A laboratory information system touches almost everything a lab does. It tracks specimens, routes work, builds reports, sends results to physicians, and feeds billing. When the LIS fits, the lab runs smoothly. When it doesn’t, staff spend their days on workarounds and double entry.
The tricky part is that “LIS” covers a lot of ground. Some systems were built for high-volume clinical testing like chemistry and hematology. Others were built for anatomic pathology, where a single case can involve multiple specimens, blocks, slides, and stains. Some live inside a hospital’s EHR. Others stand on their own and connect to whatever the lab uses.
Here’s a look at some of the best laboratory information systems on the market and the kinds of labs each one tends to fit best.
1. NovoPath
NovoPath is a cloud-native LIS built specifically for pathology. More than 300 laboratories use it to run anatomic, molecular, clinical, cytology, and veterinary pathology workflows from one platform. It was the first enterprise LIS to move to the cloud, which gave labs the ability to sign out cases and manage work from anywhere.
Its biggest differentiator right now is digital pathology. Instead of connecting a separate image management system to the LIS, NovoPath builds the digital pathology workflow directly into the system. The case, the slides, and the report share one record. Slide barcodes and scan files match the case automatically, so images stay tied to the right patient, and the system tracks every expected slide, including recuts and stains, before a case reaches the pathologist.
Labs can keep the scanners and viewers they already own, store images in the cloud or on-premises, and phase in digital work by site, specialty, or pathologist. Digital add-on billing codes get captured right on the case.
Best for: independent pathology groups, reference labs, and multi-specialty pathology practices, especially those planning a move to digital pathology.
2. Epic Beaker
Beaker is the laboratory module within Epic’s EHR. For hospitals and health systems already running Epic, the appeal is obvious: lab orders, results, and patient records all live in the same ecosystem, which cuts down on interfaces between systems.
Beaker covers both clinical pathology and anatomic pathology. Because it sits inside a much larger enterprise platform, implementations tend to happen as part of a broader Epic rollout and usually require significant internal IT resources.
Best for: hospitals and health systems already committed to Epic.
3. Oracle Health Laboratory
Oracle Health, formerly Cerner, offers laboratory solutions that integrate with its broader EHR platform. Like Beaker, its main strength comes from tight integration for organizations already running Oracle Health across the enterprise.
Large hospitals use it to manage high-volume clinical testing alongside other departments. As with most enterprise EHR modules, it fits best where the rest of the organization already uses the same vendor.
Best for: hospital systems running Oracle Health.
4. Clinisys
Clinisys, which brought the long-established Sunquest platform under its name, serves hospital and reference laboratories with software spanning clinical lab, anatomic pathology, and other diagnostic disciplines. Many large hospital labs have run Sunquest systems for years, giving the company deep roots in enterprise laboratory operations.
The platform is known for handling complex, high-volume environments with many departments and testing types.
Best for: large hospital and enterprise laboratories with complex, multi-department needs.
5. Orchard Software
Orchard Software focuses on laboratory software for a wide range of settings, including hospital labs, physician office labs, reference labs, and public health labs. Its products cover clinical testing, and the company also offers solutions for anatomic pathology and outreach.
Orchard has a reputation for configurability and for serving community hospitals and smaller labs that want a dedicated LIS rather than an EHR module.
Best for: community hospitals, outreach programs, and clinical labs of varying sizes.
6. LigoLab
LigoLab offers a combined platform that brings LIS functionality together with revenue cycle management. It covers anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and molecular testing, and its billing focus appeals to labs that want tighter control over collections.
Labs that manage their own billing in-house often look at LigoLab for that reason.
Best for: labs that want LIS and billing under one roof.
7. CGM LABDAQ
CompuGroup Medical’s LABDAQ targets smaller clinical labs, including physician office labs and independent labs. It handles everyday clinical testing workflows without the complexity of an enterprise system.
For smaller operations that need reliable specimen tracking, instrument interfaces, and reporting, it offers a more focused option.
Best for: physician office labs and small independent clinical labs.
8. XIFIN LIS
XIFIN is best known for its revenue cycle management platform for diagnostic providers, and it also offers LIS capabilities. Labs that already use XIFIN for billing sometimes look at its LIS to keep operations and financials more closely connected.
Best for: diagnostic labs already using XIFIN for billing.
How to Choose the Right System
No single LIS fits every lab. The best choice depends on what kind of testing the lab does, how it’s organized, and where it’s headed.
A few questions help narrow things down:
- Does the system fit your specialty? Pathology labs need tools built for blocks, slides, stains, and narrative reports, not just numeric results.
- Does it need to live inside your EHR? Hospitals running Epic or Oracle Health may benefit from staying in that ecosystem. Independent labs usually need a system that connects to many outside EHRs.
- Cloud or on-premises? Cloud systems reduce IT burden and make remote work easier.
- What’s the plan for digital pathology? Ask whether images will live in the same record as the case or in a separate system connected by an interface.
- How does billing work? Clean charge capture at the case level protects revenue.
It also pays to look past the demo. Ask vendors to walk through one of your real cases, talk to reference labs that look like yours, and get clear answers on implementation timelines and support.
