Barcode Generation & Scanning
Print Code 128, Code 39, Data Matrix, and QR labels for tubes, slides, plates, and cassettes. Scan-driven [accessioning](/features/accessioning-lis-software) records each handoff without manual data entry.
Specimen tracking & chain of custody
SPECIMEN TRACKING SOFTWARE
LIMS IQ specimen tracking software follows each sample from collection through accessioning, testing, storage, and disposition. Barcoded handoffs, hierarchical location tracking, and a tamper-evident custody log give your lab a defensible record for every container.
Barcode Handoffs
Location Hierarchy
Custody Event Log
Aliquot Lineage
Real-time location
Track each container through site, bench, instrument, freezer, rack, and box positions with timestamped move events.
Defensible custody
An append-only event log captures the user, action, and prior values for every handoff, edit, approval, and disposition.
Parent-child lineage
Aliquots, slides, plates, and downstream molecular derivatives stay linked to the originating specimen end to end.
Tracking snapshot
Specimen movement console
Active containers, recent custody events, and storage locations in one operational view.
Hierarchical locations
Site, bench, instrument, freezer, position
Move specimens through a configurable location tree so a freezer pull or an instrument load is one scan, not a spreadsheet update.
Continuous custody
From draw to disposition
Every barcode scan extends the custody log — collection, courier handoff, accessioning, aliquoting, instrument run, storage, and final disposal.
Tracking model
ONE SYSTEM FOR SAMPLE TRACEABILITY
From the moment a phlebotomist labels a tube to the moment a derivative aliquot is destroyed, LIMS IQ keeps a continuous record of who touched the specimen, where it moved, and what changed. The same tracking layer serves clinical, toxicology, molecular, biorepository, and public-health workflows.
- Barcode generation and scanning for tubes, slides, plates, and cassettes
- Hierarchical location tracking from site down to freezer rack and box position
- Custody event log with user, timestamp, action, and prior values
- Parent-child container hierarchy for aliquots, slides, and derivatives
- Mobile capture from collection through courier handoff and receiving
- Configurable disposition workflows with retention and destruction logging
What LIMS IQ Specimen Tracking Includes
A horizontal capability that fits clinical, toxicology, molecular, biorepository, and public-health labs — built on the same custody and accessioning engine that powers the rest of LIMS IQ.
Hierarchical Location Tracking
Model real-world locations as a tree — site, room, bench, instrument, freezer, rack, box, position — so each move event captures exactly where the specimen is, not just which department holds it.
Continuous Chain of Custody
Every collection, transfer, accessioning, aliquot, instrument load, storage move, and disposition extends the [chain-of-custody log](/features/chain-of-custody-audit-trail) with user, timestamp, and action context.
Mobile Collection Capture
The [mobile phlebotomy tracker](/features/mobile-phlebotomy-tracker) opens the custody record at the point of draw with phlebotomist ID, collection time, and GPS-tagged location, then hands the specimen off to the courier with a single scan.
Aliquot & Derivative Lineage
Split a parent specimen into aliquots, slides, plates, or molecular derivatives (DNA, RNA, cDNA) and keep every child container linked back to the originating draw, with its own independent custody log.
Instrument-Aware Movement
Specimens loaded onto analyzers via [instrument integrations](/features/instrument-integrations) automatically register their location, run context, and result linkage so the tracking record stays in step with testing activity.
Multi-Site & Courier Logistics
Track specimens across draw sites, satellite labs, and central facilities. Courier manifests, receiving dock scans, and exception routing keep visibility intact across organizational boundaries.
Disposition & Retention Control
Configure retention rules by sample type, route specimens to long-term storage or destruction queues, and capture witnessed destruction events with the same audit-grade custody log used throughout the workflow.
Compliance-Ready Reporting
Produce a chain-of-custody report for any specimen on demand. Configurable controls support CLIA, CAP, HIPAA, and forensic toxicology review processes that require an unbroken, defensible record.
Frequently asked questions
LIMS IQ generates and reads standard 1D symbologies (Code 128, Code 39) and 2D formats (Data Matrix, QR) for tube, slide, plate, and cassette labels. Barcode content is configurable so labs can encode accession ID, container type, collection site, parent specimen ID, or any combination required by downstream instruments and couriers.
Collections recorded in the LIMS IQ mobile phlebotomy tracker create the first custody event for each specimen — capturing the phlebotomist, GPS-tagged collection location, container type, and timestamp. When the courier scans the same barcode at receiving, custody continues unbroken into accessioning without re-keying patient or order data.
Yes. Locations are modeled as a hierarchy (site, room, instrument, freezer, rack, box, position) so a sample can be tracked from a draw site to a courier route, to a central accessioning bench, to an instrument worklist, to a -80°C storage position. Every move is logged with user, time, and from/to location.
The custody event log is append-only, attributes each action to an authenticated user, and preserves prior values on edits. That structure supports forensic toxicology, employer drug testing, public-health surveillance, and CLIA / CAP / HIPAA review processes that require an unbroken chain of custody. Labs can produce a chain-of-custody report for any specimen on demand.
When a parent specimen is split into aliquots, slides, or molecular derivatives (DNA, RNA, cDNA), each child container inherits a link back to the parent and starts its own custody log. The container hierarchy lets you trace any downstream result — including reflexed molecular tests — back to the originating draw and collection event.
Specimen tracking demo
Need real-time visibility into every sample?
See how LIMS IQ tracks containers from collection through disposition with barcoded handoffs, hierarchical locations, and a defensible custody log.