Of the software that I have used or managed, Orchard is by far the most intuitive and comprehensive

Pros

From the start, the trainers, training program and training facility are impressive. As an administrator, you have the ability to customize software to your existing workflow, create your own quality reports and metrics, or have Orchard assist you in creating them. There is a high level of on site support from installation preparation through implementation and go live, and continuity of support post go live with a very responsive remote tech support team ( 24/7) . It was a huge decision, and purchasing Orchard Software and everything that comes with it has been a benefit to our laboratory. We will continue to utilize Orchard products as more extensive options are developed and become available to meet the need or our growing laboratory.

Cons

The result approval process could be a bit more streamlined for cytology, we are currently working with technical support on improving that process.

LabDAQ for the Clinical Lab

I've used several different LIMS systems throughout my career and this is by far the most flexible of any system I've used.

Pros

Adding assays is quite easy and being able to program different rules in order to customize our client's experience is extremely important.

Cons

Not being able to customize our own reports is a little frustrating. I wasn't the administrator who set this up at this laboratory and now I'm stuck with his design unless we pay more.

LIS Changes

Up until the last few years, the customer service, product changes/flexibility, pricing was pro-customer. At this point, I believe it time to evaluate other LIS's if the price point no longer supports selecting Orchard and the iews of their employees are no longer pro-customer.

Pros

Since 1997 I have been a strong Orchard advocate. The flexibility it enables us is fantastic. Able to customize most everything. As a lab consultant, I implemented/purchased a number of Orchard LIS's due to it being easy and quick to learn for staff.

Cons

With new ownership I see a major increase in all pricing (interfaces, licenses, service). Invoices are generic with absolutely no details even when repeatedly asked to get it itemized. Old mentality customer service by leaving voicemails with no answers instead of emailing responses. Data mining is weak. Not as good as value that it was when [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] owned the company.

Harvest is limited in that it shows thousands of samples are pending, yet it can be only hundreds.

Simplicity of tracking patient history and repeated results. It also is linked to another LIS that we use and it's easy to switch back and forth when reviewing information.

Pros

What I like most about this software is that it's easy to track repeated samples, see patient history, and edit results.

Cons

At the Certifying level, we blindly go through data until we see a sample that is complete, then assess. When you have results coming in from different departments as we do, there's no tab that sorts the completed results. For example, we choose an accession, there are no results yet, then move on to the next one which is also empty, and then maybe ten below it, there's data to look at. There is an Orders With Results tab but that will only show the results of the accession that are complete, yet often there are still results pending from different departments, so it will not be in that view along with the completed results. It makes our process inefficient and untimely.

Easy to use!

Fast and accurate patient processing. There are a few preferences I wish you could change, but other than that it works very well.

Pros

It easily integrated with our EHR software. This made it simple to get lab results to the doctors. We are able to print labels, requsitions, patient demographics, ect easily from the patients account. We see hundreds of patients every day, and this system keeps the ball rolling. We are never slowed down by the software. It is easy to see what's going on because the design is clean and simple. It is easy to select the tests that need to be ordered, or have them integrated from the EHR. This system limits human error and allows us to not spend as much time double checking everything. The labels print out cleanly and ready to be put on patient samples.