Why Quality Diagnostics Is the Foundation to Good Medicine

By: Dr Kirti Chadha, Chief Scientific & Innovation Officer, Metropolis Healthcare

Dr. Kirti Chadha, a gold medallist with over two decades of expertise in diagnostics and theranostics, has pioneered digital pathology, advanced super-specialty diagnostics, contributed to research and innovation, and actively supports global oncology initiatives and emerging AI-driven healthcare advancements.

In an insightful interaction with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Kriti shared her insights on how quality diagnostics underpin improved patient outcomes in an era shaped by digital pathology and AI, highlighting the importance of innovation, standardization, and robust quality frameworks in delivering accurate, reliable, and patient-centered healthcare solutions.

Read the complete article below for deeper insights.

Q1. How do quality diagnostics serve as the backbone for improving patient outcomes in the rapidly evolving landscape of digital pathology and AI-driven technologies?

In the evolving world of diagnostics, quality is the bridge between science and trust. A strong quality diagnostics framework plays a crucial role in ensuring better patient outcomes as nearly 70% of clinical decisions are influenced by laboratory test results.  High-quality testing enables clinicians to diagnose disease accurately, develop personalize treatment plans and monitor progress effectively. By delivering high-quality testing results, the risk of misdiagnosis can be addressed in our country where almost two lakh diagnostic errors happen every year.

At Metropolis, our quality assurance system enables a process-oriented approach for quality testing overs the entire value chain of our laboratory operations and that makes us amongst the top 1 percent labs across the globe for quality in laboratory operations and processes. 

Q2. What role do disruptive technologies like AI and WSI play in enhancing diagnostic accuracy while ensuring quality remains uncompromised?

Disruptive technologies are transforming diagnostics by enhancing accuracy, speed and consistency in disease detection. AI can assist pathologists in identifying subtle patterns, reducing human error and enabling earlier and more precise diagnoses. WSI allows digital sharing of slides, improving collaboration and access to expert opinions across geographies. However, as innovation accelerates, robust validation, regulatory compliance, and stringent quality control frameworks are essential to ensure these technologies deliver reliable, patient-safe outcomes.

Metropolis is at the forefront of adopting disruptive technologies in their testing methodology to revolutionise diagnostics, elevate accuracy and accessibility.

Q3. How do you cultivate a scientific culture where innovation and strict quality standards work together to deliver reliable, patient-centered diagnostic solutions?

It begins with embedding quality at the core of every diagnostic advancement. Innovation must be guided by robust validation, regulatory compliance and continuous quality monitoring to ensure patient safety and reliability.

Encouraging collaboration between clinicians, scientists and technology teams helps translate new ideas into practical solutions without compromising accuracy. Regular training, adherence to global benchmarks, and a mindset of continuous improvement fosters accountability and trust.

Q4. How can integrating synoptic reporting and data mining improve the precision of oncology diagnostics, making treatments more personalized and outcomes more predictable?

Synoptic reporting implies formatting narrative pathology reports into a specific structured format. The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has promoted the use of synoptic reporting to ensure standardized presentation, improved completeness and conciseness to enable clinicians access pertinent information with ease and speed. This improved interoperability also enables data registrars to build large databases for quality control, public health reporting, and research with compliance to global standards and accurate exchange of vital information, improving patient care and patient outcomes.

Metropolis has not only being using these minimal data set synoptic reports for Oncopathology since decades but has also hosted multiple symposia on this topic with medical associations and Key Opinion Leaders and Subject Matter Experts for fraternity to adopt. Our Lab Information Management Systems (LIMS) has these reports embedded to ensure any specialist reporting these critical cancer cases use the same synoptic reports to maintain standardization and enable data mining for precision oncology diagnostics at scale.

Q5. How do you ensure that emerging scientific talent contributes to maintaining high diagnostic standards and translating innovations into better patient care?

This will begin with strong mentorship, continuous training and a deep grounding in quality and compliance frameworks. Young professionals must be equipped not only with technical expertise but also with an understanding that accuracy and patient safety are non-negotiable. Encouraging a culture of curiosity alongside accountability helps them innovate responsibly. Exposure to global best practices, regular audits, and interdisciplinary collaboration enable talent to translate new technologies into reliable diagnostic solutions.

LAST WORD: Advice for women leaders in healthcare on championing quality diagnostics as a foundation for excellent medicine:

My advice would be to champion quality diagnostics as it is the cornerstone of excellent medicine. Lead with a commitment to strong quality frameworks, continuous innovation, and patient-centric care. By advocating for high standards in diagnostics, women leaders can drive meaningful change and strengthen healthcare delivery for all.