Epredia has announced an agreement with Canada-based manufacturer Lab Improvements to bring two automated archiving systems, BlockTracker and SlideTracker, to US pathology laboratories. The systems fill a gap that manual filing leaves open: sorting, storage, and retrieval of tissue blocks and slides, where a single misfiled specimen can stall a cancer diagnostic workflow. For labs under staffing pressure and rising case volumes, a pathology specimen tracking system that closes this gap addresses one of the more persistent sources of daily disruption.
Editor's Note: CAP accreditation requires labs to retain surgical pathology blocks for ten years and histopathology slides for ten years, and CLIA's retention rules under 42 CFR 493.1105 set the federal minimum for histopathology slides at ten years as well. Maintaining a defensible chain of custody across those timelines in a high-volume setting is operationally demanding, especially for labs relying on manual filing systems. Lab managers evaluating BlockTracker and SlideTracker should assess how the platform's digital record-keeping integrates with their existing laboratory information system and what the audit-trail output looks like during a CAP inspection.
How do BlockTracker and SlideTracker work?
BlockTracker handles paraffin block cassettes and SlideTracker handles microscope slides, together forming a pathology specimen tracking system that covers both specimen types from the histology bench through off-site storage and produces a complete audit trail without requiring labs to change existing boxes or consumable formats. Both systems share a common architecture built around four capabilities:
- Physical and digital specimen storage, organizing samples within and between locations
- Automated chain-of-custody documentation at every point of specimen movement
- Integration with existing laboratory information systems (LIS) and IT infrastructure
- A centralized database supporting analysis and reporting accessible from any lab workstation
The systems differ in throughput capacity, input format, and use case. Specifications below are drawn from Epredia's July 28, 2026 release:
| Specification | BlockTracker | SlideTracker |
|---|---|---|
| Specimen type | Paraffin blocks (cassettes) | Microscope slides |
| Throughput capacity | Up to 1,500 blocks per hour | 200 slides loaded in under 5 minutes |
| Sorting method | High-density cassette archiving | Automated barcode segmentation |
| Scalability | Single unit can serve an entire hospital | Replaces individual manual slide handling |
| Historical specimens | Handles retrospective archiving without disrupting current workflow | Not specified |
| LIS integration | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible hardware | Epredia SlideMate Laser Printers; standard histology boxes | Epredia SlideMate Laser Printers; standard histology boxes |
Manual cassette archiving ties up significant technician time per shift in high-volume labs. BlockTracker's 1,500-blocks-per-hour rate, combined with support for legacy specimens, lets a department clear a backlog of manually filed material without suspending routine daily archiving.
Does automated pathology archiving satisfy CAP and CLIA retention requirements?
Automated archiving does not reduce compliance obligations, but it directly supports how labs meet them by generating the auditable chain-of-custody trail that manual logbooks and ad hoc filing cannot consistently produce. The CAP accreditation checklist (item ANP.11500) requires specimen identity to be maintained at every processing and examination step. Under CAP's retention policy, surgical pathology blocks and histological slides must each be kept for a minimum of ten years, exceeding the federal floor in CLIA at 42 CFR 493.1105, which requires histopathology slides for at least ten years but sets the minimum for formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks at only two years.
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During CAP inspections, a centralized retrieval database with staff interaction logs gives inspectors the documentation they need without requiring staff to reconstruct movement histories manually. Both frameworks demand the same thing: continuous, auditable traceability across the full retention period.
BlockTracker and SlideTracker preserve existing weekly or monthly archiving routines and use standard histology block and slide boxes, which keeps the retraining burden low. Labs can adopt the system without abandoning current workflows, a consideration that matters given the adoption friction many anatomic pathology labs face with new digital tools.
Lab staffing shortages are accelerating pathology automation investment
Lab staffing shortages are driving automation adoption across clinical settings, and anatomic pathology specimen management is a direct pressure point: many labs still rely on manual filing that scales poorly against rising surgical pathology caseloads. Bench capacity has not kept pace with case volume growth, and archiving is one of the tasks most exposed to that gap.
"In cancer diagnostics, efficiency and confidence are both critical," said Steven Lynum, President and CEO of Epredia. "With intelligent automated archiving, our customers don't have to choose between throughput and efficiency. Epredia is offering pathology labs a way to reclaim their time and peace of mind, so they can better serve patients."
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Epredia, a subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation, acquired its anatomical pathology portfolio through PHC Holdings' 2019 purchase of Thermo Fisher Scientific's anatomical pathology business and has since extended that portfolio into workflow automation. BlockTracker and SlideTracker complement SlideMate Laser Printers already in use, moving Epredia's footprint from specimen identification at the bench into archival management. Physical specimen archiving has lagged behind the digitization investments labs have made elsewhere, and as automation in pathology workflows deepens, specimen storage management is increasingly part of that conversation.
Where to start with evaluating BlockTracker and SlideTracker
Start with a workflow audit rather than a spec review. For any pathology specimen tracking system, the most consequential questions are operational: how specimen volumes distribute across shifts, what retrieval delays currently cost in technician time, and whether the lab's LIS can accept chain-of-custody data feeds from a third-party system. Epredia states the platform integrates with any LIS and existing IT infrastructure, but validate that compatibility with your IT team before procurement.
Give particular attention to BlockTracker's retrospective archiving capability if the lab has a backlog of manually filed blocks that represent a compliance liability. For labs where slide retrieval is the primary bottleneck rather than cassette archiving, SlideTracker's five-minute 200-slide load cycle may deliver relief faster. Labs can contact an Epredia sales representative or visit epredia.com to request a demonstration.
Pathology archiving and digital investment
For lab managers weighing where pathology archiving fits against other automation priorities, the broader acceleration of digital pathology investment provides useful context: physical specimen traceability and digital workflow tools are increasingly interdependent, and labs that address archiving gaps now reduce friction for any downstream digitization they pursue.
This content includes text that has been generated with the assistance of AI. For more information, view Lab Manager's AI use policy.
