William Morice II, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic Laboratories, recently shared with the Advisory Board his insight into the potential that digital pathology and out-of-lab testing can bring into the laboratory space.

Dr. Morice emphasized digital pathology as a transformative opportunity for the diagnostic industry, capable of advancing both efficiency and patient care quality. Digital pathology has long been used for research but is slowly breaking into clinical settings. This shift enhances diagnostic accuracy and broadens consultation options, while easing workload pressures by streamlining diagnostic workflows.

“The challenge is the technology is moving from being nascent to more widely adopted, but it’s still a steep investment financially because digital pathology, as it is today, is a substantial operational lift,” Dr. Morice said.

Out-of-lab testing is another area of opportunity for diagnostic companies. Testing is increasingly being done outside the traditional lab setting, whether that is at home or in ambulatory settings. In addition, more individuals are embracing health solutions like wearable devices and have a heightened interest in controlling and accessing their personal health data.

Dr. Morice said, “I think clearly for infectious disease testing we’re going to see more and more use of direct-to-consumer as well as at-home or ‘point-of-need’ testing.”

Read more insights in the Advisory Board article, “2 ways labs can embrace innovation to drive revenue and accelerate growth.”