The Lab has developed a number of novel technologies to facilitate communication with its clients.  They allow our clients to practice in the most convenient and efficient way possible,  while helping us acquire the clinical information we need for optimally accurate diagnosis  -- because clinicopathologic correlation is so critical to dermatopathology.  Our technologies are based on the following platforms:

Clients can communicate with the Lab via the Web. Using an ordinary web-browser, they can look up pathology reports. They can also submit electronic pathology slips, which may contain embedded digital photographs.  There are various conveniences, including the ability to track which reports are "new", i.e., not yet read by the clinician.

In addition to the web pages, clients can use our java applet, a program that is downloaded via the web browser each time it is needed. In comparison to the web pages, the applet is faster and offers many additional features, including enhanced search functionality (the ability to search by diagnosis, for example); submission of electronic pathology slips, which may contain embedded clinical images and digitized audio comments; annotation of the embedded images, to mark the site of a biopsy, for example; transmission of supply requests; etc. More information about the applet can be found here.

Clients can download and store pathology reports on handheld computers (PDAs and smartphones) running either Palm or Pocket PC (Windows Mobile) operating systems.  Tens of thousands of reports can be stored on a typical handheld, so a clinician can literally store a career's worth of reports in his or her pocket.  It is also possible to create electronic pathology slips on the handheld for transmittal to the lab. Such slips, once created, are continuously updated with information from the lab - such as the accession date, gross description, expected completion date, etc. - as it becomes available. The slips can contain embedded digital photographs, which may be annotated on the handheld (to mark the site of a biopsy, for example).  These photographs are sent automatically to the lab, where they become embedded in the resulting pathology report.  The images can be accessed by the clinician via the laboratory's website, where they remain forever.

In some instances, photographs can be taken with the handheld itself, for example with the Palm Zire 71, which has a built-in camera. With such a device it takes no longer to produce an electronic, multimedia pathology slip than it would to complete a paper slip, but the e-slip is much more valuable for clinicopathologic correlation and clinical documentation.

Audio comments can be recorded with the handheld for transmittal to the lab, again for clinicopathologic correlation and documentation. These also remain accessible indefinitely via the lab's website.

You can watch a slide show, which describes our programs for the Palm and Pocket PC in much more detail.   You can also download copies of the programs, with sample databases, for the Palm and Pocket PC, so that you can try them for yourself.

Our software is compatible with PDAs and smartphones running the Palm OS, Pocket PC, and Pocket PC Phone Edition operating systems.  It will not run on smartphones with the Microsoft Smartphone, Symbian, and Linux operating systems.  If you need client software for the latter, please  let us know.

Handling conventional dermatopathology reports can be a real nuisance for practices that have adopted electronic medical record systems, because the reports have to be stored separately from the the remainder of the record or scanned into the EMR.   In most instances the Lab can communicate electronically with EMR systems, avoiding this problem.  The Lab can provide reports in HL7 or PDF formats for import into EMR systems.  Custom HL7 formats, tailored to the requirements of your EMR system, can be produced.

Please inquire if you need this service.