Laboratory Information Systems
A laboratory information system, or LIS, is a software program that provides all the basic functionality needed for a clinical laboratory, whether that laboratory is hospital-based or a standalone commercial laboratory facility. Various components of the LIS will handle patient check-in, order entry, results entry, physician and patient demographics, specimen processing, and have some level of reporting ability.
Legacy laboratory information systems are typically homegrown, that is, they were developed within the organization 20 or 30 years ago, or were purchased ”off the shelf.” Homegrown systems and legacy systems often have problems with connectivity, scalability and flexibility, especially as technology changes within the laboratory and healthcare industry. Off-the-shelf products often force laboratories to modify their workflow to adapt to the LIS, rather than the other way around. Also, numerous LIS vendors have gone out of business or shifted their focus to other areas in the last two decades. Often legacy LISes utilize multiple databases, which create a great deal of difficulty with database interfaces and data synchronization.
Newer LISes are increasingly able to offer what laboratories need: modular-based systems with customizable functionality, scalability and a high level of adaptable connectivity for both institutional electronic medical records (EMRs) and physician access. Laboratories also require a LIS to to interface with the laboratory’s instrumentation, which allows patient results to be directly entered into the database and then into the EMR; Web-based order entry/result inquiry; and workload balancing. The LIS often has non-clinical functionality such as workflow monitoring and billing services.
In addition, these systems need to be customizable, be able to effectively and easily interface with both the institution’s electronic health record, the laboratory’s automated equipment, and provide Web-based access for physicians.
The environment for health information technology, specifically LISes, requires adherence to a number of national and international standards including CLIA, CCHIT, ANSI, HL7, HITSP, and LOINC.
Abaton.com Will Not Be Offered As Stand-Alone Lab Solution
EARLY-ADOPTER LABS now using Abaton.com for Web-based lab test ordering and results reporting will have to switch to a new software product. McKesson HBOC notified existing laboratory users of the Abaton.com product that it will no longer be supported as a stand-alo…
Knoxville Path Group Reports Tests Via Web
CEO SUMMARY: Pathologists at Knoxville Pathology Group are adding to their reputation for progressive business thinking. In addition to a regionalization strategy—which includes participation in Pathology Service Associates—in January they became one of the first local pathology pract…
Labs Moving to Internet For Results Reporting
CEO SUMMARY: When faced with the choice of implementing Web-accessed lab test ordering or Web-accessed results reporting, most early adopter laboratories started with results reporting. It requires much less money and effort to accomplish. Vendors recognized this fact and are introducing …
New Products for Lab Test Reporting
Editor’s Introduction: Although the movement to shift lab test results reporting to the Web is still in its earliest stages, a growing number of laboratories are actively preparing to offer this service to their physician-clients. In response to the demand for solutions to permit lab tes…
Web-based Test Ordering Is A “Tough Nut To Crack”
CEO SUMMARY: Shifting office-based physicians to Web-accessed lab test ordering proved to be a daunting task for WebMD and its early competitors. Probably the most significant discovery is that modest capabilities of existing software technology and the lack of Internet broadband connecti…
Intel & iMcKesson Fund Study Of Doctor-Patient Email System
IT’S CONSUMER DEMAND which motivated Intel Corporation and iMcKesson LLC to fund a study of how state-of-the-art email connectivity benefits physicians and their patients. The study, announced on October 11, will be conducted at the University of Michigan …
Advanced Health Technologies, ProxyMed, WebMD, ePhysician, Data Critical Corp.
Editor’s Note: There is a major push by many well-funded companies to convert lab test ordering and results reporting onto Web-enabled systems. Here’s a sampling of what some companies are attempting to accomplish. AHT, MAKER OF DR.CHART, FILES BANKRUPTCY AND IS ACQU…
MCOs Asking For More Lab Test Information
CEO SUMMARY: During the past 12 months, managed care companies in Michigan have increased the quantity and quality of the laboratory test information they want from their laboratory providers. Once again, the marketplace is raising the bar for competitive laboratory services. In response,…
Predict Steady Decline In Fees For Web-Based Lab Information
EVEN THOUGH WEB-BASED LAB TEST ordering and results reporting is in its infancy, the free market already seems to be driving prices down. Late in 1999, Healtheon/WebMD, Inc. was reportedly signing contracts to provide Web-based information services for fees ranging between 60¢ and …
Dr. Bruce Friedman Identifies Market Dynamics Driving Evolution of Lab Information Services
CEO SUMMARY: Probably no one is better positioned to identify the evolution of laboratory information services than Bruce Friedman, M.D., Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. For almost 20 years, he has hosted the pre-eminent meeting in laborat…
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Volume XXXII, No. 6 – April 21, 2025
Now that a federal judge has vacated the FDA’s LDT rule, The Dark Report analyzes the judgement and notes the various steps the FDA could take in response. Also, lab testing at pharmacies is proving to be less successful than was once anticipated.
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