Perspectives

A laboratory information management system decision looks simple from the outside. Pick a platform, configure it for your workflows, go live. Most labs do exactly this. Then, 12 to 18 months later, the EHR integration still requires a manual export. A routine 21 CFR Part 11 audit returns six findings. Every workflow change goes into a professional services queue with a six-week turnaround.

You closed the deal with a technology value creation plan tied to specific EBITDA targets. The strategy is sound, the use cases connect directly to the investment thesis, and the portco CTO has the capability to execute. But the engineering backlog is already six months longer than the hold period allows.

Three months ago, the RPM program worked. At that time 50 patients were on the system with one condition pathway and one EHR site. The per-patient SaaS fee looked manageable against CMS reimbursement although the alert queue was noisy but navigable.