Maximize Output; Minimize Costs: Value Based LIMS for Modern Toxicology Laboratories

There are many value based economic benefits for toxicology labs to use a configurable Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), particularly, those in addiction treatment centers. Solutions that allow laboratories to maximize their output and effectiveness while minimizing costs and resources will be explored; relevant in the context of increasing demand for toxicology services and the need for labs to navigate regulatory challenges and competitive pressures effectively.

o

The global toxicology laboratory testing market is projected to grow significantly, by USD 32.58 billion at a CAGR of 15.61% between 2023 and 2028. This places immense pressure on toxicology services laboratories to manage this growing demand. 

Laboratories must navigate a number of challenges to running a successful operation – regulatory compliance, data security and privacy, workforce shortages, low reimbursement rates, to name a few – but what’s likely keeping most toxicology lab operators up at night is how to keep operating costs low all while maintaining high growth opportunities. Here’s why. 

Toxicology Labs Confront Rising Workloads and Intensified Competition 

Though data is limited, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Kaiser Family Foundation reported higher rates of anxiety and other mental health issues with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, healthcare providers, employers, and government agencies had ramped up their drug testing efforts. The increase in testing had revealed a corresponding increase in the number of positive drug tests, both during and after the official conclusion of the public health emergency last year.  

Parallel with this increase in testing volume and workloads during the COVID-19 pandemic, many toxicology labs were faced with industry consolidation — primarily in the US — which heightened competitive pressures for existing toxicology organizations. Some toxicology labs began expanding their accreditations and test methods and are now offering a broader array of services, including human performance testing, postmortem testing and clinical drug testing, thereby competing for clinical work.  

Given the rise in workload and competition, coupled with relatively low reimbursement rates for drug testing, toxicology laboratories are now expected to deliver greater value to their customers while also simultaneously expanding their business.  

Working Smarter Not Harder: Essential Tools Toxicology Labs Need 

With this increasing demand for toxicology testing, your lab must be equipped to develop and implement protocols, and subsequently offer them at scale. This must be done while meeting client needs and turnaround time expectations, all with maximum efficiency to minimize costs and maximize output. 

An advanced LIMS is crucial for managing increased testing volumes, ensuring data access and standardization, providing fast turnaround times and enabling reflex testing to meet regulatory requirements and operational efficiency. A LIMS with the right systems and processes toxicology labs require to meet these challenges within a value-based solution is ideal.  

Ability to Manage Volume Changes 

Your LIMS should help you shoulder increasing testing volumes with the necessary configurability, flexibility and scalability to handle the influx of tests resulting from the opioid crisis. IT should support cost-effective operations at any scale and across geographies.   

Data Access & Standardization Capabilities 

Sharing data is paramount — not only for your clients, but also for researchers, drug makers, and policymakers. A LIMS that can make data interoperable among these stakeholders can contribute considerably to facilitate positive change in toxicology policies.  

Fast turnaround time (TAT) 

Accuracy and reliability in analysis/interpretation of toxic substances is vital. Automation of processes throughout the lifecycle of the sample, from scheduling and sample login to reporting, helps deliver the fast turnaround time (TAT) toxicology labs need to thrive in a challenging environment.  

True Reflex Testing 

Being able to set up a rules-based system to automatically run a confirmation test — without any manual intervention — is a game changer. Most toxicology laboratories are aware of the power of reflex testing. It’s important for the LIMS to be equipped to automatically trigger a reflex test. This functionality enables the configuration of relationships between prescribed medications and laboratory tests, as well as the generation of configurable interpretative results at the level of prescribed medications. This is especially important given the varied state/federal regulations associated with testing.  

Addressing Regulatory Burden 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently ruled that laboratory-developed tests, or LDTs, are now subject to stricter FDA oversight, creating a more time-consuming and costly approval process to laboratory operations. The FDA’s more stringent oversight of laboratory-developed tests has increased regulatory burdens on labs, thereby underscoring the importance of a configurable LIMS solution. Although the FDA will gradually phase out its general enforcement discretion approach to LDTs over a period of four years, many toxicology labs are already feeling the impact and finding themselves in need of a robust LIMS.    

Speed to Revenue Recognition 

The Clinisys™ Toxicology Laboratory is a configurable LIMS that helps organizations deliver accurate and quality results while navigating a competitive and highly regulated toxicology testing landscape. It’s one of the many discipline-specific offerings within the Clinisys™ Laboratory Solution (CLS) that provides toxicology labs with what they need to overcome these industry challenges while driving digital transformation in the lab.  

It’s a fully hosted solution that requires no additional IT investment. As a cloud-based, SaaS deployment solution, Clinisys Toxicology Laboratory can accommodate growing sample volumes and support lab operation expansion without the need for significant investment in infrastructure.  

Whether testing for legal and illegal drug use, monitoring addiction treatments, conducting pain management or undertaking forensic toxicology services, Clinisys Toxicology Laboratory offers the capabilities needed to overcome the operational challenges and handle the regulatory burden while also providing the tools needed to maintain a competitive edge – fast implementation that ultimately translates into speed to revenue recognition.