ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – Patients at Cayuga Health can now get test results faster.

The New York State Department of Health approved technology at Cayuga Medical Center that will allow real-time analysis of lab tests, including biopsies. The new digital slide scanning process will allow pathologists to look at samples remotely without sacrificing picture quality.

Slides can be scanned at the bedside or in the lab and stored digitally to be reviewed by a pathologist securely from any location. The images can also be shared virtually or with colleagues or other labs at the touch of a button, without the time delay and cost of sending materials to be physically read elsewhere.

“This process extends our reach as pathologists, allowing us to support multiple sites at once,” said Director of Laboratories, Dr. Elizabeth Plocharczyk, MD. “Our ability to provide real-time answers to our patients and colleagues is enhanced through the technology. Geography is no longer a constraint for quick turnaround time, especially important in a rural environment like ours where different patient care sites in the health system are separated by some distance.”