LIS Software for Australian Pathology Labs — NATA
A laboratory information system built for a NATA-accredited pathology laboratory: the records an ISO 15189 and NPAAC assessment examines, the data Medicare claims and My Health Record uploads are built from, and no dependence on the connection.
Which LIS software suits a NATA-accredited pathology laboratory in Australia?
SamLab is an offline-first laboratory information system for Australian pathology laboratories accredited by NATA against ISO 15189 and the NPAAC standards. It keeps reference ranges with units, verifier identity, a retained amendment history and specimen traceability, records MBS item numbers for Medicare claims, and produces structured reports for My Health Record upload. Accreditation belongs to the laboratory.
What an Australian pathology laboratory is accredited against
In Australia the gate is Medicare rather than a facility licence: a pathology service attracts no Medicare benefit unless it is performed in an Accredited Pathology Laboratory, and a laboratory becomes one by lodging an application with the Pathology Section of Services Australia. The accreditation behind that approval is NATA’s medical laboratory program, delivered jointly with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, which assesses laboratories against both ISO 15189 and the NPAAC standards set under the Department of Health. From July 2026 pathology reports must also be uploaded to My Health Record, with limited exceptions.
A pathology service will not attract Medicare benefits unless it is provided in a pathology laboratory accredited for that kind of service, under Medicare Benefits Schedule note PN.8.1.
In SamLab: Test catalogue with MBS item numbers and the accredited category per test, so a claim is never raised for a service the laboratory is not accredited to perform.
To become an Accredited Pathology Laboratory a laboratory lodges a completed application with the Manager of the Pathology Section at Services Australia, under Medicare Benefits Schedule note PN.8.2.
In SamLab: Staff, equipment and test-scope registers that print as the evidence the application and later surveillance rely on.
NATA assesses medical laboratories against both ISO 15189 and the NPAAC requirements in a program delivered with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, which NATA describes as the mandatory accreditation pathway for Medicare-claimable pathology.
In SamLab: Reference ranges with units per test, verifier identity on every result, a retained amendment history with the earlier value, and specimen traceability from collection to report.
From July 2026, pathology reports prepared by or on behalf of a pathologist must be uploaded to My Health Record, except in some circumstances, according to the Australian Digital Health Agency.
In SamLab: Report generation in a structured, exportable form with the identifiers a My Health Record upload needs, so the upload connector receives every issued report.
Source: NATA — Medical laboratory accreditation (ISO 15189), joint NATA/RCPA program · checked 2026-09-03. Accreditation is granted to the laboratory, not to its software — what SamLab provides is the records an assessor asks to see.
Runs when the internet doesn’t
Registration, billing, result entry and reports work with the connection down and sync when it returns. Prices are shown in your own currency.
Questions from Australia laboratories
Is SamLab NATA accredited?
Accreditation is granted by NATA to the laboratory, never to its software. SamLab provides the records a NATA/RCPA assessment against ISO 15189 and the NPAAC standards examines: reference ranges with units, verifier identity on every result, a retained amendment history and specimen traceability from collection to report.
Can SamLab bill Medicare?
SamLab records each test with its MBS item number and the accredited category, keeps bulk-billed and private work in separate ledgers, and exports the claim data for the Medicare claiming channel your laboratory uses. Confirm the claiming connector in a demo before you commit.
Does SamLab upload to My Health Record?
SamLab produces each report in a structured, exportable form with the identifiers an upload needs and hands it to the My Health Record upload connector; from July 2026 the Australian Digital Health Agency requires pathology reports to be uploaded with limited exceptions. Confirm your connector and its conformance in a demo.
What happens when the internet drops?
Registration, billing, result entry, reporting and analyzer capture keep working. SamLab runs from a local database on your own machine and synchronises when the connection returns; uploads and claims queue until it does.
Try the whole lab, free for 7 days.
No card. No catch. Run SamLab on your own data — online or offline — and feel the difference before you pay anything.