Informatics
The Center for Pathology Informatics (CPI) of the Tomsich Pathology Laboratories provides information management services to the Laboratories and throughout Cleveland Clinic. Effective automated information management is central to patient care, educational, and research activities.
The CPI technical staff includes analysts with previous experience as medical technologists and laboratory supervisors, who understand patient care requirements, laboratory operations, and issues related to information systems.
Our analysts also work with clients on ad hoc or customized management reporting requests. Our PC/network support persons deploy and support communications lines and devices (PCs, printers) throughout Cleveland Clinic, including satellite locations and Cleveland Clinic Laboratories' client sites. Information system support personnel are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Tomsich Pathology Laboratories utilizes multiple sophisticated information systems that are crucial to its patient care mission. CPI implements and supports mission critical laboratory information systems that serve the clinical laboratories (Sunquest Laboratory® system) and the anatomic pathology services (Cerner CoPath Plus™ system).
Other supported applications in use include voice recognition in surgical pathology, document imaging for requisitions and other documentation, accounts receivable and billing for financial activities of Cleveland Clinic Laboratories, help desk, and multiple internally developed systems for specialized laboratory functions such as kidney stone reporting. CPI also maintains the Institute’s file server and >450 PCs. Hardware, other infrastructure, and call desk are housed in the CPI's Data Center on Cleveland Clinic's main campus.
The Laboratories' systems communicate with multiple other systems in Cleveland Clinic’s complex computing environment. Members of the CPI team work closely with Cleveland Clinic’s Information Technology Division (ITD) on day-to-day and strategic issues that relate to laboratory information throughout Cleveland Clinic.
CPI maintains electronic interfaces for test order entry and results reporting between Cleveland Clinic’s two electronic medical record systems and the laboratory systems. Separate patient registration (ADT) interfaces are in place to each of the laboratory systems. CPI supports laboratory system access at thirteen Cleveland Clinic satellite center locations around northeast Ohio.
Cleveland Clinic Laboratories offers clients various information system connectivity options and specialized information management services that are provided by the Laboratories' CPI unit.
CPI implements and supports multiple interfaces between laboratory information systems at some client sites and the Cleveland Clinic system. Clients may receive automatic report delivery via fax or printer. At selected sites, CPI supports remote order entry directly into the institute’s laboratory system with instrument-ready bar code label generation at the client site.
Members of the CPI group regularly present abstracts and educational sessions at national pathology informatics conferences. CPI members have participated actively in the leadership of the Association for Pathology Informatics (API) since the organization’s inception.
Research
Members of the Tomsich Pathology Laboratories carry out clinically applied and translational research investigations/projects in diverse areas in the study of human disease. Translational research in pathology aims to bring the discoveries from the lab bench to the bedside.
Active research spans all aspects of disease including basic pathologic and molecular mechanisms; pathologic manifestations and characterization; diagnostic and prognostic markers and studies in blood, tissue, and body fluids; applications of new laboratory technologies; clinical management; and patient outcomes.
Members of the Tomsich Pathology Laboratories obtain funding from a variety of sources, both intramural and extramural. Extramural fund sources include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), other federal and state governmental agencies, professional societies in pathology, and industry.
The Tomsich Pathology Laboratories vigorously pursues partnerships in research and development with industry, including biotechnology, molecular and in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceutical, information technology, and other firms, who recognize the expertise and the resources available in the Laboratories and Cleveland Clinic as an excellent research and development environment.
The Tomsich Pathology Laboratories participate in and supports many collaborative research efforts with clinical departments and with the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Faculty also play important roles in multi-center research trials.
The Tomsich Pathology Laboratories provide core laboratory support for translational research projects for investigators throughout Cleveland Clinic. The Molecular Pathology Department functions as a core facility for molecular research programs and the extraction of DNA and RNA for multiple investigators.
Techniques available include DNA sequencing, SNP analysis, array-based comparative genomic hybridization, in situ hybridization for DNA and RNA targets, tissue microarrays, laser capture microdissection, cell culture, gel-based and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and other technologies. The Biospecimen Repository is a facility for the collection and storage of well annotated tissue specimens for translational and clinical research. The program procures, catalogs, and provides tissue samples (>5000 per year) for Cleveland Clinic investigators with appropriate IRB approval.
Research programs in pathology at Cleveland Clinic are profiled in the semiannual publication Pathology Research: Clinical and Translational.
