Behind the scenes at nearly every stage of the healthcare continuum is a laboratory professional. In the U.S., approximately 13 billion laboratory tests are performed annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70 percent of today's medical decisions depend on laboratory test results. That makes laboratory medicine an essential part of patient care. 

"Lab testing is the highest-volume activity there is in the medical industry," said LigoLab CEO, Suren Avunjian. "Nearly every time a patient enters a hospital or healthcare facility, their diagnosis is in the hands of a medical laboratory professional. Unfortunately, the industry is experiencing several significant challenges, and the staffing shortage currently tops the list."

Although medical laboratories across the U.S. have been grappling with a decades-long shortage of qualified laboratory professionals, the problem has now grown from a small trickle to a tidal wave.

It is estimated that the industry is now facing a potential shortage of nearly 44,000 workers, with only 329,200 practicing lab professionals as of 2021. That is roughly one medical laboratory scientist for every 39,489 lab tests performed annually; an incredible workload.

Why is This Happening in an Industry So Vital to Healthcare? 

To get to the cause of the problem, the American Society for Clinical Pathology conducted a job satisfaction survey of laboratory professionals, which revealed that 85.3 percent were experiencing burnout. In addition, 36.5 percent of those surveyed said that inadequate staffing was the cause of their dissatisfaction, while roughly 35 percent attributed it to the workload. Nearly 15 percent of those surveyed cited a lack of recognition as the reason they were unhappy in the field.

"Staff turnover due to stress and burnout has become a major issue for lab operators who must take serious measures to correct this," said Avunjian. "There is also a shortage of new professionals in the pipeline, especially lab technologists, and enrollment in lab-related education programs isn't keeping pace with the number of people leaving the profession. As such, there is little hope that the industry will be able to fill the number of vacant positions being reported."

Some of the factors deterring students from becoming new lab professionals are education requirements and expenses, plus low starting wages. To become a lab technician, the requirement is a two-year associate's medical laboratory technician degree. However, for a laboratory science degree, students are faced with a five-year commitment. Then, after they graduate, they'll need to be certified by ASCP. 

The average cost for a degree in medical lab science is roughly $100,000. However, despite these high costs, medical lab professionals are paid 40-60 percent less than other medically trained professionals, like nurses, physical therapists, and pharmacists. This isn't a lot of incentive for such a big commitment, and even if the demand were there, the number of training programs is declining. There are now less than 240 medical laboratory technician and scientist training programs in the U.S. 

What Can Labs Do?

When asked about a possible solution to the problem, Avunjian explained that technology can be leveraged to help fight this challenge.

"Implementing the right technology is the best way for labs to streamline their operations and modernize their laboratories," he said. "By automating and supporting the workflow from the preanalytical phase, all the way through to post-analytical, a robust laboratory information system (LIS) can help lab managers fill the gaps created by staffing shortages."

Simply stated, a laboratory information system (sometimes also referred to as a laboratory information management system) is a technology solution that manages and organizes virtually all aspects of molecular, clinical, and anatomic pathology testing workflows, which includes the inputting, tracking, processing, reporting, and storing of the specimen and patient data. The modern versions of these specialized systems support rules and automation that limit the need for human intervention, error-free and barcoded specimen handling and tracking, test result reporting, lab report distribution, and direct digital integration with EHRs, lab analyzers, and other third-party systems (for example billing software). These modern LIS systems are not only the infrastructure centerpiece of advanced healthcare systems, busy independent laboratories, and hospitals across the U.S., but they've also now become a viable staffing shortages solution, thanks to the efficiency and automation that they create. 

According to Avunjian, a modern LIS system can positively affect all three phases of the laboratory workflow, leading to faster turnaround times and, ultimately, better patient care. 

How a Modern LIS Improves the Pre-Analytical Phase

The pre-analytical phase includes lab order entry, test selection, patient identification, and the collection and handling of the specimen. Any negligence during this phase can lead to costly errors. Because of this, the pre-analytical phase must have rigorous control measures in place to quickly identify any problems or errors and keep them from traveling further downstream. As you might have guessed, with staffing shortages and increasing testing volumes, it's much harder to keep mistakes from happening during this critical phase without a highly functional LIS.

"A comprehensive and fully-featured LIS not only offers built-in rules and automation engines, but it also provides real-time visibility into a lab's entire workflow. That's not the case with rigid legacy systems," said Avunjian. "This is a very important feature, allowing lab managers to quickly identify potential issues at a granular level, and then take the necessary steps to alleviate them. With older systems, information on processes, bottlenecks, and compliance is difficult to access."

In addition to rules and automation, Avunjian also touched on the importance of LIS interoperability with EHRs, client portals, and patient portals at this stage to cut down or eliminate redundant data entry. As an example, he cited a physician's office sending an order via an interface to the lab, thereby eliminating the chance of typos during data entry. In this scenario, the lab also saves on the time needed to enter orders and on FTEs.

How a Modern LIS Improves the Analytical Phase

The benefits of automated laboratory workflows are especially prominent within the analytical phase, which includes validating the test result and the release of the result for review. 

"When a lab's processes become automated, and its systems become interoperable and connected within an integrated workflow, several manual processes can be removed from the equation. This helps eliminate inefficiencies and redundancies and improves a lab's quality of work. The LIS is what makes this possible," continued Avunjian. "As an example, LigoLab Operating Platform helps users focus on the task at hand, meaning medical laboratory technicians need not worry about other steps and coordinating with other techs in other departments thanks to an advanced system that coordinates automatically."

How a Modern LIS Gives the Post-Analytical Phase a Boost

The post-analytical phase covers the production of a final value, the test result, and the product of the laboratory, its diagnostic pathology report. Here, LigoLab supports automation that allows users to create fully customizable and intelligent lab reports and then effortlessly distribute them in several different ways (including by provider portal, outreach software, EHR, fax, secure email, courier, automated in-house printing in the doctor's office, PDF drops, APIs, IVR, and SMS) by setting preferences for both users and providers within the reporting and distribution engines. No matter the delivery method, the LIS coordinates the delivery and frequency based on the customer's choice. 

These engines put the laboratory and its customers in control. They allow the lab to accommodate the variety of requirements that can come from physicians. Users configure the settings for a particular customer just once and then let the automation take over. With this level of customization comes the market differentiation that allows one lab business to stand out from the competition. 

"The report is the product of the laboratory, so delivering reports that WOW their customers in a quick and efficient manner are keys," said Avunjian, who also noted that by eliminating paper processes and manual data entry for things like reporting and billing, lab managers can focus more of their energy on growing their businesses. 

Introducing the LigoLab Laboratory Operating Platform 

Although battling staffing shortages is critically important, it can't be done at the expense of service quality. Fortunately, with the right LIS, labs can close the gaps created by staffing shortages while simultaneously improving lab standards. 

As for the question of which LIS vendor to choose as a long-term solution to the staffing challenges, Avunjian suggested that lab leadership shouldn't look for a vendor, but for a partner, one with a reputation for high-touch customer service and one that offers a fully-featured and flexible product that will future-proof the lab's operations for years to come. 

"LigoLab Operating Platform is a comprehensive enterprise-grade solution that supports all laboratory diagnostics disciplines, including anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, molecular diagnostics, genomics, and toxicology," said Avunjian. It's an all-in-one solution that tackles all of today's laboratory challenges, the biggest being multiple disparate systems and a lack of automation that calls for manual processes to complete workflows. Our system automates core processes and provides real-time visibility into both operational and financial performance."