The device's interface
Find the host-interface or LIS section of the operator manual. Serial port, network socket, USB or docking station? Which protocol and version does it claim?
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How-to · Connectivity
Getting results off the analyser and into the record.
How to connect an analyser to your LIS or EHR: the three options, the standards involved, what to check before you start, and realistic timelines.
Published 1 July 2026 · Last reviewed: July 2026 · 6 min read
Every analyser can produce a result. The work is getting that result into your LIS or EHR with the right patient attached, without anyone re-typing it. This guide walks through the options, the standards you will meet along the way, the questions to answer before you start, and what a realistic timeline looks like.
Your three options
Direct interface, middleware or manual entry.
| Direct interface | Middleware | Manual entry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effort to set up | A point-to-point project per analyser and LIS pair | One platform; one integration to the record instead of one per device | None up front; the effort moves into every working day |
| Ongoing maintenance | Every LIS upgrade or device swap reopens the work | Device protocols handled by the platform on one side, a single consistent feed on the other | Constant re-typing, checking and chasing missing results |
| Traceability | Good, for the device that was interfaced | Full: each result tied to device and operator, original message retained | None between the device and the record |
| Best for | Hospitals with an interface team | Most clinics, and any bench running several devices | A stopgap while an interface is set up |
Manual entry is how most clinics start and the option every interfacing project is trying to retire. For most clinics middleware is the practical route; our plain-English middleware guide covers the category in depth.
The standards, in one sentence each
HL7 v2 is the messaging standard most health systems use to exchange orders and results, usually framed as MLLP over a network connection. ASTM (E1394) is an older result-transfer standard many bench-top analysers still speak, originally over a serial cable. POCT1-A2 is the standard written specifically for point-of-care devices, carrying results, operator lists and QC between a device or docking station and a data manager. Many devices also speak a vendor-specific format that never made it into any standard. The full detail, segment by segment, is in our guide to HL7, POCT1-A2 and ASTM.
What an edge gateway does
Analysers live on clinic benches, not on the internet. An edge gateway is a small piece of software on a computer inside the clinic that bridges the gap: it listens to the devices locally, over a serial cable or the clinic network, and forwards each result securely to the platform. A good gateway also does three quietly important things:
- Buffers through network drops. Results are stored locally and forwarded when the connection returns, so a broadband outage never loses a result.
- Handles the odd transports. RS-232 serial ports, docking stations and one-way printer feeds all terminate at the gateway, which turns them into clean network messages.
- Keeps devices off the open internet. Only the gateway makes an outbound, encrypted connection; the analysers themselves stay on the local network.
Typical timelines
Honest ranges, assuming people answer their email: connecting an analyser to middleware that already has a driver for it is typically hours to a few days, most of which is verification. A device that needs a new driver adds days to a few weeks depending on documentation quality. A direct point-to-point interface built from scratch is usually weeks to months, because message mapping, testing and change control all sit inside your project. Whatever route you take, budget real time for verification: parallel-running the interface against the device display or printout until you trust it.
Before you start
The pre-flight checklist.
The device's settings
Many analysers ship with the host interface switched off. Check for host communication, baud rate or destination IP, and whether a vendor engineer needs to enable it.
Your network
Is there a wired or wireless network where the devices sit? Can a PC on that network make an outbound HTTPS connection? Fixed IPs or reserved DHCP for devices help.
Your LIS or EHR side
What can it accept: HL7 v2 results, a file import, an API? Who controls that interface, and what is their change process and lead time? The item most projects underestimate.
Identifiers
Agree how patients, operators and devices will be identified in messages before the first test message is sent, not after.
How Catenix does it
Install, point, confirm, go live.
01
Install
An edge gateway goes onto a clinic PC. Only the gateway makes an outbound, encrypted connection; the analysers stay on the local network.
02
Point
Each analyser is aimed at the gateway, which speaks HL7 v2, ASTM and POCT1-A2 plus the vendor-specific formats, bidirectionally where the device supports it.
03
Confirm
Parallel-run against the device display or printout until you trust the interface. Results buffer locally through network drops so nothing is lost.
04
Go live
Results land matched to patient and operator, and flow onward to your LIS or EHR, or through to the clinic report where there is no LIS at all.
Drivers for supported analysers are part of the platform, not a separate project. See the connectivity layer in detail and which analysers Catenix connects. Catenix moves and records results; it does not interpret clinical results and provides no clinical decision support.
Questions, answered
The questions buyers ask first.
How do I connect an analyser to a LIS?
Three options: a direct point-to-point interface built between the analyser and the LIS, middleware that sits between them and translates, or manual entry as a stopgap. For most clinics middleware is the practical route, because one platform handles every device's protocol and presents the LIS or EHR with a single, consistent feed.
What protocol does my analyser use?
Check the device's operator or host-interface manual. Bench-top analysers usually speak HL7 v2 or ASTM over a serial port or network socket; purpose-built point-of-care devices often speak POCT1-A2 through a docking station. Some devices only offer a vendor-specific format, which is a job for middleware rather than a direct interface.
What is an edge gateway and do I need one?
An edge gateway is a small piece of software on a computer inside the clinic that talks to the analysers locally, over serial or the clinic network, and forwards results securely to the platform. You need one whenever devices cannot reach the internet themselves, which is nearly always, and it also buffers results locally so nothing is lost when the connection drops.
How long does an analyser interface take to set up?
With middleware that already has a driver for the device, connection is typically hours to a few days including verification. A direct point-to-point interface built from scratch is usually measured in weeks to months, because the message mapping, testing and change control all fall on your project.
See your analyser connected.
Bring your device list. We'll show results landing in the record, live.