Connecting analyzers to your LIS or HIS
An analyzer that prints a slip for someone to type into the computer is only half installed. This guide explains what connection involves and what to prepare.
- CheckAnalyzer, LIS and network
- MapTests, units and patient IDs
- ConnectInterface set up and tested
- TrainOperators and barcodes
- Go liveResults flow on their own
Why connect an analyzer to the LIS or HIS?
Connecting an analyzer sends each result straight to the patient record with the right patient, operator and time attached. That removes typing errors, stops results being lost on paper, and gives the laboratory a record of quality control and who ran each test. It matters most for point-of-care analyzers, which sit outside the laboratory.
The cost of typing results by hand
A study of manually entered point-of-care glucose results found about 5 in every 1,000 contained a clinically significant transcription error. In a busy hospital that is several wrong results on the record every week.
Results also go missing. When one hospital connected its glucose meters, the share of results that could be found in the record rose from 85.7% to 97.1%.
What connectivity gives you
No retyping
Results move to the record on their own.
Operator control
Only trained, authorised staff can run tests.
QC lockout
Testing stops if quality control is overdue or has failed.
Complete billing
Every test done is captured.
Audit trail
Who tested which patient, when, and on which device.
Central oversight
The laboratory sees every device from one place.
What you need before you start
A network point
Wired or wireless, close to the analyzer.
LIS or HIS vendor support
Someone on their side to configure the interface.
Test codes
Your test names and units mapped to the analyzer.
Barcodes
Patient and operator identification that can be scanned.
Stand-alone and connected analyzers compared
| Stand-alone | Connected | |
|---|---|---|
| Result entry | Typed from a printout | Automatic |
| Patient identification | Written or typed | Scanned |
| Quality control record | Paper log | Stored and reviewable |
| Who can test | Anyone at the device | Authorised operators only |
| Accreditation evidence | Collected by hand | Available on request |
Siemens point-of-care systems such as the RAPIDPoint 500e, epoc and CLINITEK Status Connect are built to be connected.
How Milap helps
Site check
We check the analyzer, network and LIS details before installation day.
Working with your LIS vendor
Our engineers set up the analyzer side and test the link with them.
Operator training
Scanning, identification and what to do when a result does not transfer.
Support afterwards
Connection faults are covered by the same service call as the analyzer.
Sources
Mays and Mathias 2019, summarised by AHRQ PSNet.
Annals of Laboratory Medicine 2024, glucose meter connectivity.
Siemens Healthineers, epoc security white paper.
ADLM, Management of point-of-care testing.
Frequently asked questions
Most current analyzers can. It depends on the analyzer and on what your LIS or HIS supports, so we check both first.
No. You can start stand-alone and connect later, but choose a model that can be connected.
Both. Milap sets up the analyzer side; your LIS or HIS vendor configures theirs; the link is tested together.
It is not mandatory, but ISO 15189:2022 covers point-of-care testing and expects records of operators, QC and results, which connection makes far easier.
Testing does not have to stop. Many point-of-care analyzers keep results on the device; the Siemens epoc Host, for example, stores the last 2,000 test records, which can be sent to the data manager later. Check this for each model.
Want your analyzers to report on their own?
Tell us which analyzers and which LIS or HIS you use, and we will check what is possible.