Case Study
California Lab Partners with TestDirectly to Help a National Mortgage Company Bring People Back to its Offices
October 28, 2024
Editor’s Note: This case study was originally published on November 3, 2021. It highlights how LigoLab’s direct-to-consumer lab testing web portal, TestDirectly supported a California lab’s organizational testing requirements, specifically for a residential mortgage company, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A California-based lab specializing in commercial COVID-19 testing programs with same-day results recently partnered with LigoLab to help a large residential mortgage company safely bring people back to its offices.
The company, which has more than 7,500 employees spread across 12 locations in six states, needed a direct-to-consumer lab testing solution to support on-site business activity at multiple locations and for multiple patient types.
The lab delivered on the company’s needs by working closely with Ligolab and providing a comprehensive plan that enabled the employer to welcome its employees back to the office safely and responsibly.
“The mortgage company has shown tremendous leadership in the way it has brought people back to its offices,” said the lab’s CEO. “They have taken a holistic approach to COVID-19 by testing employees and offering testing to contractors and vendors. This was not an easy task for such a large organization but it happened by prioritizing employee safety.”
Learn More - Related Case Study: How Our Lab Partner Embraced Laboratory Information System Innovation and Won a Statewide Testing Contract
How the COVID-19 Employee Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Program Works
The lab piloted its COVID-19 testing program with the employer over two weeks in February 2021. Since then, the lab has onboarded over 7,000 patients eligible for regular testing.
The company’s employees, contractors, and vendors choose whether or not they get tested, and how often they get tested. Any person who wants to participate in direct-to-consumer lab testing can receive it, regardless of the person’s location.
The lab makes testing as easy and hassle-free as possible, ensuring robust COVID-19 testing continues at all locations.
“COVID-19 testing continues to be a priority for us, especially as more people return to our offices across the country,” said a manager with the large employer. “Because of the nature of our business, we needed a partner that could handle multiple locations and a highly mobile workforce, while also offering convenience, scale, and a quick turnaround time. The lab has delivered on these demands and we couldn’t be happier.”
Once tested, employees, contractors, and vendors receive notification (by email or SMS text) about their test results in as little as six to eight hours, depending on their testing location. Additionally, the lab’s swabs are softer and less invasive and can be transported in a dry pouch without refrigeration or a liquid medium.
Learn More: Highlighting the Versatility of the TestDirectly Direct-to-Consumer Lab Testing Portal
How TestDirectly Improves the COVID-19 Employee Testing Process
Another aspect that sets the lab apart is its use of TestDirectly to support its direct-to-consumer lab testing workflow and streamline its COVID-19 collection, testing, and reporting processes.
“Before we discovered LigoLab and the TestDirectly platform, operationalizing multi-location COVID-19 testing for large enterprises was extremely difficult,” the lab’s CEO said. “Legacy laboratory information systems (LIS systems, LIS software) had zero flexibility, and to get what we needed from them would’ve taken 10 different LIS systems. TestDirectly delivered everything we needed in a single direct-to-consumer labs solution with an onboarding process that took very little time.”
Learn More: Why Legacy Software is a Business Liability
The lab’s LIS software partnership with LigoLab and TestDirectly has increased productivity. With TestDirectly, the lab can process 1,500 weekly specimen samples with a turnaround time (TestDirectly results time) of fewer than 24 hours for test results.
“The lab’s work with its client is a good use case for other large employers and organizations to follow,” said LigoLab CEO Suren Avunjian. “Employers are looking for direct-to-consumer lab testing solutions that are easy to manage and that support a seamless user experience for their employees. Removing barriers increases employee buy-in and a more successful testing program.”
The TestDirectly direct-to-consumer lab testing solution creates efficiencies and eliminates the potential for human errors and reporting delays by replacing paper forms and manual processes with an electronic workflow that provides coverage for every phase of COVID-19 testing.
The platform’s core services include patient and family self-registration and scheduling, capacity management, specimen collection, specimen tracking and processing, laboratory billing (lab revenue cycle management), compliance, consumer lab reports generation, patient results notification (by email and text), automated report delivery, at-home specimen collection, and SMART Health Card and Common Pass integration (COVID-19 testing and vaccination verification via QR codes).
Learn More About TestDirectly and TestDirectly.com
TestDirectly is a direct-to-consumer lab testing web portal developed by LigoLab that integrates with all laboratory information systems (LIS software) and equips providers with the direct-to-consumer lab testing tools needed to quickly scale operations for programs designed for employers and other large organizations.
TestDirectly and its network of direct-to-consumer labs and collection centers throughout the U.S. have collected, tested, and reported over 10 million COVID-19 cases.
Plans to Grow Into a Large-Scale Lab Testing Operation Should Always Include Modern LIS System Software
Congrats and a high-five are in order. Your lab has achieved success through hard work and dedication and has grown steadily. As you consider scaling from a mid-sized to a large-scale lab and what that will entail, here are some proven strategies to help drive growth and expansion effectively.
First, avoid “paralysis by analysis.” In a smaller organization, decision-making often involves input from multiple stakeholders. However, this can lead to indecision as consensus becomes harder to achieve.
Experts like Ron Ashkenas (read his Harvard Business Review article below) suggest that while broad engagement is important, major decisions should rest with a smaller leadership team, ideally the CEO and trusted executives. This allows for efficient decision-making, with broader involvement limited to executing and communicating those decisions.
Learn More: Leading a Midsize Business Through Change
It’s also noteworthy that over time, maintaining multiple systems to meet growing needs leads to data silos and inconsistent results. More is definitely not better in this case.
Finally, be cautious with legacy LIS vendors who may charge hefty upfront fees and hidden costs for growth.
At LigoLab, we understand these growing pains because our co-founders saw the limitations of piecemeal software solutions firsthand while holding down leadership roles within commercial labs in the past, and have since specialized in turning their lab clients into thriving large-scale lab operators.
Learn More: Shaping the Future of Clinical Labs & Pathology Groups
That’s why we built the LigoLab Informatics Platform, a comprehensive, integrated pathology lab software solution designed to streamline workflows and eliminate inefficiencies. Our all-in-one approach to LIS system software allows labs to scale effectively without losing operational cohesion.
Moreover, LigoLab’s tiered pricing aligns with your lab’s growth, providing maximum value and ongoing support. We focus on laboratory information system innovation to ensure our partners remain equipped to handle industry demands.
Explore how LigoLab can support your lab’s expansion with a tailored LIS system partnership that evolves with you.
Request a 15-minute discovery call with one of our LIS system specialists to get started.
