Patients of Cayuga Health can now receive real-time analysis of laboratory tests – including biopsies – when needed, resulting in quicker diagnosis, peace of mind and improved quality of care. Cayuga Medical Center (CMC) received approval by New York State Department of Health to use a new digital slide scanning process to enable this improvement. The novel technology, validated at CMC, is only available in a few hospitals in New York.

“This process extends our reach as pathologists, allowing us to support multiple sites at once,” said Elizabeth Plocharczyk, MD, Director of Laboratories.  “Our ability to provide real-time answers to our patients and colleagues is enhanced through the technology.  Geography is no longer a constraint for quick turnaround time, especially important in a rural environment like ours where different patient care sites in the health system are separated by some distance.”

The high resolution, provided by the scanners, allows for getting a close-up look over any device without sacrificing the quality of the image. In cases where timeliness is critical, slides are scanned at bedside or in the lab and stored digitally, where a pathologist can review securely from any location using a tablet or desktop.  Images can also be shared virtually with colleagues or other labs instantly, without the time delay and expense of physically sending materials to be read elsewhere.

One example offered by Dr. Plocharczyk is the bedside analysis of a biopsy or surgical sample, a process that before was limited by the physical presence of the pathologist at the same location as the patient.  Digitally reading the slide allows for extension of service hours with the same quick diagnosis and opportunity to take another specimen if indicated, improving patient care.