“Be considerate to patients coming in your laboratory and keep your employees happy and satisfied.”

These are two main factors that will help you run your pathology laboratory business smoothly and bring in healthy revenues. Well to be truthful, these WERE the main consideration points in the good old days. Days when a competition was low and not everyone in the city was vying for the same slice of the cake. In today’s modern world, with pathology labs available in every nook and corner of the city – the case is not that simple. Providing a smooth experience to customers and employees is the differentiating factor among the labs today. So how can you provide this smooth experience? The answer here is AUTOMATION.

With this post, we will take you through the trip of an automated lab experience.

Smooth Scheduling and Appointments

The first thing that a patient experience is an appointment for their tests. Automation opens up a lot of options for the patient – they can schedule an appointment through the telephone, online through the website or the traditional walk in. It is the LIMS based automation that allows patients to see available slots and make plans accordingly. This initial impression is the one that sets the tone for the rest of the experience. A smooth sail here can really increase the satisfaction level of patients.

Records & History Availability

Re-visits are one of the main sources of patients for any lab. Automation allows access to historical data of patients with just a click. Not only it goes a long way in making a patient feel cared for but it also upgrades the lab system performance for better outcomes. All information regarding a patient’s medical history, old tests, diagnostic reports are saved with a unique ID which can be accessed by a technician or clinician as required.

Error Free Results

Automation is one of the main ways through which error free reports and results are achieved. The errors that most labs experience are usually human errors. Automation allows reduced human intervention to the process – thus the system is no longer prone to stress, miscommunication, wrong training etc. of the employee.

Better Coordination

Miscommunication and lack of coordination among the various departments are the reason why a patient’s time is wasted. With a Laboratory Information Management System based automation, the various departments and branches of the lab literally talk to each other through software. Every sample is tracked, every report analyzed and every result generated is put online for quick and easy access. With a process driven approach, the complete system becomes more efficient.

Efficient Resource Utilization

Automation is the end of pilferages. A consumption based inventory management allows just in time reordering of inventory and ensures you never run out of essential supplies at your lab. In fact, since all actions are happening automatically and are driven by a process, it allows you to allocate your manpower to areas where they are most needed. Thus increasing resource satisfaction levels and the patient experience.

Improved Staff Performance

There are many tasks in a laboratory that may be considered mundane and monotonous. With automation, most of these tasks can be accomplished through the click of a button. Thus saving your employees from having to do these monotonous jobs and use their skills where they are best-made use of. This leads to high employee satisfaction and keeps them self-motivated – who in turn give your customers an experience worth cherishing.

More Data, Meaningful Results

With more and more data generated in labs, data records can become insights. Every task which is performed through the software leaves a digital record and is tracked. Complete automation would be tons of rich data and in turn meaningful reports. It is these reports which can help you in taking strategic decisions and actions.

Automation in today’s laboratories is inevitable. So for improving the patient experience, increasing employee motivation and increasing operational & cost efficiency – AUTOMATION cannot be ignored.