LabCorp Adding Digital Workflows to Pathology Services

LabCorp, the Burlington-based diagnostics and drug-development conglomerate, will add digital workflows into its anatomic pathology services under a new collaboration with Royal Philips, a global health technology company.

LabCorp will initially implement the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution in four of its laboratories. A company spokesman declined to say which labs would adopt the system but did confirm that one of them would be in North Carolina.

The system is the only digital pathology solution marketed for primary diagnostic use in the United States, the company said in a news release. It helps pathologists review and interpret digital images of surgical pathology slides that are prepared from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. The goals are to provide improved turnaround times and more precise analysis of tissue samples.

“Digital pathology offers the opportunity for improved efficiency and enhanced collaboration between our pathologists and our customers,” said Gary M. Huff, chief executive officer of LabCorp Diagnostics. “We are pleased to be the first major commercial laboratory to implement the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution, and we look forward to working closely with Philips to identify the best way to integrate a digital pathology solution into our anatomic pathology workflow.”

The product is an automated system for creating, viewing and managing digital pathology images. It consists of a scanner, an image-management system, a display and software tools to manage the scanning, storage, presentation, reviewing and sharing of images. 

By supporting the transition to digital workflows, Philips seeks to help pathology laboratories simplify access to histopathology information.

“Digital pathology opens new, innovative ways to help laboratories and hospital systems improve workflows and provide better patient care,” said Marlon Thompson, general manager of Philips Digital Pathology Solutions. “Together with LabCorp, we can accelerate the digital transformation of pathology and intensify collaboration between laboratories and healthcare professionals.”

Dorothy (Dot) Adcock, M.D., chief medical officer for LabCorp Diagnostics, said digital pathology has the potential to improve patient care. “The opportunity to more quickly access tissue images for analysis, to collaborate more readily with specialty pathologists around the globe, and to provide a faster diagnosis can improve patient care in often challenging areas of cancer diagnosis,” she said.

LabCorp has about 60,000 employees worldwide and reported net revenues of over $10.2 billion in 2017.
Philips, which generated 2017 sales of EUR 17.8 billion, has about 74,000 employees in more than 100 countries.