News
Remembering COVID: Process Thousands of HRSA Patients in Minutes with LigoLab
March 4, 2025
Editor’s Note: On May 11, 2023, the World Health Organization officially declared the end of the global COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. While many have moved forward, those in healthcare - particularly in laboratory information systems (LIS software) and pathology lab management - must still reflect and apply the lessons learned during challenging times to strengthen preparedness for future infectious disease threats.
Learn More: End of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration
At LigoLab, supporting our lab partners throughout the pandemic was a top priority. We remained committed to understanding their evolving needs and delivering innovative medical LIS solutions to help them navigate the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. From rapidly optimizing laboratory workflow management while navigating uncharted territories to ensuring the safety of patients and providers, our efforts were driven by collaboration and a shared mission.
A defining aspect of this journey was capturing powerful stories of resilience from our partners on the frontlines. While we reflect on these pivotal moments and milestones, we recognize the unwavering dedication of the healthcare LIS and laboratory communities.
With these insights in mind, let’s take a moment to remember COVID-19 and revisit the following LigoLab news release published on November 19, 2020.
Rapidly Process Thousands of HRSA Patients in Minutes with LigoLab
The LigoLab LIS & RCM Laboratory Informatics Platform is fully integrated medical LIS and laboratory billing software. It features targeted lab information system automation enabling users to identify and process thousands of uninsured COVID-19 patients in just minutes. As one can imagine, this has proven to be a major advantage for medical laboratories and direct-to-consumer labs using molecular lab software to boost their diagnostic lab testing capacity to meet the public demand.
Learn More: Introducing TestDirectly, One of LigoLab’s Most Powerful Supporting Modules
The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) program provides claims reimbursement to healthcare providers for the testing of uninsured individuals for COVID-19. The program was first established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in February of 2020.
This laboratory billing workflow is often time-consuming and labor-intensive for molecular LIS laboratories, placing additional strain on their lab revenue cycle management (lab RCM) departments. However, LigoLab users benefit from a largely automated lab RCM system that streamlines the laboratory billing process, completing it in just a few clicks.
Learn More: How Molecular Test Orders are Accessioned in Lab with LigoLab's LIS System
“We’ve automated much of the HRSA reimbursement procedure for our lab partners,” said Farzad Abdi, LigoLab’s Lab Billing Manager. “Our lab billing platform automatically initiates insurance discovery service followed by an eligibility check, and if no insurance is found, LigoLab’s lab RCM solution runs a built-in dynamic report that identifies patients without insurance. The report generates an export file which is uploaded to the HRSA website. Later, a batch file is imported back into the LigoLab platform and the lab RCM module automatically assigns a temporary HRSA ID to all the patient encounters.
The alternative would be copying and pasting the required patient information into the laboratory information system manually one-by-one, a procedure that’s prone to error and a big waste of valuable time.
“With this level of lab revenue cycle management automation, laboratories can handle a much higher capacity for claims without having to expand their lab billing departments,” continued Abdi, who estimated that more than 10 percent of COVID-19 claims fall into the HRSA reimbursement category. “For high-volume laboratories, this translates into potentially thousands of daily claims that can now be processed in a matter of minutes, rather than taking several hours to complete the task.”
As mentioned earlier, LigoLab’s customizable rule engine is the key.
“LigoLab’s RCM cycle solution is enhanced by a specialized and customizable rule engine that handles client billing policies automatically,” said Abdi. “The HRSA workflow is just one example. We can build lab billing automation to support even the most complicated lab RCM policies, and we can do it in a matter of hours because we have a well-trained and experienced support staff.”
Abdi concluded by highlighting that LigoLab’s lab revenue cycle management support team is continuously developing automation rules to assist lab partners in managing the surge of COVID-19 claims. He noted that client billing workflows can now be largely automated, with most insurance claims being processed without human intervention.
Unite Your Medical LIS & Lab RCM and Truly Revolutionize Your Business
The LigoLab platform is a fully integrated laboratory information system and lab billing software that connects every department within one united LIS software infrastructure to transform operations and finances.
Unlike traditional laboratory revenue cycle management solutions, LigoLab enables labs to start their laboratory billing process at the order level with powerful verification and scrubbing components shared by the medical LIS and lab RCM modules. The platform also features advanced automation and a seamless pathology lab management designed to increase operational efficiency, transparency, revenue, and profit.
Learn More: Why Integrated LIS System and Lab RCM Software is a Catalyst for Growth
LigoLab’s 99.9% LIS System Uptime Guarantee: A Commitment to Reliability
LigoLab stands out in the laboratory information system market by guaranteeing 99.9% uptime, ensuring labs can rely on continuous operations without disruptions. CEO Suren Avunjian often emphasizes that even minor downtime can have serious consequences, and LigoLab takes every precaution to prevent it.
Unlike other laboratory information system vendors, LigoLab offers an unrivaled uptime guarantee, reinforcing its commitment to excellence and strong partnerships with laboratories. The platform is engineered for scalability, resilience, and high performance, all necessary for handling high-volume specimen processing and complex data management. Advanced monitoring systems proactively detect and resolve potential issues before they impact operations.
Learn More: What You Need to Know Before Contracting with a Laboratory Information System (LIS) Company
In rare cases of unplanned downtime, LigoLab credits customers for the affected time, demonstrating confidence in its LIS system’s stability and a deep commitment to client success. The LIS company continuously invests in cutting-edge technology, infrastructure, and rigorous quality assurance processes to maintain its industry-leading reliability.
This dedication ensures that LigoLab users experience minimal disruptions, maximum productivity, and seamless laboratory workflow management, making it a trusted partner for modern laboratories.
Learn More: Stability and Performance: The Two Most Important Aspects of a Modern Laboratory Operation
