By Salvi MittalDigital has become a buzzword for the diagnostics and the healthcare industry recently. The pandemic has changed the dynamics for a lot of companies and has truly brought the concept of direct to customer to the fore. SRL Diagnostics has been digitally enabled from early years of inception and lead the industry in digital transformation.
In the year 2000, SRL developed an indigenous Laboratory Information Management System. Till date they are the only lab chain to run its own proprietary central laboratory information management system (CLIMS). This has helped the company integrate new machines and interfaces with a lot of control and ease.
SRL Diagnostics was also the first to launch email reports in the year 2000 and the first to launch web based reports in 2004. They have integrated SAP as early as in 2010 thereby enabling online ordering and payment and launched their first mobile app in 2014. And first to launch an end to end digital service offered through website and app.
“At SRL Diagnostics, we live and breathe digital every single day—all in an endeavour to offer the best possible service to patients. Our goal is to enable convenience, automation, strive for accuracy and give reports in the shortest possible time; digital is just a medium to achieve this goal and we are well- ahead in this game,” G Radhakrishna Pillai, CIO, SRL Diagnostics says.
Accurate and efficient infrastructure
The goal of technology is not just to make care more affordable and accessible but also more precise with the best possible patient outcomes. Diagnostics technology is moving fast in the direction of full automation with the help of latest developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).
From developing accurate and efficient diagnostic solutions to accommodating technological interventions, our forward-thinking R&D teams are already working on developing newer and simpler ways for blood analysis and diagnosis.
Data Science and AI to improve the quality and reach of pathology
SRL Diagnostics is leveraging strong capabilities in Next Generation Diagnostics and along with that, they are also focusing on new technologies such as AI and data analytics to improve testing. “We are currently working with Microsoft on artificial intelligence to develop algorithms for two fields namely histopathology and cytogenetics. This would assist pathologists to reduce subjectivity in their results and increase the speed of response. It is also clear that the future laboratories need to join hands with healthcare networks and with other healthcare providers which will play a key role in delivering quality patient care. To address the pertinent challenges in the healthcare space, future laboratories need to be driven by R&D, design thinking, and smart technology based on a foundation of smarter, safer, and sustainable labs.” Pillai explains.
Automation for quick turnaround
They have been using automation in processes and have come a long way over the last two decades. Many diagnostic machines and platforms already use robotic automation and can provide detailed diagnostic reports and actionable health insights. Today, labs are conducting tens and thousands of tests a day. “This was unimaginable a few years back and the costs have come down steadily over the years. Tests that used to take hours, now can be done in a few minutes with technology and automation. Technology today is at the heart of every single lab. Not just the testing process, it is part of the pre-analytical, analytical and the post analytical stage” Pillai says.
Machines like high throughput analysers, digital scanners for pathology and haematology, auto strainers and slide makers have become common sights in large laboratories. “Laboratory information systems came in to existence in the 1980s and today we are talking about AI in precision diagnostics. That is how far we have come. The pandemic will also now hasten the industry transformation and way forward and SRL is at the cusp of this transformation” he adds.
Keeping real time tap on phlebotomists and logistics personnel
Recently, Pillai has introduced real-time tracking of samples to reduce the error of missing samples or missing test requests. Each vacutainer is enabled to be live-tracked. Their logistics riders travel several kilometres a day to deposit samples across our 400+ laboratories. GPS tracking was enabled for both their phlebotomists who service home visit appointments and logistics personnel who transport samples from one point to another. This reduced their missing sample error by a great degree. In addition, they confirmed patient name, age, gender, mobile number and email ID through an instant SMS with the patient at the time of the sample collection. This also reduces data errors.
Moreover, the entire home visit appointment is automated both for the customer and the phlebotomist. This adds convenience for customers and increases the productivity of the customers as visits are allotted real time basis technicians’ location.
“Our revenues from our digital channels have grown 7x in the first quarter of FY22. We have launched an all new website and are planning to launch a new experience through our mobile app very soon. All of these are expected to drive up ourdigital appointments. We will continue to leverage our strong network of 2500+ centers even as we are relentlessly focused on our digital first strategy” he says.
Future of digital care at SRL Diagnostics
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is arguably one of the most significant technological advances in the biological sciences of the last 30 years. The second generation sequencing platforms have advanced rapidly to the point that several genomes can now be sequenced simultaneously in a single instrument run in under two weeks. Higher genome throughput have helped at reducing cost per sample. “Other technologies like robotics that is used in labs to automate processes, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), as we enter the era of mainstream application of precision medicine, tailored therapeutics, wearable, and artificial intelligence, the importance of diagnostics’ role in medicine will continue to grow and the definition of what constitutes a diagnostic test will continue to evolve,” Pillai adds.
Technology alone cannot make the dream of universal health coverage possible, it demands for health systems to come together. This is where public private partnerships can be crucial. Not just point of care diagnostics, it is also possible to set predictive health trends and prevent diseases rather than cure. It is important for industries to focus on preventive medicine to build healthy societies and communities. Therefore the future is not going to be just diagnostic testing but also prognostic testing. “Data and technology can help us achieve the goal of quality healthcare for all, provided that policy makers, clinicians, scientists, public
and private healthcare institutions come together to achieve the common goal,” he concludes.
