A laboratory information system (LIS) is the digital infrastructure that supports clinical laboratory operations, from order entry to final result reporting. While often conflated with LIMS, LIS software is purpose-built for diagnostic workflows and integrates directly with EHRs, billing systems, and analyzers. Laboratory information system tools streamline accessioning, automate instrument workflows, and enforce compliance with CLIA, HIPAA, and CAP standards.
What is lab information software used for? It automates every stage of the diagnostic lifecycle—test ordering, specimen tracking, analytical processing, result interpretation, and final report delivery. A LIS validates inputs at the point of data entry, applies reflex and delta rules, and routes results to the appropriate clinical systems or caregivers. It tracks specimens through complex workflows like microbiology cultures, molecular panels, or multi-analyte chemistry runs, ensuring complete audit trails and timely delivery.
Modern LIS software also supports auto-verification rules, quality control monitoring, critical result flagging, and bi-directional analyzer interfaces. These systems reduce manual data entry and transcription risk, support compliance documentation, and improve diagnostic turnaround time. Real-time dashboards, workload balancing, and cumulative patient result views further support clinical accuracy and efficiency.
An effective LIS must be HL7-native and support secure integration with ADT, ORM, and ORU message types. It must also accommodate a range of modalities—anatomic pathology, hematology, urinalysis, molecular, and point-of-care—within one coherent framework. Relying on spreadsheets or homegrown databases to manage these processes increases patient safety risk and impairs compliance readiness.
LIS software is foundational to lab operations. Without it, throughput bottlenecks, result delays, and regulatory exposure become unavoidable.
What is the Purpose of the LIS?
The purpose of a laboratory information system is to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant processing of diagnostic tests across clinical laboratories. At its core, a LIS functions as a transaction engine that manages high-volume specimen throughput while maintaining data integrity, traceability, and regulatory compliance.
What is a laboratory information system used for? It handles patient demographics, test orders, sample tracking, instrument interfacing, and final result distribution. This includes automated routing of specimens through multi-step workflows, supporting decision rules for reflex testing, and alerting for critical results. LIS software applies logic for test panels, flags out-of-range values, and queues results for technologist or pathologist review before releasing them to the EHR.
In addition to analytical processing, LIS platforms manage backend operations such as quality control logging, reagent lot tracking, personnel certification records, and instrument maintenance schedules. The system enforces user permissions and audit trails, allowing labs to meet CAP, CLIA, and state-specific regulatory requirements.
A LIS is also responsible for ensuring that result delivery complies with institutional policies and payer guidelines. It facilitates interfacing with billing systems and handles coding, charge capture, and claim validation workflows. These integrations help reduce claim rejections and ensure revenue cycle alignment.
Beyond compliance and billing, LIS software improves operational visibility through real-time analytics. Laboratory managers use LIS dashboards to monitor turnaround times, workload distribution, and analyzer performance across shifts and departments. The result is a streamlined, accountable, and highly visible testing operation.
A LIS does more than track samples—it creates the digital backbone that ensures every test supports patient care, meets clinical standards, and sustains business operations.
Laboratory Information System Software
Laboratory information system software must deliver high performance, configurability, and compliance out of the box. Labs cannot afford operational delays caused by clunky interfaces or fragmented workflows. The LIS must manage specimens from accession to archival, across disciplines and testing modalities, without soloing or duplicating data.
What software is used in a laboratory? In a diagnostic setting, LIS software must be capable of bidirectional interfacing with analyzers, EHRs, reference labs, billing systems, and quality assurance tools. This typically involves middleware for device communication, HL7 for data exchange, and secure APIs for external access. True LIS platforms support multi-disciplinary environments—including hematology, cytology, histopathology, virology, and toxicology—without requiring separate applications or databases.
The LIS also facilitates pathologist workflows, such as result entry for anatomic pathology, structured reporting, and digital slide integration. It supports test protocols, interpretive commentary, and cumulative result views. For outpatient or outreach services, the LIS must include web-based portals for providers, real-time order/result access, and remote label printing.
Security and compliance functions are non-negotiable. This includes enforced password policies, user-specific access rights, full audit logs, and electronic signature workflows. LIS systems must also comply with CLIA requirements for personnel documentation and instrument validation schedules. Systems that fail to meet these needs create audit vulnerabilities and risk operational shutdown.
Enterprise LIS platforms also include data warehousing for performance analytics, result trending, and compliance monitoring. These tools help labs move beyond operational firefighting into strategic planning—supporting test utilization management, staff productivity analysis, and real-time operational KPIs.
The LIS is not just software—it’s the operational foundation of modern diagnostic labs. Choosing the right platform defines the lab’s clinical reliability, business agility, and compliance posture.
Choosing the Right LIS
Selecting the right LIS requires alignment with operational demands, regulatory frameworks, and data integration needs. Evaluate laboratory information system vendors on their ability to support multi-site workflows, deliver proven uptime, and maintain regulatory readiness. Solutions like SoftLab® from SCC Soft Computer provide built-in compliance controls, real-time analyzer integration, and scalability across high-volume clinical environments.