When a lab goes from manual result entry to ASTM interfacing, transcription errors drop to zero and turnaround times fall by 30–40%. Yet the terminology keeps many lab managers from asking for it.
ASTM E1381/E1394 is simply the language most analysers speak. A bi-directional interface means the LIS sends the pending test list to the machine (so nobody types sample IDs on the analyser keypad) and the machine sends results back the moment they are ready.
Auto-validation then applies your rules — delta checks against previous results, critical ranges, absurd-value flags — so pathologists spend their attention only on the results that need it.