HISx — Lab Inventory Module

Lab reagents tracked to every test run

Reagent and calibrator tracking, rapid-expiry management, QC material consumption, and automated cost-per-test calculation — built specifically for hospital labs and diagnostic centres.

Reagent kit tracker — Lab inventory
ReagentLots openPost-open expiryStatus
Troponin I kit23 daysCritical
HbA1c reagent18 daysNear expiry
CBC reagent pack122 daysActive
Lipid panel kit131 daysActive
Troponin I Kit Lot #L-2024-091 — expires in 3 days. Order replacement.
Covers
Reagents & calibrators
Lot-level tracking
QC materials
Separate consumption tracking
Cost per test
Automated calculation
Built on  ERPNext / Frappe
The lab inventory challenge

Lab inventory is not like pharmacy inventory — and most systems treat it as if it were

Short post-opening expiry, lot-level QC tracking, and per-test cost accounting make lab inventory a specialised problem. HISx solves it with lab-specific workflows.

Reagents expire days after opening — not months

A reagent kit with a printed expiry of December 2025 may be unusable after 7 days of opening. Standard inventory systems tracking only manufacturer expiry allow expired-post-opening reagents to remain in use, risking result accuracy and accreditation status.

True cost-per-test is unknown without lot-level tracking

Without tracking consumption per test run — including QC and calibration runs that consume reagent without generating revenue — lab managers cannot calculate the true cost of running each investigation.

QC consumption hidden — distorts reagent utilisation

QC material and calibrator consumption mixed with patient test consumption makes it impossible to calculate accurate patient-test reagent costs or present true utilisation data for accreditation reviews.


Reagent & calibrator tracking

Every reagent kit tracked by lot, opening date, and post-opening expiry

HISx tracks laboratory reagents at the lot level with two separate expiry windows — manufacturer expiry and post-opening stability. When a kit is opened, the post-opening clock starts. The system alerts lab staff before post-opening expiry is reached.

  • Lot-level tracking for reagents, calibrators, and QC materials — separate from general pharmaceutical inventory
  • Post-opening expiry management — opened-on date triggers a separate expiry countdown independent of manufacturer expiry
  • Critical near-expiry alerts at configurable thresholds — flagged to lab manager before the lot expires
  • Consumption tracked per test run — reagent linked to individual patient tests and QC runs separately
Reagent lot status — Clinical chemistry analyser
ReagentLotMfr. expiryPost-open
Troponin IL-091Dec 20253 daysAlert
HbA1cL-088Nov 20258 daysWarn
CreatinineL-094Jan 202628 daysOK
Post-opening clock starts when kit is registered as opened in HISx. Independent of manufacturer expiry date — critical for accreditation and result validity.

Cost-per-test calculation

The true cost of every investigation — reagents, QC, and calibration all included

Cost-per-test reporting in HISx calculates the actual reagent cost incurred per patient investigation — factoring in QC runs and calibration events that consume reagent without generating patient revenue, giving lab managers an accurate cost baseline for every test in the panel.

  • Automated cost-per-investigation calculation — updated in real time as reagent consumption is posted
  • QC and calibration consumption tracked separately — overhead allocated accurately, not hidden in patient-test costs
  • Reagent utilisation efficiency reporting — identify analysers or test panels with high reagent wastage
  • Lot-to-lot comparison — compare reagent consumption per test across different lot numbers to identify performance variation
Cost-per-test reporting guide
Cost-per-test — Feb 2025 (patient tests only)
CBC (Complete Blood Count)₹ 18.40
Reagent: ₹14.20 · QC alloc: ₹2.80 · Calibration: ₹1.40
Tests run: 1,240 · Avg utilisation: 94%
Troponin I (STAT)₹ 142.00
Reagent: ₹118.00 · QC alloc: ₹16.00 · Calibration: ₹8.00
Tests run: 186 · Avg utilisation: 78%
HbA1c₹ 54.20
Reagent: ₹44.00 · QC alloc: ₹7.20 · Calibration: ₹3.00
Tests run: 412 · Avg utilisation: 88%

All capabilities

Complete lab inventory management

Purpose-built for the lab environment — not a general inventory system retrofitted with lab fields.

QC material tracking

Quality control materials tracked as a separate inventory category. QC consumption posted per QC run and linked to the analyser and test panel — enabling accurate QC cost allocation and consumption trend analysis.

Rapid-expiry management

Short-expiry reagents flagged at configurable thresholds — both manufacturer and post-opening expiry monitored independently. Alerts triggered before expiry, not discovered after.

Reorder automation for reagents

Minimum, reorder, and maximum levels set per reagent. Automated purchase request generated when stock drops to reorder level — factoring in supplier lead times for lab reagent vendors.

Utilisation efficiency reports

Analyser and test-panel utilisation reports identify reagent wastage, under-utilised instruments, and high-overhead test panels. Supports procurement negotiations and instrument lease renegotiation with data.

Accreditation-ready audit trail

Every reagent receipt, consumption, QC run, and disposal logged with lot number, expiry date, and user. NABL, CAP, and NABH accreditation documentation generated without manual compilation.

BI & analytics integration

Structured lab inventory and cost-per-test data available for BI dashboards and analytics platforms via API. Cross-period trend analysis, budget vs actual reagent cost, and test volume forecasting.


Who uses this module

Built for every lab role

From the bench technician registering an opened kit to the lab director reviewing cost-per-test trends — each role gets the right view.

Lab technician

Registers reagent kits on opening, scans lot numbers, records QC runs and consumption, gets near-expiry alerts on the active reagent dashboard before starting a run.

Lab manager / quality officer

Monitors reagent expiry across all analysers, reviews QC consumption trends, manages accreditation documentation, and approves write-offs for expired or contaminated lots.

Lab director & finance

Cost-per-test reports by investigation type, reagent utilisation efficiency, budget vs actual reagent spend, and lot-level procurement cost analysis — all without manual compilation.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Laboratory reagents have characteristics that standard inventory systems handle poorly: very short expiry windows after opening, small consumption quantities per test, multiple lot numbers for the same reagent with different performance characteristics, and quality control materials that consume reagent without generating patient billing. HISx lab inventory tracks all of these — reagents, calibrators, and QC materials separately, with lot-level tracking, post-opening expiry management, and consumption linked to individual test runs.
Cost-per-test reporting calculates the actual reagent and consumable cost incurred per investigation or test type. HISx tracks reagent consumption per test run — including QC and calibration runs that consume reagent without generating patient revenue — and divides total reagent cost by the number of patient tests completed. This gives lab managers the true cost of running each test, enabling them to identify high-cost investigations, negotiate better reagent rates, and optimise analyser utilisation.
HISx tracks both manufacturer expiry dates and post-opening stability windows for reagents. When a reagent kit or bottle is opened and registered in the system, HISx starts tracking the opened-on date and alerts lab staff when the post-opening expiry window is approaching — which is typically much shorter than the printed manufacturer expiry. This prevents reagents from being used beyond their post-opening stability period, protecting result accuracy.
Yes. HISx tracks quality control materials and calibrators as separate inventory categories from patient test reagents. QC consumption is recorded per QC run, and calibrator consumption per calibration event. This separation allows the lab to calculate true patient-test reagent costs independently of QC overheads, and to track QC material usage trends for budget planning and accreditation documentation.

See HISx lab inventory in your diagnostic lab

Book a 30-minute demo — walk through reagent lot tracking, post-opening expiry management, and cost-per-test calculation for your test panel.