Laboratory Information Management Systems Out of Step With Industry Changes: InterSystems Survey

SYDNEY, Australia – 01 December, 2015 – InterSystems, a global leader in health information technology and developer of the InterSystems TrakCare® unified healthcare information system, today announced the results of the InterSystems Australian Laboratory Management Systems Market Survey 2015, which found that current information systems are not equipped to support the changes clinical laboratories are undergoing.

“The nature of the laboratory business is changing dramatically,” said Martin Wilkinson, 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 53rd Annual Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists conference in Sydney, the survey of 60 clinical laboratory professionals found there is pressure to meet demand using fewer resources – to increase efficiency while driving down costs – and the use of automation is rising. When asked what was driving change in their laboratories, 75% of respondents cited cost savings and efficiencies, 63% said automation, and 33%, patient-centred care.

When asked how their laboratories were changing, 65% of respondents said the laboratory will operate as part of a multi-site laboratory network, and 60% that the laboratory will continually analyse and improve its processes. A significantly higher percentage of public laboratories cited these factors (83% and 66%), compared with private labs (50% and 56%).

Other key findings included the following:

·         75% of respondents said complete visibility, control and accountability over the testing process are important to the success of their laboratory in the future.

·         62% said the ability to predict laboratory workloads and pinpoint bottlenecks is important to their laboratory’s future success; at public labs, the figure was 83%.

·         Only 29% of public lab respondents agreed their current laboratory information management system is able to support changes their laboratory is undergoing.

·         65% of all respondents said their laboratory information management system cannot provide analysis of which tests are running at a profit and which at a loss.

·         59% of public lab 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, particularly in public laboratories,” 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 60 professional staff representing 29 public pathology laboratories, 18 private pathology laboratories, and 13 related organisations including government. Over half (53%) of those surveyed were biomedical or clinical scientists and 19% were laboratory managers or heads of departments. The survey was conducted from 25-27 September 2015 at the 53rd Annual Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists conference in Sydney.

To download a copy of the InterSystems Australian Laboratory Management Systems Market Survey 2015, visit InterSystems.com.au/BeyondLIMS.

About InterSystems

InterSystems provides the information engines that power some of the world's most important applications. In healthcare, finance, government, and other sectors where lives and livelihoods are at stake, InterSystems has been a strategic technology provider since 1978. InterSystems is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), with offices worldwide, and its software products are used daily by millions of people in more than 100 countries. Visit InterSystems.com.au.