You Invested to Meet the Demand for COVID-19 Testing: How Do You Optimize that Investment Post-Pandemic?

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., many laboratories invested in equipment, supplies, and personnel to manage the surge of COVID-19 test demand. For the laboratory information system (LIS), the backbone of the laboratory IT infrastructure, this meant new workflows, report templates, and instrument interfaces to handle the new COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.

Once that investment has been made, how can laboratories maximize the effectiveness of those investments? COVID testing is not going to stop completely, even though volume is down significantly in the U.S. There will be variants. There will be testing required for back to work programs and travel eligibility. That said, one of the first solutions to leverage excess capacity is for laboratories to expand their test menus. This menu expansion could include adding PCR panel tests for infectious diseases, viruses, and even bacteria.

Remember when you were a kid and your mom took you to the doctor when you weren’t feeling well and the doctor said, “It’s probably the flu. Rest and fluids are the prescription.” That was the end of it. Today’s consumers are much more involved and engaged in their healthcare and want to know specifically whether they have Influenza A or B or any other respiratory disease. The same is true for other types of bacteria and viruses, such as:

Your LIS plays an integral role in test menu expansion, from receiving electronic orders or manually accessioning cases to providing an ordering and resulting portal. It manages your case workflow for each type of testing (AP, Clinical, Molecular) and integrates with medical devices and analytic tools to review and process results. Your LIS also enables a lab to create a report that includes both diagnostic results and a functional design so clinicians and patients can understand and act on the results. Finally, it integrates with your billing and revenue cycle management (RCM) software to ensure rapid reimbursement.

So, the big question is, does your LIS help or hinder your ability to expand your test menu, leverage your investments in equipment and personnel, and ultimately grow revenue?  How easy is it to launch new testing modalities in your current LIS? Does your LIS include most of these advanced features?

• Open API for connectivity to EHR, digital pathology platforms, NGS platforms, Bioinformatics solutions and RCM
• Dynamic workflow engine to support client specific protocols and procedures
• Specimen management and plate mapping functions
• Segmentation of data (commercial, research, clinical trials)
• A dynamic and attractive final patient report
• Project-level reporting for clinical trials
• Well integrated with billing so that you get paid efficiently

If it doesn’t, this does not automatically mean you need to replace it. At XiFin we encourage labs to use the technology assets that work for you and in which you have a significant financial investment.  Embrace what works and augment capabilities with integrated commercial components. Perhaps your LIS is excellent for clinical pathology but not suitable for molecular or NGS testing. You can certainly integrate a new system with your existing LIS to get the best of both systems.

Make the most of your COVID-19 testing investments by expanding your test menu. Not only does this improve your return on investment, it grows your lab’s volume and revenue. Be thoughtful about the capabilities that you may need to supplement your current LIS to enable the most effective expansion of your test menu.

To learn more about how an integrated LIS benefits your lab, your clients, and your patients, read this white paper, “Making the Case for an Integrated Operational, Clinical, and Financial Technology Strategy.”

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