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2021

  • Specimen Receiving Feature

    Pathagility has launched a new feature to integrate the specimen receiving process into the lab’s LIS workflow. Receiving in Workpath allows your samples to make contact with your Pathagility LIS the moment they arrive, promoting rapid intake and verifiable chain-of-custody procedures that save time and increase certainty in your lab operational organization. Receiving replaces…

2016

  • How Does Your Lab Add Value to Patient Care?

    How many times have you heard this mantra in the past few months: “the patient is now at the center of our business model.” It is true throughout healthcare. Any healthcare organization, from labs to hospitals to dentist offices, would be remiss to make the slightest decision without evaluating how this could possibly affect…

  • New Tech Allows PGx Labs to Provide The Most Common & Standard File (VCF) For Interpretation

    Pathagility’s LIMS and reporting solution provides lab executives with a central laboratory reporting solution that will adapt across any type of test, device or laboratory to provide the lab, referring physicians and patients with the enhanced reporting that innovative labs now require. With Pathagility, labs can fully customize their solution, as well as integrate with…

  • What to Consider When Making a LIMS Change at Your Lab

    As a laboratory executive, you are in charge of ensuring your lab operations including lab staffing, testing, and reporting run smoothly and deliver the best results to your referring physicians and groups. In today’s healthcare world, the patient experience is top of mind and if one system across your lab tech stack isn’t holding…

  • Your Lab’s Role in Patient-Centered Care

    It’s impossible to read healthcare news or articles or event attend a health-focused event without hearing the words “patient-centered care” or “patient experience”. In today’s world, we are experiencing a massive shift in how healthcare has been previously delivered, and it’s reshaping almost every facet of the healthcare system from top to bottom. Every…

  • Your Lab’s Mid Year Check Up

    As a healthcare professional, you certainly understand the importance of annual and semi–annual physicals and doctor visits. By scheduling these regular visits and check ups, you are likely to stay ahead of any issues by being proactive in your personal health. When you visit your doctor, he or she asks a series of questions,…

  • Greg Ingle, CEO of Clinical Lab Consulting, Shares His Perspective on Today’s Labs

    Greg Ingle’s background is eclectic to say the least. Greg was a host in the 90’s for various radio stations and was a nightclub DJ in Asia until getting into his first consulting job with an Oracle shop. Since then he has primarily worked in information and technology in a myriad of roles. Greg transitioned into…

  • Closing the Gap Between People & Processes with Lab Tech

    Medical laboratory managers and technicians play an important role in the prevention and diagnosis of diseases of all kinds. These lab techs are irreplaceable in the lab as they set up and sanitize laboratories, prepare specimens, match blood compatibility for transfusions, analyze fluid chemical content, collect blood samples, examine immune system elements and so…

  • 4 Questions to Ask When Evaluating a Lab Reporting Solution

    Evaluating a LIMS and reporting solution can be overwhelming. Not only does your lab’s reporting affect the quality of your own lab and processes, but your reports affect the end patient experience, too. While there are many questions you should ask in order to find the right solution and the right team to partner…

  • 3 Features in Pathagility Your Lab Will Love

    The Pathagility team is inspired by start-up labs and existing laboratories that are developing new and innovative tests. We know how challenging that process can be for labs, so we built a modern technology solution that provides a cost effective, Software-as-a-Service solution engineered especially for your lab’s needs. As a flexible cloud-based system, Pathagility gives…

  • A PGx Discussion Featuring Micaela Vargas, PhD

    Micaela Vargas’ Credentials Micaela Vargas (Micki) has a PhD in cell and molecular biology. Part of her work as a Doctoral student at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) was identifying and characterizing novel anthrax toxin receptors and analyzing these genes in patient-specific prostate cancer. Her research project encompassed molecular biology, cell biology,…

  • 3 Ways a LIMS System Cuts Costs & Improves Efficiency in The Lab

    Across the nation, labs are facing the toughest financial squeeze of recent times. Simply said, lab managers are being asked to cut operating costs and operate their labs with smaller budgets during 2016 – and beyond. That makes it essential for savvy lab managers to stay current with the most effective techniques for cutting lab…

  • How This PGx Lab Went From Ability to Analyze 50 Tests to 95

    A high volume clinical laboratory based in Louisiana specializes in advanced PGx and Toxicology testing. The lab receives test samples from around the United States to process in their CLIA certified lab. Opportunity With testing so sophisticated and unique, the lab needed a better way to provide clean and easy to interpret reports to referring…

  • Spotlight on Pharmacogenetics: Tests & the Tech Behind Them

    Over the last 10 years, it has come to public knowledge that genes do not necessarily have to express themselves. Integrative doctors have brought to our patients’ attention that genes are turned on or off by our environment. Our environment includes the food we eat, the nutritional supplements we take, the thoughts we have,…

  • Ebook: “5 Ways Lab Technology Will Change in the Next 5 Years”

    More than five years ago, in a “Lab of the Future” supplement for Advantage Business Media, more than half (55%) of the respondents to a reader survey indicated that the most important technical issue in future lab design was “right sizing” of the lab. Four years ago, a similar survey found that bench space —…

  • How Your Lab Can Play a Vital Role in Improving the Patient Experience

    You know just about everything there is to know about your lab. You understand the technology you use and how it works, you know each member of your staff and the roles they play, you know backwards and forwards all of the tests your lab equipment can read, and you can predict what TaT times…

  • 3 Ways Tox Labs Are Innovating

    According to a recent article on AACC, each year, approximately 4 million patients experience some kind of overdose or chemical reaction to a substance – whether intended or not – and 25% of those patients enter the healthcare setting to be evaluated for toxicity. The results from toxicology testing shape diagnosis and treatment decisions, so…

  • How Top PGx Labs Are Utilizing Tech – And How to Keep Up

    When the human genetic code was cracked over a decade ago, it brought with it the expectation that there would be immediate application to human diseases. Healthcare professionals as well as the general population expected there would soon be a cure for cancer and heart disease among other severe illnesses. Integrative doctors advised a cautionary…

  • 2016 Resolutions For The Advanced Laboratory

    If the past few years have been any indicator, healthcare in 2016 (and maybe especially in the lab) will be fraught with change and will present many opportunities for those innovating in the face of those changes. “As laboratory professionals, our focus on quality begins by looking inward at our operational processes from specimen collection…

2015

  • The Evolution of the Lab

    As a lab executive, we don’t need to tell you how much the lab has changed over the last years. Every day, more and more tests are introduced, and innovation both in tests and technology is increasing at a daily rate. Innovative and start-up labs have new testing instruments and have optimized layouts and workflows…

  • Fresh New Pathagility.com

    Spring is naturally a time to freshen up and start new things. In that spirit, we are launching a fresh, new pathagility.com! Our team is inspired by start-up labs and existing laboratories that are developing new tests. We know how challenging it can be. We love to help by providing a cost effective Software-as-a-Service that feels like a…

2014

  • Great coverage of PGx Testing activity

    Over the past few weeks, Pathagility has been a part of several written pieces on the Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing market. We appreciate this coverage and continue to be excited about the healthcare benefits of PGx testing – and our role in it. Below are links to some of the articles and blog postings… Pathagility Taking On Pharmacogenetics Market –…

  • ICD-10 Compliance Delayed?

    You’ve probably read by now that both the House and the Senate have passed the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) bill. The official name of the bill is H.R. 4302, Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014. The main focus of the bill delays cuts of physician reimbursements under Medicare, but a small section of…

2013

  • WorkPath 4.2.0 Release Notes

    The latest version of WorkPath (4.2.0) is now in production. This release includes the following features and enhancements: Batch Printing – Users can now select multiple cases from the open case screen, or any queue, to be printed in a single PDF batch. Static Final Reports – Until this release WorkPath always generated a new…

  • WorkPath 4.0.1 Release Notes

    The latest version of WorkPath (4.0.1) is now in production. This release includes the following features and enhancements: Queues – The queuing system is now in place. Administrators can manage queues by going to the “Administration” tab. Each queue has it’s own user management. All queues a user has access to will appear in the…

2012

  • Pathagility’s Latest Version

    The Pathagility team has been hard at work to keep up with the demands of clinician’s and labs. Improvements in speed, user experience and new features highlight the latest version of our web-based software. Our current users will not skip a beat with enhancements to our case entry screen and process. • Simplified screens– streamline…

  • Take the fear out of adding functionality to your existing LIS

    Your lab is growing and the demand on your staff to print reports and fax is taking up more of their time. You don’t want to change your workflow process because everyone knows what is expected of them and they are comfortable working with your current LIS. You would like to electronically deliver reports and…

  • Launch a pathology lab in 1 week?

    How long does it take to launch a pathology lab business and start generating reports? 6 months? 3 months? How about 1 week?!? That’s how long it took one of our clients. Now, obviously more than a week went into the planning and organization of developing their new business, but one week after we signed a…

  • What is Scalability?

    The text book answer: the ability of a system to handle a growing amount of work in a capable manner. The real world answer: the ability to store more data, handle more users, distribute more information, change as business requires, and do it all without interruption. The questions every new, or growing, pathology lab should…

  • What should pathology labs have in their sales bag?

    Is your pathology lab executing a growth strategy? Have you hired a sales person or team to grow your specimen count? We talk to pathology groups daily that are at some point in the process of developing or executing a sales strategy. They are either 1) attempting to grow their specimen count or 2) defending against larger laboratories with…

  • FilePath for remote printing, results delivery and communication

    Today’s fast paced world requires information be available instantly and on-demand. This has never been more true than it is right now in the pathology industry. Patients, hospitals, and medical offices need results, and they need them fast. We understand this and have developed a new tool that connects offices, doctors, and remote facilities directly…

  • 2012 Topics

    Wow! 2011 was a great year for Pathagility with the addition of some great new clients and some exciting projects with our existing customer base. We’ve been heads down in delivery mode. As we turn our attention to 2012, we want to share some of the client experiences we’ve had over the past several months. There…

2011

  • CAP ’11 – September in Dallas

    Pathagility will have a booth at CAP ’11 next month. Hopefully the Dallas weather in September will be a tad bit milder than August (and July for that matter) has been. Whether you are a pathologist, lab manager or a systems vendor; we hope you will drop by and visit with us. We would like…

  • Pathology Associates goes live with Pathagility’s web-based LIS

    We were pleased to welcome Pathology Associates (Lufkin, TX) as a new Pathagility client earlier this month, and we are also pleased to report that the migration from their previous LIS to Pathagility’s web-based LIS (WorkPath) was extremely smooth. In fact, you may not believe the turnaround time if we told you:) Be looking for a case study…

  • Pathology Report Distribution

    If you are a pathology group or laboratory, how do your referring physicians want to receive report information? Fax? Web Portal? EMR interface?The answer is something along the lines of…”the way they ask for it, when they ask for it!” Right? To compete against the mega, commercial labs, pathology report distribution flexibility is essential. Not only is it…

  • Pathagility in CAP Lab-Provider Link article

    We are pleased to be one of the vendors to participate in the April 2011 CAP Today article called “Lab-link vendors – on a mission with ‘mobile’ and more.” Pathagility competes in the Lab-Provider Links market with our ReportPath product. We appreciate CAP Today for allowing us to participate in multiple product market categories and related articles. Here is…

  • Is an interface necessary to meet the electronic results requirement?

    We received a call from one of our lab customers requesting a results only interface for one of their referring physicians. The referring physician has sent only a small volume of cases to the lab, and the cost from the EMR vendor alone would make the cost of an interface unjustifiable. The referring physician group…

  • Middleware for smaller labs

    In the March issue of CAP Today, Karen L. Wagner did an article on the changing middleware landscape called Middleware to “littleware”: vendors catering to smaller labs. She notes three main forces behind the changes in this market in the past two years… 1. ARRA 2. Increased EHR adoption 3. Middleware vendors start catering to smaller/physician…

  • Key to Lab EMR Interface Projects

    Last week I attended a formal, non-Pathagility related event where we were seated randomly with individuals with varying backgrounds. Among the group at my table was an investment broker, a restaurant chain owner, a non-profit director, and clinician at a pediatric practice. The clinician (Kathy – for the sake of this post) and I were seated next to one another, and after discussing…

  • USCAP recap

    Fantastic weather welcomed pathologists from all over the world to San Antonio for the 100th annual USCAP meeting this week. Posters and abstracts by thought leaders and new comers alike accompanied innovations in industry technologies in an impressive trade show experience. We enjoyed connecting with old friends and meeting new ones, discussing how Pathagility’s SaaS…

  • We’re attending USCAP 2011 – are you?

    In a couple of weeks, Pathagility is going to attend the USCAP 2011 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX. Are you? Whether you are associated with a pathology organization or you are a vendor, we would enjoy the opportunity of meeting you there. You can send us an email to info@pathagility.com or send us a DM on…

  • Attributes of next-generation LIS

    According to new research from Kalorama Information, the laboratory information systems (LIS) market should grow 6% annually over the next few years from its 2010 level of $800M. The report includes this interesting stat – labor accounts for more than 60% of the cost of producing test results. To drive down the percentage of manual labor needed to support the…

  • 3 reasons SaaS makes sense for community pathology groups

    Why would community pathology groups choose a SaaS product over a traditional software package?? 1. TCO When doing a cost comparison between software products, one should factor in computer/server hardware, network, disaster recovery, backup mechanisms, IT support, and third party software to name a few. SaaS products eliminate the capital expenditures and include many of these items…

  • Simplifying the complex

    The healthcare IT arena is extremely chaotic. The systems that support this industry in most cases mirror this complicated environment. The physicians, hospitals and healthcare organizations that are answering the call to adopt systems that will help promote better patient care are looking for sophisticated systems that are simple to use. Simplifying the complex is easier said than done. …

  • Are you using a FileMaker Pro LIS?

    Many pathology labs we talk with have purchased, developed and deployed FileMaker Pro database lab systems. This seems even more true in smaller independent and hospital labs due to cost and ease of deployment factors. We would like to hear from those of you that utilize FileMaker Pro. Here are a few questions for you… Overall, are…

  • 3 tips for coping with buyers’ anxiety (health IT)

    For Christmas, Santa brought me an iPad (which I thought was very cool by the way!) I’ve been living vicariously through friends and business associates who were early adopters. Now that I have one and it is fully integrated into my daily life, I’ve started picturing how a device like this might be useful in the…

  • ReportPath: Orders, Results, & Collaboration Portal

    Normally we stay away from posts that are this Pathagility product focused, but every once in a while we just can’t help ourselves! We are proud of our ReportPath product/service and continue to recognize lots of application for it. ReportPath provides pathology laboratories and healthcare providers an integrated, web-based solution for storing, managing and distributing report data without purchasing a new LIS. Referring physicians have secure…

  • Follow up on healthcare gadgets at CES11 – Slideshow

    More than 140,000 industry professionals attended the CES11 in Las Vegas last week. Following up on our post Top gadgets at CES 2011 and impact on healthcare, check out this slide show via HealthcareITNews called Healthcare gadgets at CES11. The slideshow shows 5 healthcare gadgets featured last week and here’s a summary… 1. digital microscope 2. …

  • Interface workarounds for common issues

    Check out this Newsbyte in the latest issue of CAP Today by Dr. Raymond Aller entitled, Interface workarounds offer fixes for common issues. In it, Dr. Aller refers to a few issues that arise in order-entry and results reporting interface processes between hospital or regional labs and their reference labs. Here are the issues he outlines… 1. …

  • Top gadgets at CES 2011 and impact on healthcare

    Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Computer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 in Las Vegas. For those that are not techno geeks or gadget happy, this is one of the largest trade shows in the world. It is an annual event that is packed full of new product hype and demos. Even though CES is not focused on…

  • EMR, LIS, RIS & PACS “Friendly”

    Happy New Year! Check out this great presentation by Dr. Bruce Friedman called Integrated Diagnostics: The perspective of the pathologist. In it, Dr. Friedman defines Integrated dx, discusses the benefits of merging multiple reporting areas of diagnostics, and outlines the challenges of actually pulling this lofty goal off. In summary, Dr. Friedman states that it is…

2010

  • Should Pathologists Meet with Patients?

    Should Pathologists Meet with Patients? It’s an interesting question. If you haven’t already, read this CAP Today article by Karen Titus about Melinda Lewis, MD called When pathologists meet patients—lessons from one FNA practice. Wow, this article may sway your opinion. Here is a quick exert… “Emotionally, this can take a toll. “In the laboratory,…

  • How important is a Pathologist to Pathology Software?

    How important is a Pathologist to Pathology Software? Certainly, we ask this question with a big smile on our faces because one of our Founders is a Pathologist. Dr. Pat Walker is the Director of NephroPath and has a ton of experience in the field of pathology. We are very lucky to have him on the team. In fact, I’m pretty…

  • Great Healthcare Cloud Computing Posts

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  • #’s in Healthcare IT

    In such a short time, social media has become a part of our lives. This morning, I saw Biz Stone on The Today Show discussing “2010’s Most Inflential Tweets.” @’s and #’s are showing up everywhere! In healthcare and healthcare IT, social media provides the conduit to build a more collaborative environment. There are several initiatives popping up utilizing #’s…

  • Web-based Order Entry

    Pathagility levels the playing field by giving you the same functionality as the national mega labs. OrderPath delivers referring physicians a simple web-based order entry solution that can auto-populate patient demographic information (including insurance and billing information). OrderPath can save referring physicians time by eliminating double entry of data that already exists in the PMS…

  • Speed

    Speed – we recognize the importance of this attribute in so many areas of life. Think about it… It’s something we focus on daily at Pathagility. How can we deliver value faster? This is not as easy as it sounds because in our industry (other industries as well), there are so many moving parts – some of…

  • Is an interface necessary?

    It can take many months and thousands of dollars to get a results only interface or bi-directional interface to “go live” from a lab system to an EMR (electronic medical records) or PMS (practice management system). There are many factors that determine the development effort, length of time, and total price tag. “Is it worth…

  • Web Browsers and (Lab) System Design

    In the recent CAP TODAY, there is a good article in the Newsbytes section called, The conundrum of shortcut keys for Web-based LIS. Being a SaaS product company in the diagnostic arena, we’ve experienced some of these issues while developing to different web browsers (Firefox, IE, Chrome,etc.) So far, we’ve developed a nice balance of functionality…

  • Lab-to-EMR interface alternatives

    Ever wonder why one EMR vendor charges $10+K and takes 1 year to implement a Lab-to-EMR interface and another EMR vendor charges $3K and takes 3 months? You aren’t alone. This is a common question in our industry. With that said, everyone acknowledges the benefits of interfacing. As mentioned in a previous post, pathology groups are…

  • Pathagility’s Employee of the Month

    On behalf of the team at Pathagility we would like to congratulate our Employee of the Month Michael Heckman for going above and beyond to serve our customers. Customer service is our business and outstanding team members like Mike are what Pathagility is all about. Thanks for your service, Mike. We appreciate what you do…

  • Corporate Culture: What does it say about your health care organization?

    What is the culture of your organization, and what does it say about your practice? Corporate culture defines how your organization acts, thinks, and feels. Is it written in a handbook, mission statement, on a wall, or understood? What values are echoed throughout your organization? Your corporate culture identity is seen and heard by the…

  • EMR Adoption: The Real Cost of Connectivity.

    Cost is always at the top of referring physicians’ list when adopting an EMR solution, and there is no shortage of pricing and package options in the EMR market. EMR adoption continues to rise, and connectivity or interfacing those systems falls next in line on the list of priorities for referring physicians. So when your…

  • SERVICE – 1 Lab’s Competitive Advantage

    If you were to poll pathology labs and ask what the most important factor in competing for referring physicians’ cases, you would get a multitude of answers. Some of the most common we hear are connectivity (ability to interface with physician EMR), lab/pathologist reputation, marketable/usable lab reports, etc; but the one factor that we hear…

  • Rapid software updates

    If you are a pathology group or any healthcare provider group for that matter, how would you rate the effectiveness of your software vendor on needed updates? Are you seeing quick turnarounds (days or weeks) on needed functionality changes or is it more of a six month to a year version roll-out scenario? What impact…

  • Social Labs

    As a follow up to our recent post, Social Media in Pathology – Game Changer, check out this recent article from CAP Today entitled Social media in labs-hook, line, and sinker. In it, Peggy McKee, owner and senior recruiter of PHC Consulting, gives her take on the lack of social media usage in the laboratory…

  • Meaningful Use Objectives for Pathologists

    As mentioned in our recent post, Meaningful Use and Pathology Labs, we stated we would start forwarding on information regarding the affects of Meaningful Use (MU) on pathologists. Check out this CAP article called Experts Detail Meaningful Use Challenges, Opportunities for Pathologists. In it they talk about the demand for interfaces and they list 8 objectives…

  • Lab-to-EMR Interfacing – It’s a Business Decision

    It is no secret that pathology groups are fielding calls from their referring physicians, hospitals, and healthcare partners to build EMR interfaces. Check out our previous post Impact of EMR adoption on the Pathology Lab. The first impact that we noted in that post is labs must spend $ on LIS-to-EMR interfacing. We also note that this…

  • Lab EMR/Web-based LIS – What’s the difference?

    Terminology– it is interesting how perceptions are formed based on a particular set of words even if those words are the only real differentiators of something. Word usage does make a difference. We enjoy reading Bruce Friedman’s posts on Lab Soft News. If you aren’t already, you should following him on Twitter @labsoftnews.Yesterday’s post Who Will Build the Diagnostic…

  • Social Media in Pathology – Game Changer

    Came across this editorial from the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine by … yes…scrolling through Twitter and seeing a Tweet from @VTPathology. The editorial by Dr. Eric F. Glassy is called The Rise of the Social Pathologist: The Importance of Social Media to Pathology. It gives a great account of how Twitter, Facebook, YouTube…

  • The Clinical Lab and EHR Meaningful Use – Course Material

    CAP is offering a course to pathologists that are interested in learning about the impacts of recent federal policies on clinical laboratories – The Clinical Laboratory and Meaningful Use of EHR (SAM eligible). Following are the objectives of the course: 1. Describe the benefits and importance of EHRs to pathologists and patients 2. Describe related…

  • BPMG Goes Live w/ Pathagility’s ReportPath

    We are pleased to announce that Bakersfield Pathology Medical Group is utilizing Pathagility‘s ReportPath product with its AP Easy Lab System. ReportPath is providing BPMG a secure, marketable way to provide an online lab reporting and collaboration environment for its referring physicians without having to replace its current lab system. Check out our previous post, Save your Lab’s Brand 2, on the…

  • DICOM in Pathology

    In August, Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) Standard Supplement 145 (aka – Whole Slide Microscopic Images) was passed. This standard aims to allow pathologists to retrieve and manage whole-slide images and associated information from any digital imaging system, regardless of the manufacturer. This will have considerable impact on pathologists and system vendors over time. Check…

  • Physicians Moving Away From Private Practice

    There appears to be a national trend of physicians moving away from private practice and into salaried positions at large health systems. What role does Heath Care Reform play in this trend? Check out this recent Arkansas Business article Health Care Reform, Other Factors Drive Doctors Away from Private Practice. It describes this trend from…

  • HL7, Labs and Meaningful Use

    Came across this CAP Today Newsbyte that provides some detail on HL7 standards that will be part of the federal government’s final rule on standards and certification under the ARRA Act of 2009. Below is a link to the Newsbyte and an excerpt… HL7 standards and guides in federal meaningful use rule Health Level Seven International, a…

  • Meaningful Use and Pathology Labs

    You don’t have to look very far to find information, blog posts, tweets, etc. on EHR/EMR Meaningful Use (MU). It seems a bit more difficult to find information on how this is affecting Pathology Labs. We thought it might be helpful to start passing on information we come across on this topic. Here is a link to start with… CAP…

  • Pathology Labs Need Marketing Help

    Are you a pathologist, lab tech, clinician or a manager at a laboratory? If so, what is your lab’s biggest differentiator? If we took a poll you would find one common response – SERVICE. Service level is where small to mid-sized path labs compete against the Mega labs. This includes fast result turnaround, comprehensive supply distribution, advanced customer service,…

  • Keep an Eye on Digital Pathology

    In a recent post, we talked about the acquisition of BioImagene by Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (a member of Roche Group). BioImagene is a leader in the field of digital pathology and workflow analysis. Is this acquisition a sign of more to come in the area of digital pathology? The digital pathology movement is certainly something to…

  • 6 Factors: Choosing LIS-to-EMR Partner

    With the increase in EMR adoption, we’ve discussed in previous posts the importance of the pathology lab and the huge wave of LIS-to-EMR interfacing that is on the horizon. As path labs embark on filling these needs, there will be important decisions to be made. Do we hire IT expertise internally? Or do we outsource? If we outsource, what…

  • Impact of EMR adoption on the Pathology Lab

    I’m a big fan of the folks at Dark Daily and got…hmmm how should I phrase this…FIRED UP when I read their most recent article called Sales of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems to Physicians Will Double By End of 2012. Frankly, the article covers a perfect example of why we founded Pathagility. The overarching theme of the article is…

  • Migration vs. Wholesale Replacement in the Lab

    In working with pathology labs for the last several years, one common theme we hear related to their system environments is that work-arounds are a reality. They continually look for ways to serve their referring physicians and healthcare partners better and with more efficiency by making investments in technology. The issue that many are running into is that while they…

  • Waves of Disruption – Healthcare & Cloud Computing

    I came across a great blog called Cloud Computing’s Stormy Future this morning by John Hagel III and John Seely Brown. John and John are co-chairmen of the Deloitte LLP Center for the Edge, and have written several books focused on technology and innovation. Their post talks about the disruptive potential of cloud computing and outlines four distinctive,…

  • Save your Lab’s Brand 2

    In a previous post, we talked about one way a pathology lab can protect its brand – the lab report. For a quick refresher, compare these two reports… If these reports represent two competing labs, what perceptions would you have for each based on these reports? Now, with that point made, labs are not in…

  • Lab plays big role in EHR adoption

    At least 70% of data in the EMR originates in the lab. Several sources can be sited with this interesting statistic. We see articles, blog posts, and tweets daily about how EHR adoption is increasing and going to continue to build steam. I don’t believe you can overstate the importance of the lab in this tidal…

  • Path lab volume up – efficiency needed

    The article Good News for Anatomic Pathology Laboratories: Tissue-Based Diagnostics Market Predicted to Double by 2016 published this morning by Dark Daily, is another indicator that the Anatomic Pathology market is going to see increased volumes. Couple this with health care reform that may have an adverse affect on lab reimbursements, EFFICIENCY will be key in surviving and thriving during this…

  • Recent Digital Pathology Acquisition

    A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (a member of the Roche Group) would acquire BioImagene for $100+ Million. BioImagene is a leader in the field of digital pathology and workflow analysis. Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to visit for a few minutes with some members of the BioImagene team including…

  • Faxing still a reality in the EMR era.

    Even though the movement of health data is becoming more digitized and shared electronically, one of the main distribution channels for lab results is still the classic faxsimile. The reality for many labs is that this is how most lab results are communicated to referring physicians. Conversations with pathology labs around the country reveal issues with faxing reports,…

  • Enemies & Friends

    We discussed “partnering with your competition” in a post a few months ago and thought it made sense to follow up on the topic after moving further down this path ourselves. We (Pathagility) serve pathology laboratories and their healthcare partners (referring physicians, hospitals, etc.) with our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. A lot is going on in this market. As our…

  • When you’ve outgrown FileMaker Pro

    FileMaker Pro is an easy to use, flexible database tool that is quite popular in the pathology laboratory world. Many database applications (laboratory information systems or LIS) for this market have been developed due to cost factors and ease of deployment especially if the lab has limited IT resources. FileMaker Pro will continue to be popular for sometime with smaller volume…

  • Simplicity of HL7

    Came across this post and video about how HL7 works on Twitter by @HL7 and really enjoyed the simplicity of it. What’s interesting though is that HL7 doesn’t seem to be simple at all. Please know I’m not saying HL7 isn’t a good thing, because standardization can add to progression. Also, I’m a business guy and need to leave the details to…

  • EHR Progress?

    There is an abundance of focus and energy around the shift to digitizing healthcare. The government may be the biggest cheerleader and/or bank roller. Last week, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT posted on its Health IT Buzz Blog a new theme of unity in healthcare emphasizing the fact that it is going to be a huge…

  • Software Pricing Dialogue

    Software pricing – what an interesting science! So much goes into strategically positioning your software product, platform and/or service in the particular market you are in from a value perspective. You start by positioning your software business model against competitors – traditional software model vs. SaaS for instance. In our experience, there is still an educational process when many potential clients…

  • Reducing call backs with Pathagility’s ReportPath

    Pathagility won a contract with UNC Nephropathology about 18 months ago. We were chosen because we offered a web-based reporting solution that did not require an overhaul of their existing Filemaker Pro lab system. Pathagility’s ReportPath gave them the functionality they needed without having to change LIS systems. One thing UNC Nephropathology is most pleased…

  • Tools to level the playing field in today’s laboratory industry.

    Several years ago I worked for a national lab. Our company’s individual AP labs of different sizes and specialties were sprinkled from coast to coast. The network functioned with each lab maintaining a considerable amount of autonomy and labs’ LIS systems ranged from antiquated to new and shiny and from home-brew DOS-based to the latest…

  • Fast, Cost-Effective Interfacing

    Today almost every pathology lab director has “interfacing” as a line item on their weekly staff meeting agenda. As more referring physicians implement EMR systems and ramp up their meaningful use (MU) of these technologies to grab their piece of the Federal Government’s HITECH incentive dollars, the demand for LIS-to-EMR interfacing increases. Check out a previous post describing the…

  • Are all healthcare SaaS platforms created equally?

    We’ve already discussed the benefits of SaaS in healthcare especially those applications that provide opportunity for customization. But are all SaaS platforms equal? No…you guessed it… they certainly are not. In choosing a SaaS platform in healthcare, there are several criteria that need to be examined. The check list should including the following at a minimum: Redundancy –…

  • SaaS, Healthcare IT and Customization

    The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model has been in existence for many years and continues to successfully prove out its value proposition compared to traditional legacy software system models. We published a post a few months ago on the total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits of SaaS. The healthcare industry was slower initially in its adoption of…

  • Partner with your competition

    Just about every information source these days points to increased demands on the healthcare IT industry. Many are hoping process efficiencies can be realized by further automating healthcare. Others are focused on the government’s influence related to the adoption of EMR systems. Still others are just doing some math… Cited from U.S. Census data: 303 million total Americans 17% are over…

  • Save Your Lab’s Brand

    What does your lab’s report say about the quality or value of your service? Your lab’s reports are an opportunity to create a memorable experience each time your customers see them. What do your customers remember about your lab each time they see your reports? Is your brand washed away by a black-and-white word document…

  • Healthcare IT Collaboration – One State’s Approach

    Pathagility had the opportunity this week to speak to a group of Arkansas business leaders from both the public and private sectors at the Innovate Arkansas Technology Showcase. Innovate Arkansas works with new, technology-based entrepreneurs to turn inventions and high-tech concepts into viable businesses with a goal of creating high-paying Arkansas jobs. Innovation in healthcare technology…

  • 80M Baby Boomers and the Increase in Lab Tests

    Pathagility was in New Orleans last week for The Dark Report’s Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management. Robert Michel, Editor in Chief of The Dark Report, opened the event with a presentation entitled: Lab Medicine’s Appointment with Destiny: Skyrocketing Utilization, Inadequate Funding, and the Incredible Clinical Value of Laboratory Tests. In his address…

  • Increased EMR adoption rates and the impact on Laboratories.

    ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) has $17,000,000,000 allocated to physicians to encourage the adoption of EMR technologies. In order to be eligible for $44,000 in reimbursements, individual physician’s must do three things: 1. Adopt Certified EHR technology 2. Reach Meaningful Use Objectives 3. Apply for Incentive Payment The carrot of stimulus incentives…

  • Can Healthcare IT vendors and providers roll up their sleeves to tackle the adoption challenge?

    Challenges and questions still remain as we enter the new era of Healthcare IT. The fit of practices and vendors depends largely on the willingness and commitment of all parties to roll up their collective sleeves to tackle obstacles identified and the one lying right around the corner. Will your business’ growth be stunted by…

  • Is there such thing as a turn key solution in healthcare IT?

    While it seems that most healthcare providers are hoping to get to the stage where health information systems (EMR/EHR, LIS, RIS, etc.) provide more workflow efficiency, extreme data security and flexible partner collaboration, the path to Utopia seems to be different in almost every case. This is due to the fact that each provider is…

  • Attending Executive War College – April 27-28th?

    We are looking forward to attending the 15th Annual Executive War College on Laboratory and Pathology Management in New Orleans – April 27-28th. The agenda is full of great sessions on lab workflow efficiencies, interoperability, and next generation lab automation. Here a few of the sessions we plan to attend – April 27th 7:00 AM–7:50…

  • 3 Methods for electronic ordering

    As the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) continues to increase, so does the need to connect lab systems to EMR software. Interfaces are usually one-way, or uni-directional, enabling a referring physician system to receive results from the laboratory. But the next wave to hit involves the use of a bi-directional interface where referring physician’s…

  • UNC Casestudy

    Check out this case study on Pathagility becoming University of North Carolina (UNC) Nephropathology’s digital interface to their physician clients. UNC was able to enhance their existing lab system investment and configure a solution for their specific needs by taking advantage of Pathagility’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cost effective model. Casestudy_UNC (PDF)

  • Sales secrets for private laboratory success.

    In today’s anatomic pathology market how do you as a local or hospital based pathologist hold on to or grow your business? You’ve seen large regional and national labs come in with their marketing reps and take business that was once yours. What are they doing that you can’t? Haven’t you worked with them and…

  • WorkPath: customized path lab workflows

    WorkPath is a flexible, web-based platform that supports the creation of customized laboratory workflows. Some labs need to move from an inflexible, “one size fits all” system with a large total cost of ownership (TCO) price tag, to an affordable environment tailored to their specific needs. WorkPath can support simple and complex workflows across multiple…

  • ConnectPath: Health-care partner collaboration

    Communication and collaboration is at the heart of Pathagility’s next-generation web-portal. In an increasingly collaborative healthcare environment, the need to seamlessly share data, insights, and information is critical. Our collaboration tools create a secure conduit between pathology labs and their clients. By leveraging the tools built into Pathagility, labs can take control of managing communications…

  • Leverage existing LIS/EMR investments

    Being able to leverage existing system investments is of paramount importance to many pathology labs due to the significant, sunk costs that they have already incurred implementing their existing systems. Pathagility enhances the capabilities and reach of existing healthcare management systems, and in many cases, can extend the lifespan of current technology investments, such as…

  • Beyond point-to-point health-care relationships

    The majority (varying reports of between 60-80%) of all quantifiable data utilized by medical professionals to make health related decisions originate in the lab. While more and more health data is becoming digitized in the lab environment, it is still located in information silos. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that there are a…

  • Laboratory Information System’s: What is the true cost of ownership?

    What is the true cost of laboratory information systems (LIS) that support pathology? When calculating, there are items that seem quite obvious and others that may be overlooked. Software licensing and annual maintenance fees of traditional systems make up the majority of the obvious expenditures. In the ever evolving health-care IT (HIT) world, one needs…