“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
In healthcare, there’s often a quiet corner of the system that doesn’t get much attention—until something goes wrong. The clinical laboratory is one of those corners. But the Project Santa Fe Foundation (PSFF) has been working to change that by leading a movement called Clinical Lab 2.0. One of the most hands-on and insightful ways they’re doing this is through what they call “Demonstration Projects.” These projects help answer a basic but important question: What happens when laboratories go beyond just testing samples and start actively shaping better patient care?
Learning Through Demonstration
Think of a Demonstration Project as a real-life experiment, not in a lab, but in clinics, hospitals, and healthcare systems. These projects aren’t just tests of technology—they’re careful, planned efforts to show how lab teams can be more involved in helping healthcare providers catch problems early, manage risks better, and improve care overall. And all of this isn’t just an idea; PSFF has been putting it into practice.
One key area of focus has been in chronic diseases, like liver disease. In one of their most closely followed projects, PSFF worked with a health system to explore the benefits of early detection of metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). People with diabetes or prediabetes are at higher risk for MASLD, and catching the signs early through blood testing and risk scoring could be life-changing. But is it happening in regular practice? Are providers following the clinical guidelines? To find out, the project looked at what was actually being done and how patients were being managed. The lab professionals didn’t just do the tests—they reviewed national treatment guidelines, checked what was missing, and helped flag patients who could benefit from earlier or more specific care. In short, the lab wasn’t just the end of the line where samples are processed—it was part of the care team, starting conversations and guiding action.
This idea—using lab data not only for diagnosis but also for prediction and prevention—is central to Clinical Lab 2.0. And Demonstration Projects are where it becomes real. PSFF uses these projects as case studies to show how valuable the lab’s role can be when expanded beyond the traditional model.
But pulling off these projects isn’t easy. First, the lab and healthcare system need to agree on what they’re trying to fix. That shared goal is critical. Then they need to be able to manage and make sense of a lot of data. Having strong data science capabilities is a must. The team also has to be able to work across departments—bringing together lab professionals, clinicians, administrators, and sometimes even patients.
Interestingly, you don’t have to be a PSFF member to participate. Organizations outside the Foundation can take part in these demonstration efforts if they’re aligned with the mission and willing to commit resources and collaboration.
These projects go beyond theory—they deliver outcomes through data insights. For example, one result that stands out is the ability of lab professionals to identify care gaps based on how closely a patient’s treatment matches national guidelines. When mismatches show up, it opens the door for timely and sometimes lifesaving interventions. Imagine a patient who hasn’t been screened for a serious liver issue—even though the guidelines say they should be. The lab team, through these projects, is now in a position to flag that risk and get it corrected.
Yet, as promising as these efforts are, it’s not always easy to isolate the lab’s exact contribution to improved outcomes or lower costs. That’s because healthcare is complicated—many factors interact. Still, the PSFF’s Demonstration Projects continue to provide useful and sometimes surprising insights into how lab-driven strategies can shape care more proactively and more intelligently.
To many, the idea of the lab as a partner in care rather than a back-end service might seem new. But these projects are helping to change that perception. They show that with the right partnerships, the right data, and the right goals, laboratories can take on a much larger role in helping patients stay well—not just treating them after they’re sick.
In the end, Demonstration Projects are not about showing off—they’re about learning, refining, and, most of all, proving. They help validate that Clinical Lab 2.0 isn’t just a concept; it’s a movement backed by data, by experience, and by outcomes. And for a field that’s often invisible to patients, that validation is powerful. It says the lab doesn’t have to stay in the background—it can lead the way forward.