Key Takeaways
- The primary function of a laboratory information system is to manage patient-focused testing workflows from order entry through final result reporting. This centralization helps maintain consistency and operational control.
- Specimen tracking is a core capability, enabling laboratories to monitor samples throughout the testing lifecycle and reduce handling errors. Accurate tracking supports both efficiency and traceability.
- Result management and reporting ensure that validated test outcomes are delivered in a timely and structured manner. These processes support clinical decision-making and continuity of care.
- Integration with clinical systems enables seamless exchange of orders and results, reducing manual data entry and improving turnaround times. Interoperability is essential in high-volume environments.
- Built-in quality and compliance controls support audit readiness by maintaining documentation, access controls, and activity histories. These safeguards help laboratories meet regulatory expectations.
The core purpose of a laboratory information system (LIS) is to manage the complete diagnostic testing lifecycle—tracking samples from order to result with accuracy, speed, and compliance. A LIS serves as the operational backbone of the clinical laboratory, ensuring that every specimen is logged, processed, and reported with full traceability. Its primary function is to enforce data integrity and workflow control in environments where testing outcomes directly affect patient care.
A LIS begins working when an order is placed—either electronically through an electronic health record (EHR) or manually at the point of care. The system generates a unique identifier for each specimen, often using barcoded labels, and records all relevant metadata including patient information, test type, priority status, and collection details. From that point forward, the laboratory information system automates and monitors every process related to that sample.
As the specimen moves through the lab, the LIS manages workflow routing—ensuring it is assigned to the correct department, instrument, and personnel. It collects analyzer output, applies result validation rules, and alerts technologists to abnormal values or quality control failures. It can also enforce reflex or repeat testing protocols based on clinical rules defined during system configuration.
Once the result is verified, the LIS formats and delivers reports according to pre-set provider preferences, including interfacing with hospital EHRs, triggering alerts for critical values, or generating structured HL7 messages. The system maintains an unalterable audit trail, documenting every user action, result entry, and system-generated alert.
A laboratory information system not only ensures results are delivered quickly and accurately—but it enforces consistency and compliance across every aspect of lab operations. From pre-analytical tracking to post-analytical reporting, it reduces manual error, standardizes procedures, and improves patient safety. Without it, high-volume labs would be unable to meet modern expectations for turnaround time, data security, and regulatory accountability.
Laboratory Information System Vendors
When evaluating laboratory information system software, choosing the right vendor is as critical as selecting the right functionality. Vendors must deliver platforms that not only manage lab workflows but also scale with operational demands, integrate with hospital systems, and meet strict compliance requirements. The best LIS providers combine technical reliability with deep domain expertise in laboratory operations.
Leading laboratory information system software vendors include SCC Soft Computer, Cerner, Orchard Software, and Sunquest. These companies deliver mature platforms used across hospitals, reference labs, and public health networks. SCC Soft Computer’s SoftLab® stands out for its ability to manage high-volume, multi-discipline workflows while maintaining tight integration with electronic health records (EHRs), analyzers, and billing systems.
Laboratory information systems examples range from lightweight systems suited for outpatient or specialty labs to full-scale LIS platforms supporting enterprise health systems. SoftLab falls into the latter category, providing customizable rules engines, reflex testing support, and real-time instrument interfacing for complex diagnostic environments. It is designed for laboratories that cannot afford downtime or data inconsistencies.
Smaller LIS vendors offer lower-cost entry points, but often require third-party tools to achieve full interoperability or advanced quality control features. This can lead to hidden long-term costs, delayed implementations, and fragmented workflows. In contrast, established vendors like SCC provide end-to-end solutions with built-in support for regulatory compliance, audit trail visibility, and rapid result validation.
Laboratories should assess vendors on more than technical features—they must consider implementation timelines, training programs, upgrade frequency, and customer support responsiveness. Vendors with a proven history of LIS deployments in similar lab environments offer a significant advantage. They understand the nuanced requirements of different specialties and can provide templates, best practices, and support resources tailored to each lab’s operational model.
Choosing a vendor with a track record in LIS deployment ensures your laboratory is not only operationally ready on day one but prepared for regulatory audits, system upgrades, and long-term scalability.
Benefits of Laboratory Information Systems
The benefits of a laboratory information system extend far beyond specimen tracking and result reporting. A well-implemented LIS enables laboratories to operate with greater speed, accuracy, and regulatory confidence—outcomes that directly impacts patient care, institutional reputation, and operational sustainability. These benefits also shape the evolving landscape of laboratory information system jobs, which now demand hybrid expertise in clinical diagnostics and informatics.
One of the most immediate benefits is error reduction. Manual data entry, specimen mislabeling, and incomplete documentation are major sources of diagnostic risk. A laboratory information system automates data capture, enforces validation rules, and standardizes procedures to minimize these risks. From accessioning to final result delivery, each step is documented and controlled by system logic that flags inconsistencies in real-time.
Operational efficiency is another key advantage. A LIS routes specimen automatically based on test type, priority, or department capacity. It integrates directly with analyzers to upload results and supports auto-validation for tests that meet pre-set criteria. This automation reduces turnaround time, increases throughput, and frees up skilled technologists for complex case reviews rather than repetitive data entry.
Compliance support is built into every layer of the LIS. It maintains audit trails, restricts data access by role, and supports electronic signature workflows. These features are essential for labs operating under CLIA, CAP, ISO 15189, or FDA 21 CFR Part 11 regulations. The system also generates quality control reports and monitors KPIs such as turnaround time, delta checks, and workload balancing.
For professionals pursuing laboratory information system jobs, the LIS environment creates new roles that blend informatics and operations. Job functions now include LIS analysts, interface engineers, system administrators, and workflow designers. These roles are critical for maintaining system performance, building new test configurations, and responding to clinical feedback. LIS professionals serve as the bridge between IT infrastructure and diagnostic accuracy.
The LIS delivers strategic benefits across the organization. It enables data-driven decision-making, supports interoperability with EHRs and billing platforms, and enhances patient safety through timely validated results. In today’s data-intensive healthcare environment, a laboratory information system is not a luxury—it is an operational necessity.
Choosing the Right LIS
Selecting the right laboratory information system requires a strategic focus on long-term adaptability, compliance support, and operational scalability. SCC’s SoftLab® delivers these capabilities in a single, fully integrated platform engineered for complex clinical environments.
The best LIS software offers real-time sample tracking, customizable workflows, instrument integration, and audit-ready reporting. SoftLab meets these standards while supporting enterprise-wide deployment across high-volume labs, multi-site networks, and specialty testing departments. Its performance in regulated environments makes it a trusted choice for labs requiring speed, accuracy, and uninterrupted uptime.
FAQ
What is the main purpose of a laboratory information system?
The main purpose is to manage clinical laboratory workflows, including test orders, specimen tracking, result processing, and reporting within a controlled system.
How does a laboratory information system support specimen tracking?
The system records each step a specimen passes through, from accessioning to final review, helping ensure traceability and reduce the risk of errors.
Why is results management a critical function?
Results management ensures that validated findings are accurately recorded, reviewed, and delivered to downstream systems or care teams in a timely manner.
How does integration improve laboratory operations?
Integration allows laboratory workflows to exchange data with other clinical systems, minimizing manual entry and improving efficiency and turnaround time.
What role does a laboratory information system play in compliance?
It maintains audit trails, access controls, and documentation that support regulatory inspections and internal quality reviews.