CEDAR CITY, UT– Matthew Leavitt Jr presented on PathNet Inc. at Tech Up Southern Utah, Thursday, May 26, 2022. Presenting on PathNet’s mission statement “Moving Pathology Forward’, Leavitt discussed what digital transformations are being made in pathology and how they are improving patient care.

A problem that Leavitt emphasized in the traditional pathology process is that data silos exist at each step along the patient’s tissue journey. He explained, “The laboratory has their Laboratory Information System (LIS), the clinic has their Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, and the pathologists often receive that information via fax–today; we’re still using fax machines in diagnostic medicine.”

Leavitt explained that PathNet is trying to build a digital bridge between the physically separate locations that handle patient specimens and records. An important aspect of bridging this information gap is through automation of tissue handling processes. PathNet achieves this automation through the use of the Lumea digital diagnostic platform.

Leavitt continued: “…automation is extremely important for patient safety because most of the errors that occur in diagnostic medicine [are] not analytical error[s] on the pathologist side…unfortunately what tends to be the problem is [mislabeling errors] …even if a proper diagnosis is given, you could be treating the wrong part of the organ.”

This is when PathNet’s use of the Lumea platform, which marries electronic patient data with the physical specimen is so important. Having this process automated leaves little-to-no room for labeling mistakes.

Matthew Leavitt Jr, an employee of PathNet, works as a part of PathNet’s marketing team to spread awareness about the current pitfalls and shortcomings of the current [traditional] diagnostic process for prostate cancer.

TechUp is composed of the Silicon Slopes Cedar City Chapter and is sponsored by Southwest Tech, Southern Utah University, The Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, Cedar City: Festival City USA, and America’s SBDC.

You can learn more about PathNet and its mission by visiting the PathNet website pathnetlab.com, or by following their journey on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.