Here’s How a Lab Information System Benefits Your Facility
A Lab Information System (LIS) is computer software used in clinical laboratories to manage and track patient data, results, and samples. It automates nearly all the laboratory’s administrative and operational activities, including patient registration, specimen tracking, results entry and reporting, billing, and inventory control.
Many new and more advanced variants of the software are being introduced in the market, each with additional features to cater to individual demands and needs. One highly configurable LIS is NovoPath LIS, a SaaS-based program that integrates a wide array of business functions. The invention of cutting-edge LIS facilities has helped pathology labs automate, track, simplify, and complete complex cases faster than ever before.
Benefits Of Lab Information Systems
Read on to find out how a Lab Information System can benefit your facility
Improved patient safety
A lab information system helps reduce medication errors by providing real-time access to patient data, reducing the chances of misdiagnoses or incorrect treatments. The system also enables more accurate laboratory results, which can help detect and treat diseases promptly.
Every minute is precious when dealing with human lives. Therefore, a good LIS can send automated responses to the physician when a patient’s report consists of critical abnormalities or changes. The response provides the physician with the patient’s most recent results and any changes in the patient’s condition that the physician needs to be aware of. The LIS can also be configured to approve reports with regular figures automatically.
Patients’ wellness should be the foremost priority when capturing and storing data. LIS software reduces the risk of errors due to manual data entry and provides accurate, timely information, leading to improved patient satisfaction.
Streamlined workflow
A LIS improves workflow efficiency by automating processes such as lab orders and tests, allowing your facility to manage workflows better and optimize resources. Modern-day labs store enormous amounts of information to be processed according to individual customer needs. All the data is centralized, making it easier to query, analyze, and report.
Automation also makes delegation and supervision easier by automatically assigning tasks to the relevant personnel and keeping track of all operations. In addition, automated systems enable more efficient patient scheduling, increase productivity, and help eliminate false reporting.
LIS software has also eradicated the risk of data loss because the chain of samples is regularly updated at the collection of each new data sample or when samples are moved from one laboratory to another to track the location.
Improved accuracy
When technology takes over manual work, the organization’s efficiency improves drastically. Despite a lab worker’s diligence, there is always room for mistakes. This can be eliminated by using LIS to record and analyze data automatically.
By eliminating manual data entry errors, it can help ensure accurate patient data is readily available. The system can also ensure that laboratory results are correct and up to date. LIS can also quickly generate reports like sample summaries, analysis counts, audit trails, and other reports.
Some LIS programs are also equipped with functions that include adding photos and descriptions to specimen files, accessing pre-configured diagnostic codes, tracking pending records, automating case assignments, and saving patient data at preferred stages. These additional configurations also help maintain data accuracy.
Data security
A Lab Information System protects sensitive medical information by securely storing patient data. It uses security measures like encryption, access controls, monitoring, and systematic auditing to prevent patient data from going into unauthorized hands.
Furthermore, they can also help keep track of which personnel has accessed what information and when, allowing for more accurate accountability if necessary. Laboratory Information Systems can also be configured to alert users if any changes are made, ensuring further compliance and data integrity protection.
Data protection should be every organization’s priority. The modern Laboratory Information System has the power to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, tampering, or malicious attacks. They also provide secure data storage and transmission, allowing medical staff and researchers to access data quickly and securely from different locations.
Cost savings
Automated processes can save time and money by streamlining workflows and reducing the chances of errors. It can reduce the number of staff needed to manage the laboratory and optimize test utilization.
It also allows quicker results, often reducing the need for additional testing or patients remaining in the hospital for extended periods. Finally, LIS can help reduce costs associated with paper-based documentation, storage, and retrieval.
A lab information system also helps reduce costs associated with lost or misplaced specimens. Inventory management is also vital in lab management and requires a considerable task force. The advanced features of LIS help cope with the management of stocks and supplies.
Compliance
Lab Information Systems help ensure compliance with regulatory standards, such as HIPAA and other privacy regulations. They do this by implementing and enforcing policies and procedures for compliance. This includes conducting regular audits and reviews of processes and systems to ensure compliance, documenting policy changes or updates, and providing training on compliance regulations and requirements.
More updated versions of LIS can have a designated compliance officer to monitor and review compliance activities and keep the organization updated on new regulations.
Increased Revenue
By streamlining the process, laboratories can save time and money, leading to increased revenue. Moreover, a LIS can provide detailed insights into laboratory operations, which can help identify areas for improvement. It can help laboratories increase revenue by increasing test accuracy and speed and reducing errors.
Using an LIS helps you scale your business and increase profits because it can do almost any kind of work, which cuts down significantly on human resources, saving you money and energy. Apart from this, an LIS can provide access to physicians and other healthcare providers, which can help increase referrals and revenue for our business.
Conclusion
A Laboratory Information System is essential for modern-day labs because it provides a secure, efficient, and automated way to manage laboratory data and processes. It simplifies operations and helps ensure that the data is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date. Automation also helps reduce paperwork and administrative costs, deliver faster results, and improve stakeholder communication. It helps enhance overall laboratory efficiency and accuracy of results.
