Laboratory Information Systems vs. Electronic Health Record Systems - Which is the Best Choice for My Hospital Lab?

Is leadership at your hospital or health system actively comparing and contrasting the merits of laboratory information systems vs. electronic health record systems and how they support core pathology and clinical lab functions? 

If so, this blog post is definitely for you.

While EHR and laboratory information system software have overlapping capabilities, this blog will make clear that there is only one real choice that truly benefits pathologists, medical directors, and support staff while putting the entire lab operation on a path to an efficient and scalable future.  

EHR Systems are Holistic; LIS Systems are Purpose-Built

Let’s start with high-level definitions of EHR and LIS systems and then pivot toward a direct comparison.

EHR Systems: Designed to provide a comprehensive view of patient information by integrating data from various healthcare providers and systems. These systems are broad in scope, encompassing patient demographics, medical history, medication management, physician notes, imaging, billing, and lab results.

LIS Systems: Specifically designed for efficient laboratory workflow management, from test orders to result reporting, and everything in between. These systems focus narrowly on the laboratory environment, supporting activities like specimen tracking, automated test result analysis, and lab-specific reporting.

EHR and LIS systems are essential in healthcare but at the core are fundamentally different in focus and functionality. Both systems are integral to modern healthcare and when integrated and working together, they enhance efficiency, accuracy, and patient outcomes throughout the healthcare continuum.

LIS Systems: Tailored Laboratory Workflows and Feature-Rich Solutions 

Next, let’s focus on why choosing an EHR system to handle all EHR and LIS system functions in a hospital lab setting is potentially a costly mistake. 

To help make our point, let’s highlight a hospital-based lab within a large health system that faced a choice between a leading EHR system and the LigoLab platform a few months ago. The hospital-based lab not only needed to find a replacement for its sunsetting LIS system, but it also wanted a new laboratory software solution that could support the following growth strategy:

• Improve quality, test turnaround time, and operational flexibility
• Add new revenue lines by expanding outreach services to the community
• Better tracking for sendout and reference testing
• Enhance functionality across all anatomic pathology processes
• Enhance anatomic pathology services for clients 
• Save money on IT and lab operating expenses (including employee costs)

After setting up a laboratory software system selection committee and conducting extensive market research, the hospital-based lab narrowed its search to two lab vendors: one representing a leading EHR system and the other a leading LIS system.

Learn More: How to Set Up a Committee to Select a Laboratory Information System

Head-to-Head Comparison Yields a Clear Choice 

After narrowing the lab vendors down to two finalists the hospital-based lab next dove even deeper into each system’s functions and capabilities to truly understand which system would be best for its immediate and future trajectory. 

Here is what the lab discovered during its head-to-head comparison. 

Outreach Support 

• The EHR system wasn’t designed to support out-patient cases and didn’t have an outreach portal. 

• The LIS system was designed for in-patient and out-patient support and included powerful tools like an outreach portal to improve the marketability of the lab. 

Laboratory Billing 

• The EHR system could not support cross-coding for ambulatory and inpatient lab billing, had no consolidation of CPT codes functionality, and needed a solution for client billing. 

• The LIS system offered full support for TC/PC splits, automated Client Billing, and full integration of the hospital’s charge codes. 

Cost and Resource Requirements 

• The EHR implementation would be more expensive and come with high licensing fees and hardware costs. It would also be resource-intensive, requiring significant time and effort from lab personnel. 

• The LIS company offered a more cost-effective implementation and maintenance plan, a simpler implementation process, and a partnership LIS model with tiered pricing options for licensing. 

Learning Curve and User Experience

• The EHR would have a steep learning curve requiring extensive training and a less intuitive user interface. 

• The lab felt like the LIS system interface was more user-friendly and had an intuitive design, plus all training was included as part of the LIS system implementation process and also available on-demand. 

Integration and Customization 

• The EHR presented to the lab would be separated from the main EHR used by the hospital’s other departments. Additionally, it offered limited interoperability with third-party systems, would be difficult and costly for any customization, and required substantial support from the EHR vendor. 

• The lab information system’s powerful integration engine was featured prominently in all interoperability discussions. In addition to seamless connectivity, it offered a flexible and customizable infrastructure that had also been successfully integrated with the EHR finalist on several occasions. 

Vendor Dependency

• The lab would be highly dependent on the vendor for updates, support, and customizations with the EHR system.

• The lab would enjoy more independence and control, plus comprehensive support with the LIS system.

Customization and Flexibility 

• The EHR offered a rigid structure and a cumbersome customization process.

• The LIS system was much more customizable and would be much more able to meet the lab’s unique workflows. 

Standardization

• The EHR’s standardized solutions limited the lab’s ability to tailor the software to meet specific requirements.

• The LIS system excelled in this area, offering a pliable solution that could be tailored to all of the lab’s unique configurations. 

Client Portal

• As noted earlier, the EHR system didn’t have a key component for lab outreach, a portal to support remote order entry, result delivery, search capability, and supply ordering.

• This starkly contrasted with the LIS system which featured a modern portal for remote access that supports client order entry, result delivery, and supply ordering.

Customer Support 

• The EHR system came up short here too, with the lab-based hospital learning about variable support quality with reports, delayed responses, and inadequate resolutions while conducting market research. A likely dependency on external consultants for effective use and customization was also noted. 

• Meanwhile, the LIS company not only offered a dedicated customer support team with deep domain knowledge, but also guaranteed uptime, response times, and resolution times, all backed up by statements from current lab information system users during market research. 

Other Key LIS System Features 

• The LIS system also scored high with the lab’s sales and reporting teams thanks to its tracking dashboard functionality and powerful reporting templating and distribution solutions. 

• For workflow mapping, the LIS system successfully demonstrated it had mapping to support not only anatomic pathology LIS workflow but also women’s health and other ancillary testing. 

• The laboratory information system also featured a send-out module that integrates with reference labs for tracking specimens and procedures, one that automatically fills out requisition forms based on relevant case information. 

• Lastly, the LIS system software included a customer service module that would ensure all quality assurance and quality improvement issues are tracked and resolved. 

Although not critical for successful lab operations, these LIS system-only features, in addition to the direct head-to-head comparison of other functionality, made it quite apparent that the LIS system was the right choice for this hospital-based lab. 

In the case we highlighted, the lab was fortunate to have a large say in its future. The lab’s leadership was seated at the C-Suite table and had a strong operational and financial case for why the healthcare system should opt for the purpose-built laboratory information system rather than implementing the holistic EHR system into the lab. Lab leadership effectively argued that any perceived gains in integration and communication between departments would be nullified by what the lab would lose in autonomy, reputation, and revenue opportunities. 

Transform Your Hospital Laboratory Operations with LigoLab’s Modern LIS System Solutions 

With pressing challenges such as dwindling reimbursements, staffing shortages, increased regulations, and high customer turnover posing major business threats, hospital labs need to take action and secure a strategic partner to help them overcome operational inefficiencies and barriers to growth while keeping pace with rapidly developing technology advancements.

For hospital labs still using legacy laboratory information systems and constantly dealing with siloed information and data integrity issues, LigoLab offers its all-in-one medical LIS and laboratory billing platform as a highly flexible and scalable alternative.

LigoLab’s single source of truth platform:

• Reduces complexity to standardize operations
• Simplifies and enhances interoperability
• Automates workflows to streamline operations
• Optimizes compliance and reduces risk
• Improves marketability and business competitiveness
• Retains and wins new customers
• Scales and future-proofs lab operations and finances

Learn More: Comparing LigoLab Informatics Platform with Legacy Laboratory Information System Software

In addition to modern laboratory information system functions capable of transforming a struggling lab into a thriving profit center, LigoLab offers tiered pricing options uniquely designed to cater to all medical laboratory types, sizes, and complexities. 

LigoLab understands every laboratory has specific needs, workflows, and growth plans, and a one-size-fits-all laboratory information system software solution will always fall short of delivering the maximum value.

Contact a product specialist and learn more about the LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Informatics Platform and how its aligned partnership model can help your lab organization modernize and grow faster.

CONTACT A PRODUCT SPECIALIST