How Precision Diagnostics Achieved NABL Readiness in 90 Days and Cut Report TAT to 6 Hours

Precision Diagnostics was founded by Dr. Meera Tripathi, a pathologist with 20 years of experience, starting as a single lab in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. Over 5 years, she expanded to 4 collection centres across Lucknow -- Hazratganj, Aliganj, Indira Nagar, and Rajajipuram -- feeding into the central processing lab in Gomti Nagar.

The expansion outpaced the lab's manual processes. Sample tracking was done through handwritten registers at each collection centre. When a patient gave a blood sample at the Hazratganj centre at 8 AM, there was no digital trail of when it was picked up, when it reached the central lab, when processing began, or when the report would be ready. Patients called repeatedly asking for report status, and the staff had no accurate answer. Average report turnaround time had crept up to 48 hours for routine tests -- unacceptable in a market where competitors promised same-day results.

Sample rejection was another critical issue. Without standardised collection protocols tracked digitally, 4.2% of samples were rejected at the central lab due to hemolysis, insufficient volume, or improper storage during transit. Each rejected sample meant a patient had to revisit for recollection -- damaging trust and generating complaints.

Dr. Tripathi aspired to NABL accreditation, knowing it would differentiate Precision Diagnostics in Lucknow's competitive lab market. However, the documentation requirements for NABL seemed insurmountable with manual processes -- quality control records, equipment calibration logs, standard operating procedures, proficiency testing records, and internal audit documentation all needed systematic digital management.

GoMeds AI deployed its Diagnostic Lab Management Software (LIMS) across the central lab and all 4 collection centres, with a focus on three pillars: sample traceability, report automation, and NABL documentation.

Sample tracking was digitised end-to-end. Every sample received a unique barcode at the collection centre. The barcode was scanned at each stage -- collection, pickup by courier, receipt at central lab, processing, analysis, validation, and report generation. Both staff and patients could track sample status in real-time. Collection centres had tablets showing live status of all samples sent that day. Patients received WhatsApp notifications at key milestones: 'Sample received at lab', 'Processing in progress', 'Report ready -- download here'.

Report generation was automated through integration with lab analysers. Results from automated equipment (haematology, biochemistry) flowed directly into the LIMS, populating report templates with reference ranges, flags for abnormal values, and previous result comparisons. The pathologist reviewed and validated reports on-screen rather than reviewing handwritten worksheets. Auto-validated normal results (within defined ranges and delta checks) further accelerated the process.

For NABL readiness, GoMeds configured the quality management module with all required documentation frameworks -- SOPs for every test procedure, internal quality control (IQC) tracking with Levey-Jennings charts, equipment maintenance and calibration logs, proficiency testing records, and internal audit schedules. Dr. Tripathi could access a NABL readiness dashboard showing compliance percentage across all standards.