Case Study: Northwest Laboratory achieves 24-hour COVID-19 test turnaround with LigoLab

Northwest Laboratory Leads the Way with its 24-Hour Commitment for COVID-19 Test Results

Northwest Laboratory, a full-service diagnostic lab based in Bellingham, Washington, needed a way to deliver COVID-19 test results quickly and reliably at very high volume for large contracts including long-term care facilities and public agencies. LigoLab provided the laboratory information system software and TestDirectly direct-to-consumer portal used to manage the end-to-end testing workflow, from patient self-registration and scheduling through specimen collection, lab processing, and result delivery.

With LigoLab’s integrated LIS platform and TestDirectly, Northwest Laboratory streamlined electronic ordering, QR code specimen linking, batch processing, plate mapping, rack scanning, and pooled testing. The result was a scalable workflow that helped the lab process nearly 180,000 tests in a 30-day period, with more than 98% of results delivered to patients by email or SMS within 24 hours, and approximately 1.5 million COVID-19 tests processed overall since the start of the pandemic.

Northwest Laboratory

Jennifer Bull

Chief Operating Officer