Laboratory Information Management System: Advances in Clinical Lab Workflow

Laboratory workflow management in healthcare systems has expanded rapidly over the years, going from the relatively straightforward patient sample tracking processes with a pathology specimen tracking system to pathology lab software solutions that support and automate laboratory data tracking, sample analysis, instrument integration, centralized data access, and storage. 

A laboratory information system (LIS abbreviation medical) provides a backbone for laboratory administration and operational and financial pathology lab management in clinical labs.

What is a Laboratory Information System? 

A lab information system (also known as LIS software or pathology software), by definition, is designed to handle data management for a laboratory at scale. It helps minimize the stress of managing a lab by improving the efficiency of collecting, tracking, and analyzing test results in a clinical setting. The full scope of laboratory information system software extends beyond effectively managing sample tracking processes to include various other lab workflows, such as: 

• Automated barcoding of samples
• Avoidance of manual error and test-code mismatches
• Performance of data analytics and lab audits
• Maintenance of lab equipment/instruments
• Management of workload among lab personnel and laboratory inventory
• Integration of the laboratory information system and laboratory billing software for easier and more accurate lab billing (lab revenue cycle management)

LIS Systems and Clinical Laboratory Management  

In healthcare, a LIS laboratory information system integrates all processes that track a patient’s journey from test order to test result. From the moment a patient first encounters a hospital/clinic where an electronic health record (EHR) of the patient’s details are created, up until the final test report is generated and lab billing completed, the LIS software interfaces with other laboratory software systems and analytical instruments to seamlessly exchange data, manage samples, automate workflows, and produce timely and accurate test results in the form of a lab report.

Hospitals and clinics handle large streams of data, and need innovative LIS system software solutions to streamline the data in an organized manner; only then can clinicians draw clinical insights from a patient’s lab reports. In addition to running a sample through the required tests in a lab, other laboratory information system functions such as ensuring compliance with government regulations, documentation, managing lab resources, and securing centralized data storage/access are integrated into a lab’s medical LIS for efficient pathology lab management.

Laboratory Information System Software Benefits

The benefits of laboratory information system software lie in bringing digitization and automation to clinical labs, paving the way to efficient pathology lab management. The advantages that come with an advanced LIS system are:

• Swift registration and barcoding of samples
• Flexibility in LIS software solutions to adopt new tests/updates into a sample lab workflow
• Assurance of compliance with government regulatory bodies, to ensure that the lab’s tests/diagnostics and quality control are up-to-date
• Standardized test workflows to ensure accuracy
• Integrates with instruments in the lab to maintain a unified interface for deploying a diagnosis/workflow
• The LIS system supports data management and interoperability between different laboratory software systems to seamlessly integrate the lab with the clinic/hospital, etc.
• Maintains a searchable audit trail
• Assured quality control of sample management

Laboratory Information System Functions: How Does it Work? 

A basic laboratory information system manages patient samples and all the different types of data associated with those samples (consultation details such as demographics, medical history, diagnostic tests run, results from the test, lab billing, etc.). A clinical lab workflow can become complicated due to the many intersections of data among and within samples. LIS software solutions streamline this process by sample tracking and recording a patient’s barcoded sample, loading/logging it into the appropriate lab workflow, and tracking its progress at every stage, as well as generating reports from the tests run and the recorded test results. All of a patient’s consolidated data can be accessed/retrieved by lab personnel through a database search or using a patient’s demographic data within the lab information system.

The LIS system workflow can be summarized into the following steps: accessioning, recording, sample tracking, obtaining results, reporting, and storing/managing samples over time. These pathology LIS systems improve on previous manual record-keeping strategies and minimize inconsistencies in the way samples are labeled and stored through barcoding. This improves the identification of samples and sample retrieval, when necessary, as well as turnaround times and ultimately, patient safety. 

The best LIS software solutions can also interface with laboratory instruments, and a sample’s status can also be instantly referred to through its barcode, and securely stored for long periods on an internal server/centralized database. 

The Differences Between Laboratory Information Systems and LIMS Software Solutions

The terms laboratory information system (LIS system) and laboratory information management system (lab LIMS) are often used interchangeably, despite their differences. On the whole, LIS systems are used to support patient-centric lab workflow, whereas a lab LIMS refers to lab workflows that are sample-centric and in most cases not related to pathology. The best LIMS (LIMS lab management software) thus has a wider application and may be installed to ensure efficient sample handling in industrial, food/agricultural, and biomedical labs. LIS systems, on the other hand, typically refer to lab workflow (medical laboratory solutions) that collect and manage patient information and metadata related to a clinical setting.

The best LIS software solutions focus on keeping patient data secure and confidential and strictly adhere to laws that ensure patient privacy, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Apart from the importance given to ensuring data security, other laboratory information system functions are for the most part similar to the lab LIMS solutions, such as managing samples and tracking them, maintaining a historical record, interfacing with other laboratory software systems/instruments to exchange data, and integrating results from lab analysis workflows into a report. 

Despite these similarities, LIMS providers build software that centers around samples, either individually or in large batches. Lab information management systems LIMS need to be compliant with standards or regulations that ensure good lab practices, such as ISO/IEC 17025, and a main focus is quality control for a lab’s workflows. 

As the best LIMS and best LIS software continue to evolve, their functionalities often overlap (LIS vs. LIMS). 

When buying a laboratory information system, it is recommended to approach the LIS company directly as they are lab vendors who are in the best position to demonstrate the LIS software and suggest how a chosen LIS system software solution may be tailored/adapted to a lab’s needs.

The Importance of Laboratory Information Systems 

In conclusion, LIS systems allow for efficient integration of a lab’s workflows. Laboratory information system companies, with laboratory input, can modify the LIS systems, customizing the workflows to each lab’s unique requirements. For example, an anatomic pathology LIS would need to facilitate a very different workflow than a molecular LIS.

Both minimize manual errors and improve lab productivity by recording and managing samples and patient data that would otherwise require interaction from lab personnel, thus improving the overall efficiency of a laboratory’s technical operations.

Regardless of which LIS system you choose, the right LIS system backed by the right lIS company will create unique advantages that enable the lab to differentiate, a key factor in retaining clients and attracting new business. This flexibility will also ensure both present and future success for the lab because it enables the business to quickly pivot and go after new opportunities as they present themselves.