost and mislabeled specimens. Does the solution have a decisive rule and automation engine? Is it a logic-based medium that minimizes clicks? Is it a user-friendly design built by laboratorians for laboratorians? Does it include a robust tracking system built throughout the whole laboratory operating platform, supplying end-to-end coverage that drastically decreases errors and lost specimens while increasing quality control? A lab is a dynamic place, and the pathologist has a critical job. By increasing efficiency, the pathologist can spend more time on diagnosis, benefiting both the customer and the patient.

Interoperability

The LIS & RCM solution requires an open architecture and a robust interface engine that can quickly and effortlessly merge with any industry EHR, physician EMR, mechanism, or middleware to accomplish interoperability. Lab operators should specify and execute a platform that will skillfully handle the evolution of services into zones like digital pathology, genetics, and precision medicine. By furnishing modules for these locations, the solution can stimulate growth by unlocking new revenue lines for the firm. Lab leaders should likewise choose a solution that seamlessly merges with state registries for quality assurance and adherence. With top interoperability, fast scaling is feasible.

These are the vital things to consider when modernizing your lab space. Contact us today for more details on our options for medical laboratory supplies. We are here to help you grow.