Is it possible to shorten the waiting time for biopsy results? Anyone who has undergone a biopsy knows how nerve-wracking the period of waiting for results can be, including sleepless nights. Thoughts run wild: Is everything okay, and can I continue with my life and routine, or is a major change coming? Surgery? Radiation? Chemotherapy? What might happen?
Shortening the waiting time for pathology results was one of the first issues Ruth Baruch, CEO of L.E.M, the largest pathology laboratory company in Israel and part of the Mor Institute group, chose to address. Ruth, a trained nurse, held a series of senior nursing management positions at Clalit Health Services, most recently serving as Head of the Nursing Division in Clalit’s Community Division.
Ruth explains that for years she worked for the benefit of patients and kept them in mind when developing numerous processes and projects aimed at assisting patients at all stages of their lives. "The principle of ‘the patient at the center’ is our guiding light," she said. "Beyond the nerve-wracking wait for biopsy results, the result has great significance in starting treatment and determining the type of treatment for those who receive a malignant diagnosis. The longer the wait, the greater the delay in starting treatment, which can sometimes have critical consequences for the patient."
"From the very beginning of my work as the laboratory CEO," Ruth adds, "I gathered all the staff and explained to them what the wait for test results means and what patients go through during this period. I emphasized that behind every test is a patient whose life could change based on the results they receive from us. For us, it is not the sample that matters, but the patient. We worked extensively to shorten waiting times: We added a team of expert pathologists to work with us and switched to digital pathology, so that the doctor can access the test on their home computer and interpret it almost immediately."
"Every laboratory employee has daily targets they are expected to meet. Staff receive feedback on their work, we added more laboratory personnel, optimized workflows using advanced processes, and introduced innovative technologies in various areas. At the same time, we adhered to the required standards and quality norms in this field in Israel and worldwide. As a result of all these measures, the average time to provide a result at L.E.M in 2025 was 16 days for histological tests, and for urgent tests, the response time was an average of 7 days. For HPV tests of the cervix, conducted at L.E.M on a specialized device, the waiting time for results is only about 7 days."
In Israel, there is a significant shortage of pathologists, and pathology laboratories are under heavy workload. Waiting times for test results can be very long, sometimes reaching 2–3 months. While we cannot influence the test results themselves, we will certainly continue to make every effort to maintain and lead in short waiting times for results, as we have successfully done so far.