Lab info systems don’t support industry change

ETON, UK – InterSystems, a global leader in health information technology and developer of the InterSystems TrakCare unified healthcare information system, has announced the results of the InterSystems UK Laboratory Management Systems Market Survey 2015, which found that current information systems do not support the changes clinical laboratories are undergoing.

“The nature of the laboratory business is changing dramatically,” said Martin Wilkinson (pictured), head of InterSystems solutions for the laboratory market. “Industry consolidation, advances in automation, genomic testing, and the increased use of point-of-care testing are driving major shifts in where, when and how testing takes place.”

Conducted at the IBMS Biomedical Science Congress in Birmingham, the survey of 81 clinical laboratory professionals found that demand for laboratory services is rising, and there is pressure to meet this demand using fewer resources – to increase efficiency while driving down costs.

When asked what was driving change in their laboratories, 88% of respondents cited cost savings and efficiencies, 59% indicated increasing volume of work, and 52% said automation.

When asked how their laboratories were changing, 72% of survey respondents said they will have to continually assess costs and the services provided to optimize the service mix. This is a key requirement under the NHS hub-and-spoke model for laboratory network formation.

Other key findings included the following:

• 67% of respondents said complete visibility, control and accountability over the testing process are important to the success of their laboratory in the future.
• 58% said the ability to predict laboratory workloads and pinpoint bottlenecks is important to their laboratory’s future success.
• Only 26% of respondents agreed that their current laboratory information management system is able to support changes their laboratory is undergoing.
• 65% said their laboratory information management system cannot provide analysis of which tests are running at a profit and which at a loss.
• 62% of respondents indicated that their current system does not have the ability to predict laboratory workloads and pinpoint bottlenecks.

“According to the survey, current laboratory information management systems, or LIMS, fall short of what labs need,” said Wilkinson. “To survive and thrive, laboratories require a new generation of informatics solutions, designed to manage the lab as an agile, knowledge-driven business in an increasingly interconnected world.

“That is why we are raising the bar by introducing the world’s first laboratory business management system, or LBMS, which will help customers transform from a reactive testing and results service to a proactive healthcare partner.”

About the Survey
Seeking to gain market insights into the changing requirements for laboratory management systems, InterSystems surveyed 81 professional staff representing 60 NHS public pathology laboratories, 10 private or independent pathology laboratories, and 11 related organisations including government. Two-thirds (66%) of those surveyed were biomedical or clinical scientists and 21% were laboratory managers or heads of departments. The survey was conducted at the IBMS Biomedical Science Congress in Birmingham from 28-30 September 2015.