From Bottleneck to Business Driver: How a Smarter LIMS Unlocks Test Flexibility and Rapid Turnaround Time
About the Customer
Gulf Coast Pathologists (GCP) is an anatomic pathology lab and medical practice. They offer a full range of services, including cytopathology, GI pathology, dermatopathology, and clinical pathology. GCP works closely with hospitals and physicians, and their speed and accuracy directly affect patient care.
The Challenge
GCP was operating with an antiquated and fragmented Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). This system greatly hindered their growth. The lab faced many problems because of it:
Too Much Manual Work: The team had to use inefficient workarounds. This included tracking patient and sample data on paper, leading to many errors and data silos.
Hindered Business Growth: The system wasn’t flexible. Adding a new physician to the platform could take days, or longer. That kind of delay made onboarding frustrating and sometimes cost them new clients. Adding new tests was equally difficult, requiring customization, which stopped the lab from adapting to the dynamic oncology field.
No Real-Time Tracking: The lab lacked true end-to-end sample tracking and a proper audit trail. If a sample was delayed, it was hard to know where it was or why. Turnaround time (TAT) is a key measure for any lab. Not being able to track samples in real-time meant TAT suffered. This led to frustrated physicians asking, "Where's the result for this patient?"
Poor Data Analysis: The system gave fragmented and unreliable data. This made it impossible for leaders to find the real reasons for delays in their work, like problems with sample check-in or staining.
The Solution
GCP teamed up with Kanda to replace their faulty LIMS with a modern, connected, and expandable system. Kanda’s method was very different from the usual consulting approach, which often doesn't work well in LIMS projects.Traditional consulting often starts with a long 90-day discovery phase, where consultants wait for the client to list their needs. Kanda did it differently. Their expert team took charge. After just one demo of GCP’s existing workflows, Kanda’s team identified 95% of the needs on their own. They built a working model and showed it to GCP for feedback. This direct approach—where "requirements and development go side by side"—saved months of time and ensured the project delivered real results, fast. The custom system Kanda built was a comprehensive platform, designed to fix GCP's main issues:
A Flexible Test List
The new platform stores every detail about each test, analytes, attributes, ranges, and lets staff add new ones on the fly. No IT request needed. That one feature alone makes the system much easier to scale.
Intelligent Workflow Automation
EMR Integration: To eliminate manual data entry, the system integrates directly with hospital EMRs, allowing high-volume clients to push order data electronically into the LIMS.
Ready for Robotics: The system is set up to work with robots for sample accessioning. These devices can open packages, read forms, input data, print and attach labels, and transport samples as well. One robot can do the work of 10-20 people.
AI for Pathology Reports: The system Kanda built is capable of reading slides and creating full pathology reports. Then, a human pathologist reviews and signs off on these reports to meet FDA requirements. This greatly speeds up reporting and cuts manual work by 70%.
Comprehensive Tracking and Compliance
Detailed Sample Tracking: All samples are monitored in real time. If one falls behind, the system alerts the right person, preventing small issues from turning into major turnaround time (TAT) delays.
Strong Audit Trail: A complete audit trail was implemented. It tracks every data change: the old value, the new value, who made the change, when, and why. This ensures data is accurate and compliant.
The Results: Transforming Operations into a Competitive Advantage
Kanda's new LIMS completely changed how GCP works. It turned their past challenges into advantages.
Much Faster Turnaround Time
Granular analytics now show exactly how long each step takes, letting GCP's leaders find and fix specific issues that slow down TAT. Automated alerts for stalled samples prevent one- or two-day delays that could cost the lab a client.
Immediate Client Onboarding
The biggest roadblock to business is gone. GCP can now set up new clients quickly and offer a smooth onboarding experience from the start.
Looking Ahead
Kanda delivered a reliable and scalable system that made GCP’s current work more efficient and created room for future growth.The platform was built with such strength and flexibility that GCP can now offer it as a SaaS solution to other labs, creating an entirely new revenue stream. This complete solution supports GCP’s expansion and positions them as a true technology leader in the pathology industry.
