When the pandemic forced millions of office workers to work from home, a quiet revolution began. Companies discovered that talent was no longer limited by geography — a skilled employee in Denver or Durban could contribute just as effectively as one sitting down the hall.

That same principle — harnessing expertise regardless of location — is now transforming healthcare, where patients across the United States are gaining faster, more reliable access to diagnostic specialists through digital technology.

For communities outside major metro areas, the shortage of specialized physicians has long been a challenge. Locum tenens doctors — i.e., temporary clinicians who fill staffing gaps — help, but they cannot always meet demand. 

In fields like dermatopathology, where a small biopsy can mean the difference between catching skin cancer early or missing it, delays are costly. Patients often wait a week or more for results, anxious about what comes next. Doctors, meanwhile, juggle paperwork, phone calls and courier services that shuttle physical slides across the country.

Digital pathology is changing that equation. By converting glass slides into high-resolution digital images, specialists can read cases from anywhere. Reports integrate directly into electronic medical records (EMRs), and physicians can access results in hours instead of weeks. The model looks remarkably similar to remote work: Technology breaks down borders, connects expertise and saves time.

A new model for patient care

The benefits extend far beyond convenience. In Utah, Riverside Medical Arts in St. George integrated a digital pathology platform that reduced turnaround times by 75% and freed up nearly 15% of staff time previously spent on paperwork and faxing. 

At West Valley Dermatology, physicians began using digital slides to display patients’ biopsy results on a tablet, making complex diagnoses easier to understand. Patients reported greater confidence in their treatment plans, especially when deciding whether to proceed with surgery.

Beyond Utah, clinics nationwide have leveraged digital dermatopathology to address workforce shortages. Pennsylvania Dermatology Specialists found that digital pathology significantly reduced administrative burden and improved patient satisfaction through faster turnaround times. 

In Arizona, Summit View Dermatology found that showing slides digitally to patients helped them better understand their treatment options and feel more reassured. These examples demonstrate how technology can expand access to expertise, regardless of a patient’s location.

Bridging the gap with digital platforms

PathologyWatch, a Utah-based digital dermatopathology company, has partnered with clinics across the state and nationwide to provide remote diagnostic services. Case studies show that most biopsy results are now returned within one to two days, compared with the week-plus delays many clinics once faced. 

By digitizing slides, clinics can access academic-level dermatopathologists without needing them on-site, reducing reliance on traveling locum tenens doctors and improving workflow efficiency.

“We’re getting really good turnaround times,” explains Dan Lambert, CEO of PathologyWatch, in an interview on The DaVinci Hour. “The second thing is the savings on just the time in the dermatologist’s office dealing with faxes or auto faxes, we’re eliminating a huge portion of that. We use enhanced interfaces that deliver the results directly attached to the patient record.”

The potential of digital pathology has caught the attention of larger players. Sonic Healthcare, a global medical diagnostics company, recently integrated PathologyWatch into its US network. Sonic has a long history of investing in laboratory medicine and emerging technologies. 

In Australia, the company partnered with Philips to implement digital pathology solutions that enhance collaboration between distant labs.

“We are therefore best placed in the world to benefit from the transformation of the practice of anatomical pathology that will be driven by digital pathology and AI,” stated Sonic Healthcare USA when announcing the PathologyWatch acquisition. 

By bringing PathologyWatch into the US platform, Sonic is extending those capabilities to clinics across the country, which helps standardize digital workflows and ensure that even smaller practices can access expert dermatopathology services.

For patients, this means a skin biopsy taken in Provo or Phoenix could be read by a top dermatopathologist located hundreds of miles away, with results delivered directly into their physician’s EMR. For providers, it means fewer delays, less administrative burden and a smoother patient journey.

Patient involvement in the digital era

One of the subtler but equally important benefits of digital diagnostics is how it involves patients more directly in their care. Traditionally, pathology reports have been technical documents that are often difficult for patients to understand. With digital slides, physicians can literally show patients the cells in question, pointing out where cancer is present or explaining why a lesion is benign.

This kind of visual, collaborative communication is changing the patient experience. At Summit View Dermatology in Arizona, doctors report that showing slides to patients during consultations helps them better understand treatment decisions. Utah clinics report similar results: Patients feel more reassured when they can “see the evidence” rather than rely on a paper report. The trend mirrors a broader shift in healthcare toward transparency and shared decision-making.

Challenges and opportunities ahead

Like any innovation, digital pathology faces its share of hurdles. High-quality slide scanners require investment, and smaller clinics may hesitate to adopt new technology. Reliable broadband is essential, particularly for rural practices that frequently transmit large image files. Training is another factor: clinicians and staff must adapt to new workflows, and integration with diverse EMR systems is not always seamless.

There are also regulatory and reimbursement considerations to consider. Telehealth gained significant policy support during the pandemic, but questions remain about how digital diagnostics will be reimbursed across different insurers and states. Ensuring patient privacy and data security is crucial as sensitive medical images are transmitted across networks.

Yet the momentum is undeniable. With large health systems like Sonic backing digital pathology, barriers are gradually falling. As infrastructure expands and insurers adapt, more clinics will gain the ability to participate in this model.

The bigger picture

The shift is particularly relevant for Utah residents, who have experienced rapid population growth, which has strained access to specialized care outside major metropolitan areas. Digital diagnostics offer a way to extend high-quality services to smaller communities without requiring patients to travel long distances.

Nationally and even globally, the model could help alleviate workforce shortages, improve diagnostic accuracy and make healthcare more efficient. Just as remote work reshaped industries from technology to education, digital pathology and remote diagnostics are quietly but profoundly reshaping medicine.

Ultimately, the promise of the “remote work revolution” in healthcare is straightforward: improved access to expertise, faster patient responses and more informed care decisions. For those awaiting biopsy results, a moment often filled with anxiety, that can make all the difference.

Learn more about digital pathology solutions at PathologyWatch.com and SonicHealthcareUSA.com.

Nomfuneko Mbhashe is a marketing and healthcare specialist at Fullcast, a Silicon Slopes-based, end-to-end RevOps platform that helps companies design, manage and track the performance of their revenue-generating teams.