LIS Systems - Learn the Basics and Find Out How the Best Laboratory Information Systems Efficiently Remove Barriers and Maximize Growth

In today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, laboratory information systems (LIS meaning medical) have become essential tools for improving laboratory workflow management, efficiency, accuracy, and patient outcomes. 

What is a LIS Laboratory Information System?

A LIS laboratory information system is pathology lab report software that has become a common part of the data infrastructure of advanced healthcare systems, busy laboratories, and hospitals. 

Inside labs, LIS software takes care of pathology lab management and simplifies various lab processes, such as the following.

• Recording, updating, and storing patient-related information
• Tracking sample management
• Report management (generation and distribution)

LigoLab offers enterprise-grade laboratory information system software. The fast-growing and agile LIS company is best known for its award-winning LIS & RCM Laboratory Informatics Platform. 

The platform offers a single, embedded suite of laboratory information system functions designed to improve laboratory processes (clinical laboratory management, lab billing, and direct-to-consumer lab testing with TestDirectly) for anatomic pathology groups and clinical laboratories that specialize in the following areas. 

• Molecular Diagnostics
• Microbiology
• Hematology
• Serology
• Biochemistry
• Toxicology
• Genomics

Why is a Laboratory Information System Needed?

Every modern pathology lab aims to become more efficient and productive, whether focused on anatomical, clinical, or molecular testing. However, these goals are often hindered by outdated, non-integrated LIS systems produced by legacy laboratory information system companies. 

Far too often, lab technicians are forced to work with rigid and closed diagnostic lab software that fails to meet the needs of rapidly evolving laboratory environments, such as pathology reporting software or molecular lab testing software. These lab information system software are unable to adapt to the changing times, leaving users frustrated with performance and reliability.

With the integration of LIS medical laboratory solutions and modern LIS system software vendors, it's now possible to leverage advanced pathology lab software and lab billing systems (lab revenue cycle management) to streamline interdependent lab workflow. 

Learn More: Documenting the Avero Diagnostic Move From a Legacy Lab RCM System to LigoLab’s All-in-One Lab Informatics Platform

This new generation of LIS software vendors offers solutions that not only enhance clinical laboratory management but also support the laboratory billing process (with billing software for labs) and regulatory compliance. 

By adopting this cutting-edge laboratory information system software, labs can remove barriers, improve efficiency, and position themselves for growth in an ever-evolving and challenging market.

LIS vs. LIMS: What’s the Difference Between These Two Laboratory Software Systems?

A lab information management system (LIMS lab management software) is software designed for research environments and other non-clinical laboratory settings like environmental labs, chemical labs, and food and beverage labs. A lab LIMS helps handle large and complex data generated by large-scale industries to make maintenance, operations, and product development decisions. 

In contrast, a lab information system (also known as an LIS system or LIS software) is specifically created for clinical settings and patient care. The best LIS software provides a scalable and future-proof informatics platform for users that can be tailored by lab vendors to meet the unique needs of any medical lab, regardless of size or testing discipline. 

The best LIS systems are flexible, easily allowing for the addition of more volume and services as laboratory operations expand due to much improved operational workflow.

The best laboratory information systems (LIS abbreviation medical) also reduce labor costs and increase revenue and profit. Here are examples of laboratory information system features that set the best LIS apart from their old and outdated legacy cousins.   

• Combining all departments and operations within a single LIS system, eliminating data silos
• Automating complex processes and reducing manual touchpoints
• Maximizing interoperability and efficiency
• Reducing human errors and lost specimens
• Generating fully customizable reports
• Offering multiple options for report delivery
• Monitoring quality control for quick identification, troubleshooting, and problem resolution
• Improving lab test turnaround times
• Accessing real-time business analytics (dashboards, stats, dynamic reports) from every department

Additionally, when modern LIS systems are paired with a modern lab billing solution, laboratories can initiate the laboratory billing process (RCM cycle) at order inception, backed by verification, eligibility, and scrubbing components that enhance claim submissions, revenue, and accounts receivables while decreasing denials and compliance risk.

Do All Laboratory Information System Companies Have the Same Standards for Updates, Support, and  Maintenance?

Leveraging modern LIS pathology systems is critical for laboratory operations. But when it comes to LIS system software updates, support, and maintenance, does every LIS company provide the same standard?

As an example, with LigoLab’s LIS model, laboratories have full control over when an update occurs while also benefiting from the ongoing and rapid development of new enhancements and features. LigoLab provides customers with a stable and supported version of the informatics platform in the Production Environment, as well as two additional LIS software environments for testing and validation purposes.

New features are developed and rolled out to all LigoLab customers via a Test Environment, where users can familiarize themselves with the LIS system’s latest capabilities. Customers can then train, test, and validate updates on their schedule before they are pushed to the Production Environment. LigoLab releases new features in four laboratory information system software versions annually, all while supporting all previous LIS software versions deployed to customer Production Environments.

Each LIS system update undergoes strict validation and regression testing before release, ensuring the highest level of LIS system software quality.

Learn More: Market Differentiation and Unmatched Customer Service: Two Major Reasons Why You Should Consider LigoLab for Your LIS Upgrade

Maximizing Efficiency: The Benefits of Implementing Modern Pathology LIS Systems

By upgrading to a modern pathology information system, medical labs can streamline processes, enhance accuracy, improve patient outcomes, and more. 

Let’s walk through exactly how implementing a state-of-the-art lab information system can maximize efficiency and take your lab to the next level.

What Role Do Laboratory Information System Companies Play in Improving Clinical Lab Workflow?

Laboratory information systems like the LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Informatics Platform expertly handle a laboratory's data needs by seamlessly connecting and integrating all departments and lab processes (including the laboratory billing process) into one unified LIS software infrastructure and shared database. 

This approach eliminates data silos and ensures clinical data integrity throughout every department, enabling labs to work more efficiently, stand out in the market, expand their operations, and enhance profitability.

LigoLab was built on the idea of having one single and reliable source of truth for all laboratory data. As a result, the LIS company created an integrated suite of applications that support various aspects of pathology lab management, such as the following. 

• Patient Engagement (TestDirectly and TestDirectly.com)
• Laboratory Billing
• Sample Tracking
• Case and Test Processing
• Reporting and Distribution
• Rules and Automation
• Outreach Solutions
• Document Scanning
• Digital Pathology Workflow
• CRM
• And More

This all-inclusive laboratory information system (LIS software) platform also tackles laboratory interoperability issues by including a standard interface engine that optimizes connectivity with instruments, EHRs, and third parties.

By utilizing LigoLab's LIS laboratory information system solutions, lab partners can accomplish more with fewer resources, ensuring transparency in their operations and maintaining tighter control over their businesses, enabling them to grow rapidly and boost their profitability.

How Do Modern Laboratory Information Systems Outperform Traditional Solutions?

Legacy LIS software often struggles to provide the flexibility, automation, and interoperability required to fully support lab operations, enhance patient outcomes, expand lab testing services, and boost collections for individual laboratories. 

Common LIS challenges that hinder growth include the following.

• Reliability and performance issues
• Limited functionality (insufficient modules and features)
• Scalability constraints (inability to cope with increasing demand)
• Configuration complexity (reliance on external vendor support)
• Legacy report formats and delivery options that fail to meet customer needs
• Inefficient lab workflows and time-consuming manual processes
• Lab sample management system that lacks a robust chain of custody, unique barcode identification, and verification and security checkpoints
• Difficulty accessing data on processes, bottlenecks, and compliance
• Intradepartmental and external interoperability needs (EMR/EHR integration, APIs, laboratory instrumentation, state registries, laboratory billing services)

LigoLab’s Lab Information System Solutions: The Future of Pathology Lab Management

At LigoLab, we understand the challenges that laboratories face in today's ultra-competitive healthcare landscape. 

That's why we've created our innovative laboratory information system software to help labs of all sizes and specialties streamline their operations, improve patient outcomes, and achieve their goals. 

Upgrade and Enhance Critical Areas with LigoLab’s Lab Information System

With LigoLab’s informatics platform, you get a lab information system that can enhance all departmental processes at every stage, from accessioning and sample management to sample tracking, reporting, and collections. 

The platform supports and streamlines all laboratory workflow and processes, making it a reliable and efficient lab workflow management solution for modern pathology labs.

Lab Revenue Cycle Management with Real-Time Order Validation

LigoLab's medical LIS empowers laboratories to ensure a smooth and productive lab billing workflow (laboratory revenue cycle management)  right from order entry. The platform’s LIS and RCM modules share a common database and LIS software infrastructure that supports RCM tools that include data verification and scrubbing components, plus real-time patient and payer data verification, coverage lookup, and eligibility, all seamlessly integrated into a live queue-facilitated lab workflow.

With LigoLab, you get the following features for efficient lab revenue cycle management. 

• Demographic check, address validation, insurance discovery, and eligibility verification at order inception
• Bidirectional synchronization with third-party services (mailing companies, clearinghouses, NPI Registry, payment processors)
• Automated ICD and CPT coding and TC/PC splitting
• Real-time data processing lab workflow queues for heightened visibility
• Detailed statistical reports to monitor trends and KPIs

Additionally, LigoLab supports the management of client contracts by providing extensive functionality, customization, and automation for client billing, including options like unlimited fee schedules, discounting, special pricing, capitation, incremental pricing, and automatic travel and transportation pricing.

These features make LigoLab's laboratory billing system more efficient, transparent, and productive than standard laboratory billing solutions, preventing claim rejections and denials, and ensuring a higher level of lab billing accuracy.

LigoLab’s Reliable and Accurate Pathology Specimen Tracking System

Error-free sample management is vital for all medical laboratories and should be expected from the best LIS medical software. 

The LigoLab platform assigns each specimen a unique identifier, ensuring the chain of custody and security of the specimen while virtually eliminating lost or misplaced orders by supporting the following functions. 

• Integration with all barcode printing and etching hardware 
• Automatic generation of a unique identifier for every specimen and document
• Full traceability of specimens with an awareness of the next step in the workflow
• Users can track both beginning and end times for laboratory instrumentation processing
• Automatic detection of duplicate patient profiles at order entry 

Tailored Lab Reports: LigoLab's Customizable Pathology Lab Software

LigoLab’s pathology lab software (laboratory report software) offers customizable, intelligent lab reports with high-performance reporting and distribution engines that feature rule-based formatting and uniform presentation. 

With the report generation engine, users can customize reports with rich-text capabilities (format, size, colors, highlights, tables, bullet points, etc.), images, diagrams, annotation, macros, conditional rules, dictation to text, CAP cancer protocol templates, and automated distribution based on the customer's preference. 

Delivery options include a provider portal, outreach software, EMR/EHR, fax, secure email, in-house printing, PDF drops, APIs, IVR, SMS, and remote print server.

LigoLab’s pathology lab report software also features the following. 

• Standardized report structure based on industry trends
• Custom template format for client satisfaction and co-branding
• Integrated reports for time-saving efficiency
• Cumulative reports for patient safety and continuity
• Automated distribution based on customer preferences

Stay Connected with LigoLab Connect: Access Your Lab Reports Anytime, Anywhere

LigoLab Connect allows medical practitioners and laboratory specialists to interact with the laboratory remotely. Clients can access and search reports, retrieve cumulative charts, fax, and gain access to all patient-related scanned documents through this LIS software outreach solution.

LigoLab Connect features include the following. 

• Free and easy installation with unlimited licensing for downloads
• Secure internet application that serves as an extension of the laboratory
• No need for third-party outreach or middleware software
• Custom branding with company logos
• Self-service tools for inventory management and access to scanned documents to reduce customer service calls

Another new option for laboratory outreach is LigoLab Web Connect, a web-based application that offers instant access to the LigoLab platform from anywhere at any time without a pathology software installation requirement.

TestDirectly Web Portal: Empowering Labs and Patients with Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing

The TestDirectly direct-to-consumer lab testing (DTC) web portal (TestDirectly.com) improves lab testing capacity and reduces turnaround times by creating an electronic clinical lab workflow that directly connects with patients for specimen collection, lab testing, and reporting. 

Patients can schedule collection appointments, register themselves, and receive automated result notifications via email and/or SMS.

Other key features of the TestDirectly web portal include the following. 

• Integration with all LIS system and lab RCM systems to enhance pathology lab management and reporting
• Increased accessibility to direct-to-consumer lab testing that opens new revenue streams
• Live insurance discovery and eligibility checks
• Specimen barcoding and sample tracking management support
• Report delivery options via email, SMS, portal, or interface
• Real-time results and analytics for patients, providers, employers, and public health
• Support for all DTC collection workflows, such as drive-through, walk-up, concierge, organizational, travel, pooled, and at-home test kit

Future-Proof Your Lab: The Best Laboratory Information System Maximizes Interoperability 

LigoLab’s lab information system features an open architecture and a best-in-class interface engine that functions with maximum interoperability, enabling the LIS to easily connect with the following laboratory software systems.  

• A vast majority of analyzers (over 600 different instrument types)
• All EMRs and EHRs
• Third-party services 

This includes internal networking as well as connections with external networks of healthcare organizations, such as laboratory billing services, the Tumor Registry, and state reporting agencies. 

LigoLab’s proprietary interface engine supports all standard interchange protocols, including the following.

• API
• FHIR
• HL7
• X12
• XML
• Flat File
• ASTM
• CSV
• PDF
• And More 

Laboratory Information System Software that Automates Complex Processes and Reduces the Need for Human Intervention

LigoLab's rule engine allows users to automate complex and inefficient laboratory processes without custom scripts. The automation engine is integrated into the suite of applications and triggers actions when certain logical conditions are met, drastically reducing the need for human intervention.

• An agile platform application that automates laboratory processes for optimal efficiency
• Synched with real-time lab workflow queues for heightened clinical data visibility
• Flexible design for conditional automation
• Multi-layered lab workflow management control

Regulatory Compliance Made Easy

To ensure that your laboratory operates within the guidelines of regulatory bodies such as CAP, CLIA, HIPAA, and others, LigoLab offers specialized tools that minimize compliance risks, reduce audit risk, and prevent revenue loss, including the following.

• Compliance-conscious lab workflow and reports
• Ad hoc data query capabilities
• Support for all established regulatory protocols
• Compliance verification at every stage 

Protect Your Lab and Patient Data with LigoLab's Advanced Security Features

LigoLab offers advanced security and privacy features that protect both the laboratory and the patient’s data.

• Automatic log-off for user inactivity 
• A robust and searchable audit trail that logs every activity
• User permission and visibility control

Invest in Your Lab's Future: Pathology Lab Management Software with a Proven ROI

“The end-to-end efficiency created by LigoLab Informatics Platform is a major reason why lab managers choose a LIS system like ours. Many of our lab partners migrated from homegrown or legacy LIS systems that lacked functionality, reliability, and scalability.”

- Suren Avunjian, LigoLab CEO

Avunjian said that it’s common for lab directors and managers to resist making a switch, even though they know it’s needed to remain relevant, because of fear.

“These lab directors and managers are being held hostage by their current LIS lab vendor because they haven’t seen a return on their initial investment. This leaves lab management feeling stuck and forced to make the best out of a bad situation that will only get worse.”

So, how can lab leaders be assured of a healthy return on their investment with LigoLab's medical laboratory information system solution?

“Our LIS system software drives lab workflow supported by automation and rules that help the laboratory become super-efficient and virtually mistake-free. The LigoLab platform removes the bottlenecks and barriers that prevent scalability. When we survey our clients, we regularly hear how they’ve increased lab productivity, as measured by samples processed per FTE staff, by two-and-a-half times simply by deploying our lab information system software.”

Avunjian noted that ROI can be difficult to measure, but the fact that the platform enables labs to scale without adding FTEs is a good place to start.

“As soon as our lab information system is deployed, labs can take on more business with the same amount of personnel because they are no longer limited by an old and antiquated LIS system. With LigoLab, they can break that artificial ceiling that’s holding them back as an organization.”

For Avunjian and his team, it’s no surprise that the fastest-growing labs in the country are using LigoLab's game-changing lab information system platform. 

“They’ve abandoned their old restrictive LIS systems and the legacy laboratory information system companies they were working with and replaced them with a comprehensive and infinitely configurable LIS software platform that's supported with unlimited and unmatched customer service.”

Achieving a Seamless Laboratory Information System Environment: LigoLab's Four-Phase Implementation Process

LigoLab's track record speaks for itself with a 100 percent success rate for laboratory information system (LIS meaning medical) implementations. The LIS company meticulously follows a four-phase installation plan that draws on nearly two decades of expertise and hundreds of successful go-lives.

Here are the four phases of LigoLab's laboratory information system implementation plan. 

Discovery: In-depth domain analysis that evaluates all laboratory workflows, tools, and instruments. LigoLab's team maps out the lab's entire operation, identifies key areas that need improvement, and develops an implementation plan.

Configuration: LigoLab's implementation team configures the baseline settings of master files, historical data imports, and interface builds, based on the initial plan.

Testing and Validation: The laboratory begins to process live cases in parallel, and any workflow gaps are discovered and addressed. LigoLab's team ensures that the laboratory information system is running smoothly and is aligned with the lab's requirements.

Go-Live: With testing and validation completed, the new laboratory information system is ready for go-live. LigoLab's team works closely with lab personnel to resolve any issues that arise and make adjustments as needed, while also providing unparalleled customer support.

LigoLab: LIS System Vendors to Partner With for Lab Growth and Success

At LigoLab, we're passionate about helping clinical laboratories and anatomic pathology groups reach their full potential. Our comprehensive and agile LIS laboratory information system software solutions are designed to empower labs of all sizes and specialties to thrive in today's competitive healthcare landscape.

Our commitment to excellence starts with our name, which comes from the Latin word "Ligo," meaning to unite or connect. We believe that by connecting our lab partners with our powerful silo-free laboratory information system solutions, we can help them achieve their goals and make a positive impact on the patients they serve.

Our informatics platform is built for scalability and ease of use, with features and enhancements added daily to ensure that labs have the tools they need to succeed. Our commitment to data security means that labs can trust us to protect their sensitive information, while our automation and workflow tools help them work more efficiently than ever before.

Whether you're a clinical, anatomic, or molecular lab, our pathology lab software solutions are designed to streamline your operations, increase productivity, and position you for success in a rapidly evolving industry.

LigoLab is a privately owned LIS company that’s headquartered in Los Angeles. Since 2006, our mission has been to develop dynamic and diverse end-to-end medical LIS software solutions for laboratories, helping them expand services and add revenue sources as they grow and thrive.

At LigoLab, we're not just providing laboratory information system solutions - we're helping our lab partners grow and thrive. Let our LIS company unite your lab with the tools you need to achieve your goals and transform your business.

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