Automating laboratory operations is no longer optional. It has become the need of the hour. Medical laboratories face a number of challenges, from controlling the influx of test samples to delivering patient results on time. With the advancement in technologies and a growing number of test orders, rethinking workflow and processes can have a huge impact on your bottom line.  In this blog, we will tell you how automating laboratory workflow in your medical laboratory can benefit you and your staff.

1. Boosts Employee Productivity

Workflow automation has been shown to increase productivity in peer reviewed literature by as much as 75%. Do more in less time with 100% accuracy – this is the motive of all organizations including lab settings. Automating certain procedures such as data entry, data tracking, editing multiple records, and information sharing and retrieval using medical laboratory software could save many hours for your staff. They can focus on more important tasks and deliver more work in less time.

2. Breaks Siloes and Standardizes Processes

Silo operations are the root cause of inefficiency. Working department-wise rather than system-wide prevents coordination and impacts patient outcomes. Many laboratories are investing in lab information system (LIS) to coordinate workflow across various departments in their facilities. From sample tracking, data collection and management, quality control to automated reporting, your lab can benefit from the features that LIS provides. Instead of using various tools to do these tasks, your lab can use single medical laboratory software and manage everything from one place.

3. Reduces Human Errors

A study named “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Healthcare System” tells us how common mistakes are in a medical facility. In any test, there are three types of errors – pre-analytical (when the specimen arrives), analytical (when the sample is processed) and post-analytical (interpreting and reporting). When these things are done manually, errors are bound to happen. Many laboratories are now using a laboratory information management system to label, process, interpret, and prepare a report for patient samples.

4. Reduces Turnaround Times (TAT)

Turnaround time is the time taken by a lab to provide test results. It is one of the most important aspects of lab service and a key indicator of your performance. When you have a central database and an automated system, it becomes easier to enter and extract data, eliminate human errors, and improve throughput. Medical laboratory software can customized to define your laboratory workflow, design menu, and enter terminologies. With a customizable LIS solution, you can increase efficiency and productivity organization-wide while decreasing TAT.

5. Saves Money by Improving Billing

Well, we know time is money. But with LIMS software, you can really save money along with time. How? Poor quality lab results and errors in the billing process often result in huge losses for laboratories. With the lab information system, you get quality data every time, thus helping you provide quality results in less time. Today, advanced LIMS systems, like PROLIS, come integrated with billing tools like the Billing Dashboard that enable your organization to capture each accession and every one of its billable contents as soon it becomes FINAL and reported, manage invoices, payments, and patient billing and avoid unnecessary expenses. So, you save money at the end!

Conclusion

With ever-changing regulatory mandates, growing healthcare needs, and increasing competition, labs need a robust workflow and standardized processes. With PROLIS medical laboratory software, your lab facility can automate various processes like tracking patient orders, generating results, printing custom labels, patient scheduling, logistics monitoring, auditing, and even billing. Click here to learn more about how PROLIS can help you automate laboratory workflow and improve your bottom line.