POL's can integrate with an entire practice in a variety of ways. First, POLs can store laboratory data in a form more readily exchanged between the laboratory and the patient's broader electronic health record (EHR). A slight disconnect often exists between reference labs and physician offices. By placing a lab in the physician office, tighter integration of patient and testing data is achieved, a benefit for both the patient and the practitioner.

The tighter integration may save patients follow-up visits for diagnoses that are able to be done in the office laboratory. For example, in diagnosing the physician office can significantly reduce time spent sending the sample off for testing by doing the testing independently.
Additionally, the POL can allow the financial departments of a practice to track costs and revenue by using laboratory data. Laboratory data can also assist with trends related to a population. If a POL notices an unexpected trend in disease among the patient population, the lab data can help the entire organization decide how best to address the related issues through community education or some other outreach program.

When setting up a POL, practices are faced with individual state, local, and federal regulations to ensure full compliance. (This guide is no substitute.) Three key regulations were chosen for discussion in this guide: the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). These regulations were chosen because they are the most common-and most important-to affect the POL and the physician office.

Economics are very important to any aspect of the medical practice. This is also true for the POL. Four economic considerations should be made regarding the POL:
1) Profitability & stability
2) Insurance reimbursements
3) Billing
4) Return on investment (ROI)

Other considerations would include things like assessing financial penalties for non-compliance.

Insurance reimbursements vary by insurance company and plan. Checking with the insurance companies and plans accepted by the POL is advised; these numbers often change, as required by regulations or insurance company needs. It is important to keep current on this subject. Failing to do so can result in less reimbursement than one is expecting. If the reimbursement for a test is cut and one fails to keep current with reimbursements from the insurance providers, the shock could ripple through the laboratory or provider practice.

From a basic clinical and research laboratory perspective, there are two common data management systems to choose from: a laboratory information system (LIS) and a laboratory information management system (LIMS). Generally speaking, a LIS will be found more often in a clinical laboratory like the POL, whereas a LIMS will be more common in a research laboratory.

Aside from workflow, order entry, testing, and reporting, another important aspect of managing data is quality control (QC), which allows the handler of the data to ensure it still meets the definition of quality data. In healthcare informatics, quality data is defined as data that is clear, complete, relevant, timely, and accurate in presentation.
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LIS and LIMS vendors often include a variety of quality control functions in their software. QC tests can be run on specimens, quality control charts and reports can be created, proficiency testing functions can be implemented, and certificates of analysis (COAs) can be produced.

Since workflow is the single most important consideration in the design of the LIS, it is important it allows instruments and other software to interface. These interfaces are generally done using standard communication processes and systems, as well as messaging formats, like Health Level 7 (HL7).
The types of information communicated between these systems include process control and status information for each device or analyzer, each specimen, specimen container, and container carrier, information and detailed data related to patients, orders, and results, and information related to specimen flow algorithms and automated decision making.
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A software interface between the LIS and the EHR is often referred to as a result interface, and it typically uses the HL7 messaging protocol and standard communication protocols like TCP/IP. These interfaces are not turn-key, however, requiring a comprehensive planning and implementation process. After a successful implementation, the interface allows information from a completed test to be reported back to the EHR, where the physician can readily obtain a copy of the patient test report. It can also allow for billing batches and admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) reporting. These same interfaces can be used for communicating with other reference laboratories, in addition to the various hospital systems.