The unified platform integrates case tracking, image management, and reporting into a single system to reduce laboratory handoffs.
NovoPath has launched the next generation of its laboratory information system (LIS), embedding digital pathology workflows directly into the software that manages pathology operations from specimen intake to diagnostic reporting.
The updated platform brings cases, digital slides, laboratory tasks, and final reports together into a single system, eliminating the need for standalone image management software to bridge data between separate databases.
Addressing Workflow Bottlenecks in Digital Pathology
According to the College of American Pathologists, approximately one in 10 US laboratories has adopted digital pathology. While adoption continues to expand, disconnected systems have created operational challenges for technical staff and pathologists. In conventional digital setups, cases reside in the LIS while images are hosted in a separate image management system, requiring an interface to link patient identifiers across systems.
This disconnect often forces laboratory staff to manually verify slide sets, monitor scanning status, track glass and digital cases in separate queues, and address failed scans. The administrative complexity is reflected in current reimbursement frameworks, with digital pathology now carrying more than 40 Category III add-on codes to account for the additional work required to digitize and manage slides.
To address these disconnects, NovoPath designed its platform so that the case record and associated whole-slide images share a single native file. Slide barcodes, scan files, and LIS data are synchronized automatically to minimize clerical entry and support patient safety. Because the LIS tracks every ordered level, stain, and recut, the software verifies that all expected slides are present before routing a case to a pathologist.
“A pathologist should never have to question whether their digital slides match the case, and a lab should never send a pathologist a case with slides still missing,” says Ron Patel, senior director of new business solutions, NovoPath, in a release. “Both are patient safety issues, and both are LIS problems. NovoPath keeps every slide tied to its case and makes sure the case is complete before it reaches the pathologist.”
Hardware-Agnostic Integration and Phased Implementation
The platform is designed to operate with existing laboratory hardware, allowing facilities to maintain their current slide scanners rather than purchasing proprietary equipment. Laboratories can pair the LIS with their existing slide viewers or utilize NovoPath’s built-in viewer, which is designed for non-diagnostic review.
Image files can be hosted either in the cloud or in on-premises storage environments. To prevent workflow disruptions, laboratories can transition to digital workflows incrementally across individual facilities, subspecialties, or pathologists, while legacy cases remain accessible in existing systems.
“Pathologists deserve the same innovation in their systems that they are bringing to the slide,” says Promise Okeke, CEO of NovoPath, in a release. “We were first to take the LIS to the cloud because laboratories needed to work from anywhere. We built digital pathology into the LIS because the case needs one home. Both are about the same thing: giving pathologists what they need to deliver excellent care to patients.”
The workflow software is available immediately. NovoPath, whose LIS platforms support anatomic, clinical, molecular, cytology, and veterinary pathology workflows across more than 300 laboratories, will demonstrate the platform at the PathVisions 2026 conference in San Diego from Oct 16 to 18.
Photo caption: NovoPath digital pathology solution
Photo credit: NovoPath
