Connecting the Quidel Sofia 2 to your LIS or EHR

If your clinic runs a Quidel Sofia or Sofia 2 reader, the results probably still reach your records by hand: someone reads the screen, writes the outcome onto a form, then types it into the practice system later. That takes time, it is easy to mistype, and it leaves quality control runs mixed in with real patient results unless somebody remembers to separate them.

This page explains, in plain terms, whether a Sofia 2 can send its results into your laboratory information system (LIS) or electronic health record (EHR), and what connecting one actually involves. The short version: the reader speaks a standard interface over your network, and Catenix captures what it sends, keeps control runs apart, and forwards the patient results to the systems you already use.

Quick answer

Yes, a Quidel Sofia 2 can be connected. It offers a network interface that can be set to either the POCT1-A2 point-of-care profile or the ASTM messaging family. Catenix receives the results through a small on-site gateway, keeps quality-control runs separate from patient results, records an audit trail, and forwards patient results onward to your LIS or EHR. No manual retyping, and QC data does not land in patient records.

What the Quidel Sofia 2 measures

The Sofia and Sofia 2 are bench-top readers for rapid tests. A prepared cassette is placed into the instrument, which reads it using a fluorescent method and produces a result for the analyte on that cassette. Sites typically use them for common rapid assays run at the point of care rather than sending samples to a central laboratory.

Our scope on this page is connectivity only. We do not comment on the clinical use, accuracy, or diagnostic suitability of the reader or any assay run on it. What matters here is that the instrument produces a structured result that can be sent onward electronically instead of being read off a screen and copied by hand.

How the Sofia 2 connects

The reader can send results over your network rather than only showing them on the display. Its network interface is selectable between two well-known families: the POCT1-A2 point-of-care profile and the ASTM messaging family. Both are established standards for moving test results between an instrument and the systems that store them, and the choice is set on the reader itself.

POCT1-A2 is a connectivity profile designed specifically for point-of-care devices, setting out how an instrument and a data manager exchange results and related information over a network connection. The ASTM messaging family is a longer-standing convention for framing analyser results as structured records. At a practical level, both carry the same idea: a result leaves the instrument as a defined electronic message rather than a number a person has to transcribe.

Catenix connects using a small on-site gateway. It sits on your local network, listens for what the reader sends, and understands whichever of the two interfaces the device is set to use. The gateway does not need the instrument to reach the public internet: it captures locally and handles the secure link out to your Catenix workspace, so results move without anyone retyping them.

Results and quality control in Catenix

Once the gateway captures a message, Catenix records the result in your workspace with a timestamp and the details needed for a clean audit trail. From there, patient results are forwarded to the systems your site already runs, whether that is a LIS, an EHR, or another downstream record, so the same figure does not have to be entered twice.

Quality control is handled separately by design. When the reader runs a control rather than a patient sample, Catenix keeps that run apart from patient results so your QC record stays clean and your patient record is not cluttered with control data. That separation is kept end to end, which makes it easier to review QC history on its own and to show that patient and control data were never mixed. For how we handle data protection and access, see /security/ and /trust/.

Getting connected

To connect a Sofia 2, a site generally needs three things: the reader on a network the gateway can reach, agreement on which interface (POCT1-A2 or ASTM) the reader will use, and the details of the LIS or EHR you want results forwarded into. The gateway is small and runs on the local network, so most sites do not need new hardware beyond it.

From there the work is configuration rather than construction: point the reader at the gateway, confirm results are being captured, check that control runs are landing in the QC view and not in patient records, then switch on the onward forward. If you want to talk through your own setup or the systems you need to reach, get in touch via /contact/. You can also see how other instruments are handled across the device library, and read more about the platform at /platform/.

Questions clinics ask

Can I connect a Quidel Sofia 2 to my LIS?

Yes. The reader offers a network interface that can be set to either the POCT1-A2 point-of-care profile or the ASTM messaging family. Catenix captures the results through an on-site gateway and forwards patient results to your LIS or EHR, so staff do not have to retype them.

Do I need to choose between POCT1-A2 and ASTM?

The interface is selectable on the reader itself, so one is chosen when the device is set up. Catenix understands both, so the decision is mainly about matching how your site prefers to run it. We can talk it through with you at /contact/.

Does the reader need internet access to connect?

No. The Catenix gateway sits on your local network and captures results there, then manages the secure link out to your workspace. The instrument only needs to reach the gateway on your own LAN.

How is quality control kept out of patient records?

When the reader runs a control rather than a patient sample, Catenix keeps that run separate from patient results. Control data stays in the QC view with its own audit trail, so it does not appear in a patient's record.

What does my site need before connecting?

In general: the reader on a reachable network, a decision on which interface it will use, and the details of the LIS or EHR you want results sent to. The gateway runs locally, so most sites need no extra hardware beyond it.

Where do I find pricing and security information?

Pricing is at /pricing/, and how we handle data protection and access is covered at /security/ and /trust/. To discuss your specific setup, use /contact/.

Product and company names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners. Reference to them is for identification only and does not imply any affiliation with, endorsement by, or certification from those owners. This page describes connectivity and data handling only and is not clinical advice.

Reviewed July 2026. Back to integrations. Going deeper on the standard: our ASTM messaging guide.

Running something we have not listed?

We build analyser drivers to order, including for niche, regional and discontinued instruments. Tell us the make and model and we will tell you what is possible. Custom integrations or request a quote.