Knowledge Center

A curated set of practical guides to help lab directors, IT, and physicians understand and evaluate LIS.

Featured guides

What Is a Laboratory Information System (LIS)?

Definition of a laboratory information system (LIS), core modules, and how Medrara supports clinical and pathology labs with HL7/ASTM integration.

Updated: 2026-05-01

HL7 vs ASTM for LIS Integration

Compare HL7 and ASTM messaging for laboratory interfaces: when each protocol is used and how Medrara supports bidirectional analyzer connectivity.

Updated: 2026-05-01

LIS Implementation Checklist for Medical Labs

A practical checklist for deploying a laboratory information system: governance, master data, interfaces, validation, training, and go-live readiness.

Updated: 2026-05-01

CLIA, CAP, and what your LIS must document

Educational overview of CLIA and CAP documentation themes and how LIS audit trails, QC records, and instrument logs support—not replace—accreditation work.

Updated: 2026-05-11

Laboratory interoperability glossary for hospital IT

Concise definitions for ADT, ORM, ORU, ASTM, middleware, and LIS responsibilities to align hospital IT and laboratory informatics teams.

Updated: 2026-05-11

LIS basics

LIS vs LIMS for Medical Laboratories

LIS is usually the operational system for clinical diagnostic orders, specimens, validation, and reporting, while LIMS often serves research, industrial, or sample-management programs.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Cloud LIS Selection Checklist

A cloud LIS selection checklist should compare workflow fit, analyzer integration, branch governance, security exhibits, support model, and doctor result delivery.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Core Laboratory Information System Modules

Core LIS modules include registration, orders, specimens, analyzer interfaces, validation, reporting, QC, billing, inventory, and user permissions.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Doctor result workflows

Doctor Portal for Lab Results

A doctor result portal should show only approved reports, enforce identity and permissions, and preserve reviewer attribution from the LIS.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Physician Access to Approved Lab Reports

Physician access to lab reports should depend on approval state, role permissions, patient context, and laboratory sharing policy.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Clinical Laboratory Reporting Software for Doctors

Doctor-facing reporting software should connect the LIS validation workflow to readable reports, secure access, and integration with clinical systems.

Updated: 2026-06-15

HIS-LIS Result Delivery to Doctors

HIS-LIS result delivery should define result status, reviewer attribution, test mappings, and exception handling before production use.

Updated: 2026-06-15

EMR-LIS Connectivity for Clinicians

EMR-LIS connectivity helps clinicians receive validated laboratory reports inside clinical workflows when interfaces are mapped and monitored.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Referral Doctor Lab Result Workflow

Referral workflows should control which doctors can view which patient reports and how final reports are delivered after laboratory sign-out.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Patient and Doctor Lab Result Access

Patient and doctor result access should separate permissions, timing, report status, and support channels to avoid premature disclosure.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Laboratory Client Portal vs Doctor Portal

Client portals and doctor portals differ in access scope, report timing, patient context, ordering authority, and support expectations.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Interoperability

HL7 Order Messages for Laboratories

HL7 order messages help transfer patient and test-order context into the LIS when dictionaries and identifiers are mapped correctly.

Updated: 2026-06-15

HL7 ORU Result Messages for LIS

HL7 ORU messages carry observation results from the LIS to consuming systems and require careful status, units, and abnormal-flag mapping.

Updated: 2026-06-15

ASTM Analyzer Interface Checklist

An ASTM analyzer interface checklist should cover cabling or network path, protocol settings, test codes, units, QC handling, and downtime procedures.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Bidirectional Analyzer Integration

Bidirectional integration sends orders to instruments and receives results back into the LIS, reducing manual entry after validation.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Analyzer Code Mapping in LIS

Analyzer code mapping aligns instrument test codes with LIS catalog entries, units, reference intervals, and result validation rules.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Interface Monitoring for Laboratory IT

Interface monitoring should track queues, failed mappings, duplicate messages, delayed results, and exception handling after go-live.

Updated: 2026-06-15

HIS-LIS Integration Project Plan

A HIS-LIS project plan should include scope, message types, master data, test scenarios, downtime windows, and production support.

Updated: 2026-06-15

LIS API Integration for Lab Networks

LIS APIs can support ordering, reporting, client portals, and analytics when authentication, audit logging, and data minimization are designed well.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Implementation

Cloud LIS Implementation Timeline

A realistic cloud LIS timeline includes discovery, configuration, interface validation, data checks, training, go-live, and hypercare.

Updated: 2026-06-15

LIS User Training for Medical Labs

LIS training should separate roles for reception, phlebotomy, technologists, reviewers, doctors, administrators, and support users.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Go-Live Checklist for LIS

A LIS go-live checklist should confirm interfaces, users, roles, reports, downtime procedures, support coverage, and rollback decisions.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Procurement

Laboratory SLA Questions for Cloud LIS

Cloud LIS SLA questions should cover availability, maintenance windows, support severity, backups, incident communication, and exclusions.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Microbiology workflows

Microbiology LIS Workflow Basics

Microbiology LIS workflows must handle cultures, incubation context, organisms, susceptibility reporting, QC, and controlled release.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Molecular diagnostics

Molecular Diagnostics LIS Workflow

Molecular diagnostics workflows require sample lineage, batch context, run review, reagent lots, result interpretation, and controlled sign-out.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Genetic Testing LIS Requirements

Genetic testing LIS requirements include chain of identity, batch controls, audit trails, controlled comments, and secure report delivery.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Specialty laboratories

IVF Laboratory LIS Considerations

IVF labs need strict identity, material traceability, controlled access, and multidisciplinary coordination when evaluating LIS workflows.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Toxicology LIS Workflow Considerations

Toxicology workflows may require batch handling, chain-of-custody concepts, reflex rules, QC, and instrument-specific result management.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Reference laboratories

Reference Laboratory LIS Operations

Reference labs need client management, specimen routing, standardized catalogs, high-throughput reporting, and operational dashboards.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Multi-branch operations

Multi-Branch Laboratory Management System

Multi-branch LIS operations require site-aware permissions, consolidated reporting, inventory transfers, shared catalogs, and branch-level accountability.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Branch Permissions in Cloud LIS

Branch permissions should control who can view, validate, report, export, and administer records across sites.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Laboratory Dashboard KPIs

Useful LIS dashboards track turnaround time, pending results, interface exceptions, QC status, inventory risk, and branch throughput.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Inventory and supply chain

Medical Lab Inventory Management in LIS

Inventory-aware LIS workflows connect stock, expiry, consumption, cost per test, purchasing signals, and branch transfers.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Cost per Test Analytics in LIS

Cost per test analytics require consumption data, reagent lots, test volumes, wastage, and purchasing visibility inside laboratory operations.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Purchase Orders for Laboratory Supplies

Laboratory purchase order workflows should connect low-stock alerts, supplier scorecards, approvals, delivery tracking, and receipt reconciliation.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Billing

Laboratory Billing System and LIS

Billing inside or beside the LIS should align tests, prices, payer rules, report release, and audit controls.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Master data

Test Catalog Governance in LIS

Test catalog governance controls names, codes, units, panels, reference intervals, billing links, and interface mappings.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Reference Range Management in LIS

Reference range management should account for age, sex, method, units, analyzer, and local laboratory policy.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Security and privacy

Role-Based Access Control in LIS

Role-based access should limit ordering, validation, reporting, exports, administration, and doctor access according to duties.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Data Privacy for Cloud LIS

Cloud LIS privacy planning should define roles, retention, exports, subprocessors, residency expectations, and incident coordination.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Backup and Disaster Recovery for LIS

Backup and disaster recovery planning should define RTO, RPO, restore tests, downtime procedures, and customer verification.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Mobile LIS

Mobile LIS Workflows for Labs

Mobile LIS workflows should support authorized browser-based access, usable reports, secure sessions, and policies for clinical context.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Pre-analytical workflows

Phlebotomy Workflow in LIS

Phlebotomy workflows should connect patient identity, orders, labels, collection time, collector attribution, and specimen status.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Specimen Tracking System for Medical Labs

Specimen tracking connects collection, transport, accessioning, processing, storage, rejection, and reporting events.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Sample Rejection Rules in LIS

Sample rejection rules should document reason, user, time, patient or client notification, and recollection workflow.

Updated: 2026-06-15

Operational analytics

Turnaround Time Reporting in LIS

Turnaround time reporting should separate pre-analytical, analytical, review, and delivery intervals for useful operational action.

Updated: 2026-06-15