Expand POL testing. Keep operations manageable.
Physician office laboratories (POLs) may consider expanding testing to make additional services available within the practice and support access to testing. However, adding a test involves more than confirming analytical capacity.
Each new test may also introduce orders, specimens, instrument activity, results, documentation, billing steps, interfaces, exceptions, and follow-up. Before expanding the test menu, laboratory leaders need to consider how the complete workflow will accommodate that additional demand.
A laboratory information system (LIS) can provide part of that operational foundation by supporting connected workflows, routine automation, and access to laboratory information within configured processes.
Plan for the workflow, not only the test
Testing volume is only one measure of laboratory growth. Each order may involve patient registration, specimen collection, instrument processing, result review, provider communication, documentation, billing, and follow-up. If those activities depend on separate systems, repeated data entry, or manual handoffs, the associated workload may grow alongside the test menu.
Laboratory managers should therefore examine where information is transferred, where employees move between applications, how instrument output is incorporated into the workflow, and how exceptions are identified and resolved. They should also consider whether processes vary unnecessarily by instrument, test type, location, or staff member.
The objective is not to eliminate every manual activity. It is to determine which steps require professional judgment and which routine activities may be supported through more connected, consistently configured processes.
Protect staff capacity as services expand
For laboratories operating with limited staff capacity, expanding testing should not depend solely on skilled employees absorbing additional repetitive or administrative work. Laboratory leaders need to understand where new demand will enter the workflow and which responsibilities will require additional time, training, or oversight.
Automation should not be viewed as a replacement for laboratory expertise. Its value lies in supporting routine activities which may allow employees to direct more attention to quality activities, exception management, and work requiring professional judgment. The appropriate opportunities will depend on the laboratory’s processes, interfaces, configuration, and quality requirements.
Consistent workflows can also provide a clearer foundation for training, workload planning, and continuous improvement as testing requirements change.
Use connectivity to make growth more manageable
A modern LIS can support configured connections among instruments, laboratory workflows, information, and results. Depending on the available interfaces and implementation, it may also support routine data movement and reduce selected points of repeated entry or manual transfer.
Connected workflows can give laboratory managers a more consistent way to review order and result status, identify exceptions, and access information available within the system. This visibility can support day-to-day prioritization and help managers identify workflow areas that warrant further review.
The goal is not simply to connect more technology. It is to establish processes that can be assessed, configured, and adapted as the laboratory introduces new tests, instruments, or service requirements.
How Clinisys™ Orchard® can support POL workflows
Clinisys™ Orchard® is designed to support laboratory workflows, instrument and system connectivity, laboratory information management, and result distribution within configured processes. For POLs evaluating testing expansion, it can be considered as part of the operational foundation needed to manage additional orders, information, workflows, and testing requirements.
Available capabilities and workflow outcomes depend on licensed functionality, interfaces, configuration, implementation, and the laboratory’s operating environment.
Connect operational planning with the practice’s care model
For practices that perform testing within the physician office, laboratory workflows form part of a broader diagnostic process. When planning expansion, leaders should consider not only how the laboratory will perform additional tests, but also how orders enter the workflow, how authorized users receive results, and how laboratory information supports established clinical and follow-up processes.
The specific approach will depend on the tests offered, the practice’s care model, available interfaces, system configuration, and applicable clinical and quality requirements.
As testing demands evolve, the goal is not simply to add more tests. For many POLs, the larger challenge is expanding testing services without introducing unnecessary operational complexity. Laboratory leaders should consider how growth affects workflows, staffing requirements, information management, and coordination across the testing process. Establishing connected, scalable workflows can help practices support additional testing while maintaining operational consistency and visibility.an help determine whether accumulated laboratory data becomes a useful resource or an operational burden. Each result has value at the point of testing. That value can extend further when authorized clinicians can review it alongside relevant historical information and interpret results within the course of care. Connected laboratory information and longitudinal visibility can make relevant current and historical results available for follow-up, care-team communication, and clinical review, helping place each result within a broader laboratory history.
Build an operational foundation for testing expansion
Expanding a POL test menu requires more than analytical capacity. It requires a clear view of how new tests will affect orders, specimens, instruments, results, documentation, billing, interfaces, and staff responsibilities.
Before expanding, laboratory leaders should identify where additional demand will enter the workflow, where information is transferred manually, and which processes may become difficult to manage as requirements change. A connected LIS can contribute to this foundation by helping the laboratory coordinate workflows, connectivity, and access to available information.
