Dr. Todd Randolph is a pathologist with more than 26 years of experience. He is the co-founder and co-owner of StarPath. StarPath provides world-class quality pathology interpretations while leveraging the power of artificial intelligence. Previously, he was a medical and lab director at Sera Prognostics. Dr. Randolph switched to digital pathology four years ago with Lumea’s digital pathology software and found out it was more efficient, accessible, and flexible than traditional pathology.
“I’ve been an avid user of the Lumea BxLink™ platform and I’m really impressed with it. It has rapid accessibility for first-time diagnosis and review, increased efficiency with time for administration and primary sign out seamlessly integrated into the workday, and gives me tremendous flexibility.”
Lumea’s Digital Pathology Software Improves Efficiency
Each day he would wait for the glass slides to arrive at his desk. Then he would review each one under his microscope. He dictated the diagnosis into a LIS, made any necessary edits, then signed out the case. His practice standard was four levels on two slides. So, the diagnosis of a typical 12-site prostate case could take him up to 20 – 25 minutes.
What impressed Dr. Randolph from the start was that Lumea’s digital pathology software BxLink matched and improved his workflow. In place of a desk covered with stacks of cases, slides, and paperwork, a pathologist can easily organize and search cases on BxLink.
“As opposed to having a pile on my desk, I have everything nicely categorized here by date. It’s more efficient than if you’re in a traditional pathology setting.”
Digital slides are available for diagnosis as soon as the lab uploads them into the BxLink “desktop”. Lumea technology auto-grosses tissue, reducing gross verification from several minutes to seconds. In BxLink’s slide viewer, the pathologist can simultaneously view patient information and slide label for seamless verification.
Other digital pathology software requires multiple monitors to diagnose histologic preparations. With Lumea, all Dr. Randolph needs is a computer or a handheld tablet. It is more versatile than a microscope. A pathologist can easily adjust, zoom, rotate, and flip slides with their fingers or a tablet pen. The process of rendering the diagnosis is seamlessly integrated into the slide viewer. It usually requires only a few “clicks” on the drop down menu.
“Lumea can personalize BxLink to you throughout the entire process. This leads to very efficient, real-time sign out,” said Todd Randolph.
For prostate biopsies, just circle an area of interest or open a drop-down menu. Then, pathologists can do real-time input of the grade, percentage, and notes which are automatically added to a final report. With the efficiencies powered by Lumea, Dr. Randolph can diagnose a 12-core prostate biopsy case in 10 – 15 minutes – close to half the time!
Lumea’s Digital Pathology Software Improves Accessibility
Once staining and imaging are complete, BxLink makes cases instantly accessible. In Lumea’s digital pathology software pathologists no longer need to wait for a courier to deliver glass slides. They can begin their caseload for the day any time. In addition, they can access the cases from multiple locations.
“If a clinician would like me to review a particular case, I can easily search for that within this application and have the slide ready to review in a matter of seconds,” said Dr. Randolph. “Before BxLink, if a case has been sent back to histology or the laboratory, then it might take an hour or a day for me to get it before I could review it again. That’s been a huge advantage.”
A new FDA policy states that pathologists have access to a variety of scanners and monitors, so long as they validate the devices in each remote work location. Lumea takes this flexibility one step further than other digital pathology companies. We designed our software to be easily usable on a handheld device.
Lumea’s Digital Pathology Software Improves Flexibility
“If we’re focusing on the lifestyle advantages of BxLink it’s that it’s portable,” said Dr. Randolph.
As soon as the lab scans glass slides, the pathologist almost immediately has access to the cases. Therefore, a formal work environment at a hospital or lab with multiple monitors is no longer necessary. If they have a meeting or a personal commitment, a pathologist can sign out of BxLink on their tablet and return to it any time.
As long as they are in a validated location with a validated device a pathologist can work virtually anywhere, anytime. This eliminates the need to waste time commuting long distances. It also opens up the ability to serve other areas of the world in need of more pathologists.
For pathologists out there nervous about making the switch, Dr. Randolph shared that it only took him 5 minutes to feel comfortable reading out digital cases.
When asked about the greatest benefits of BxLink, Dr. Randolph replied, “Utilizing a laboratory information system developed from the ground up with a digital perspective. It does not require interfacing between a digital viewing system and a reporting system that is not based on a digital platform. And there are tremendous efficiencies and accuracy with patient tracking from bedside/specimen procurement to image production and report generation.”
Request a free demo to learn more about how Lumea’s digital pathology software can help your pathology practice be efficient, accessible, and flexible.
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