Features
Every capability, and who it is for.
A true feature matrix for public health laboratories: what each capability does, why the bench cares, why leadership and procurement care, and which roles it serves. Built for technologists and for the people who fund modernization.
Lab tech & operator
Scan-first work, Excel and CSV intake with preview, 4-digit picks, holding-time clocks, exception queues, QC that does not fight you, and AI that drafts but never outranks a human release.
Marketer, director & buyer
APHL/CDC modernization alignment, free PHL license, ETOR/ELR/eCR, inspection binders, and a network story without per-seat traps.
One platform. No module tax.
Salus is free software for public-health labs: full platform, unlimited users, no per-module editions. The table below is the complete product surface - shipped items you can exercise in the demo, plus a few honest roadmap deepenings.
Audience legend
Use filters to view the matrix as a technologist, an epidemiologist, an APHL informatics lead, or a procurement officer.
80 features
| Feature | What it does | For lab tech / operator | For leadership / buyer | Appeals to | Status | Go deeper |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-specimen accessioning Accessioning & intake | Guided registration of one specimen with patient, submitter, tests, collection details, and domain (human, animal, or environmental). | Walk a walk-in or exception sample without hunting through forms. | Core LIMS capability every PHL RFQ expects on day one. |
| Shipped | |
High-volume / batch intake Accessioning & intake | Manifest, Excel, CSV, JSON, and bulk paths for outbreak-scale accessioning days, with preview before commit. | Accession dozens or hundreds of rows with shared defaults instead of retyping. | Surge readiness is a primary PHL differentiator versus hospital LIMS. |
| Shipped | |
Excel / CSV / JSON import gateway Accessioning & intake | Upload .xlsx, delimited text, or JSON; map columns; validate; then commit through the same accession writer as a walk-in. | Drop a submitter spreadsheet, fix the rows that fail, and commit the rest. Legacy .xls is rejected; save as .xlsx. | File ingest without a second pipeline or silent writes. |
| Shipped | |
Remote pre-registration Accessioning & intake | Collection sites pre-register via API or JSON drop, print QR labels, and ship. Status is Registered until the PHL scans the tube received. | Partner sites send the record ahead of the bag. Scan-to-receive hydrates it; no retyping. | County and clinic network intake without waiting for the courier to hit the dock. |
| Shipped | |
Lab-qualified accession IDs Accessioning & intake | Printed identity is LabUniqID, a 10-digit specimen number (year plus sequence), and a 4-digit pick: FLAG.2026000001-0001. | Scan a tube and know which lab accessioned it without opening another screen. | Federation lineage on the label so county, state, and reference labs share one identity scheme. |
| Shipped | |
4-digit pick numbering Accessioning & intake | Each ordered test is a pick on the parent accession. Sequences are 0001-9999 and are never reused after cancel. | The pick on the label matches the order on the worklist. Cancelled picks keep their number so reprints stay honest. | Lab-native identity language (pick, not a vendor-invented PIC) for RFQs and bench training. |
| Shipped | |
Scan-first barcode shell Accessioning & intake | Global scan bar resolves a lab-qualified accession, pick, order, or storage location into a deep link. | Scan, do not retype IDs; keyboard j/k navigation on high-volume queues. | Workforce relief story: less typing, fewer accession errors. |
| Shipped | |
Suspense / triage queue Accessioning & intake | AI- or import-extracted drafts land in a review queue before they become records. | Confirm or correct intake drafts; nothing silent becomes a specimen. | Human-in-the-loop intake is the safe AI narrative for PHLs. |
| Shipped | |
Specimen lifecycle & events Accessioning & intake | Full status timeline from received through reported, with event history. | See where every specimen is and who touched it. | Auditability and transparency for directors and surveyors. |
| Shipped | |
Split-to-labs & aliquot routing Accessioning & intake | Split specimens into picks and environmental aliquots and route each to the department or partner lab that runs the test. | Send serology one way and molecular another without losing the parent accession. | Multi-lab state networks and reference send-outs in one system. |
| Shipped | |
Human, animal, and environmental domains Accessioning & intake | Every specimen is human, animal, or environmental, with a matrix code and animal fields when they apply. | Accession a wastewater grab or a veterinary isolate on the same worklist as a clinical swab. | One PHL platform for clinical, veterinary, and environmental programs instead of three LIMS. |
| Shipped | |
Referral verification gate Accessioning & intake | Inbound referrals land pending verification. Ten physical checks (identity, label, integrity, volume, stability, order, collection, insurance, external accession, transport) must pass, fail, or be accepted with a written exception before the specimen is received. | A QR scan does not receive a referred specimen. Walk the checks, then accept, exception, or reject. | Reference-lab intake that surveyors can audit, separate from sealed custody handoff. |
| Shipped | |
Holding times from collection Accessioning & intake | Per-domain, matrix, and test rules clock max hours from collection, with ok / at-risk / expired status on the pick. | See which samples will miss the window before you start the run, not after. | Method holding-time compliance without a side spreadsheet. |
| Shipped | |
Rejection & recollection Accessioning & intake | Structured rejection reasons and recollection workflows. | Document bad specimens and drive recollect without email threads. | Quality and submitter experience in one loop. |
| Shipped | |
Specimen storage locations Accessioning & intake | Track physical location of specimens and aliquots with transfers logged. | Find the tube without a paper map. | Retention, retrieval, and disposal compliance. |
| Shipped | |
Clinic submitter portal Accessioning & intake | Facility-scoped external users submit requests and check status without phone tag. | Fewer status calls interrupting the bench. | Network value for counties and hospital partners. |
| Shipped | |
Results entry & verification queue Results & bench | Server-side filtered, paginated worklist for enter/verify across high volume. | Work exceptions; bulk-friendly queue for normals. | Scale story for 2-3M specimens/year class labs. |
| Shipped | |
Exception-oriented results path Results & bench | AI drafts and flags; humans verify what needs eyes; dual control available. | Less time on routine panels, more time on true exceptions. | Productivity plus clinical safety messaging. |
| Shipped | |
Electronic signatures Results & bench | 21 CFR Part 11-style e-sign trail on releases and key actions. | Sign and move on with a defensible trail. | Regulatory readiness for CLIA-facing buyers. |
| Shipped | |
Deterministic result rules Results & bench | Configurable auto-verify, flag, hold, and reflex actions that LLMs cannot override. | Rules fire the same way every time. | Safety non-negotiable: AI never outranks lab rules. |
| Shipped | |
Microbiology / isolates Results & bench | Isolate-oriented workflows for culture and organism workups. | Track isolates linked to parent specimens. | Specialty bench coverage beyond chemistry-only LIMS. |
| Shipped | |
Worksheets & plates Results & bench | Plate and worksheet assignment for batch bench work. | Organize runs the way the bench actually works. | Real laboratory ops, not form-only software. |
| Shipped | |
Workflow board & export queue Results & bench | Visual lifecycle board plus outbound export queue for exchange readiness. | See backlog by stage; push what is ready to leave the lab. | Operational command language for directors. |
| Shipped | |
QC with Westgard / Levey-Jennings QC, PT & quality | Control materials, runs, Westgard evaluation, and charts. | Document QC without a side spreadsheet. | CLIA/CAP inspection table stakes. |
| Shipped | |
Reagent & lot tracking QC, PT & quality | Lots, expiry, and instrument linkage for traceability. | Know which lot was on which run. | Traceability for surveyors and recalls. |
| Shipped | |
Proficiency testing QC, PT & quality | PT programs, events, results, and grades. | Track PT without a parallel tracker. | Always-inspection-ready narrative. |
| Shipped | |
Staff certifications & competency QC, PT & quality | Roster certifications, expiry watchlist, test competency requirements. | Know who is cleared for which assay. | CLIA personnel competency evidence. |
| Shipped | |
CLIA/CAP inspection binder QC, PT & quality | One-click JSON pack: QC, PT, competency, instruments, AI model cards, rules, policies. | Pull the binder when the surveyor walks in. | Always inspection-ready product claim with a real export. |
| Shipped | |
HIPAA/SOC2 evidence export QC, PT & quality | Access review, audit activity summary, and non-secret config snapshot. | IT/compliance pulls evidence without engineering. | Trust center ammunition for procurement. |
| Shipped | |
Instrument registry Instruments | Catalog analyzers with status, lab assignment, and notes. | One place for the instrument fleet. | APHL data-modernization priority: instrument ↔ LIMS. |
| Shipped | |
Interface adapter catalog Instruments | Templates for HL7 ORU file/TCP, ASTM, CSV, HTTP, manual, and outbound orders. | Attach a known pattern instead of inventing config. | Integration credibility without per-instrument consulting. |
| Shipped | |
Interface health monitoring Instruments | Last message/success/error, stale thresholds, fleet health roll-up. | See which analyzer stopped talking. | Ops reliability story for multi-analyzer labs. |
| Shipped | |
Inbound result ingest Instruments | Parse HL7/CSV instrument messages into observations matched by accession. | Results land on the order without rekeying. | Closing the instrument interfacing gap APHL surveys highlight. |
| Shipped | |
Lab-defined test builder Tests & community content | Build tests with result sets, ranges, LOINC, and SNOMED coding. | Stand up a new assay without a vendor ticket. | PHL flexibility versus frozen commercial panels. |
| Shipped | |
Community content registry Tests & community content | Publish, version, install test definitions, workflows, and report templates. | Adopt a peer lab panel instead of rebuilding it. | Network-effect moat and open public-good story. |
| Shipped | |
Configurable workflow engine Tests & community content | Define workflow definitions beyond hard-coded status hops. | Lab-specific paths without code changes. | Configurability for multi-jurisdiction deployments. |
| Shipped | |
Clinical & operational reports Tests & community content | Final, corrected, reprint, and preliminary report generation. | Release and reissue reports from the same system. | End-to-end result-to-document story. |
| Shipped | |
ELR (HL7 v2.5.1 + FHIR) ELR, ETOR, eCR & exchange | ORU^R01 with LOINC/SNOMED, CLIA universal ID, batch FHS/BHS, ACK lifecycle. | Generate and track what left for the state feed. | CDC PHDS / ELR milestone alignment. |
| Shipped | |
Multi-destination exchange ELR, ETOR, eCR & exchange | Configure SFTP, AIMS, PHINMS, and file destinations with release fan-out. | One release can hit multiple partners. | AIMS/DETOR-ready architecture language. |
| Shipped | |
ETOR electronic orders ELR, ETOR, eCR & exchange | Inbound ORM/OML parse, code mapping workbench, auto-accession, order ACK. | Hospital orders become accessions without rekeying. | Top APHL modernization priority: electronic test orders and results. |
| Shipped | |
eCR with dual control ELR, ETOR, eCR & exchange | eICR generation, reportability determination, second-person approve, submit, ACK. | Draft case report; another human approves before it leaves. | CDC eCR/AIMS milestones with honest certified vs best-effort labels. |
| Shipped | |
LOINC/order code mapping workbench ELR, ETOR, eCR & exchange | Map external hospital or LOINC order codes to local test codes. | Unmapped codes surface; fix once, reuse forever. | Integration without endless consulting hours. |
| Shipped | |
CDC DMI and TEFCA-shaped payloads ELR, ETOR, eCR & exchange | USCDI+ vocabulary, AIMS/multi-destination ELR, and TEFCA-shaped HL7 v2.5.1 / FHIR laboratory payloads. Not a QHIN stamp. | Coded messages leave through the same release queue. | DMI conversation without a 0% reject claim. |
| Shipped | |
Statistical surveillance signals Surveillance & epidemiology | EWMA, CUSUM, baselines, change-point, fusion, with human declaration only. | See calibrated signals, not black-box AI outbreaks. | Epi trust: models for signals, humans for declaration. |
| Shipped | |
Investigation workspace Surveillance & epidemiology | Hypothesis board and entity links for epi investigations. | Keep outbreak work out of Excel. | NEDSS-adjacent workflow in the lab system of record. |
| Shipped | |
Newborn screening module Surveillance & epidemiology | NBS screens and disorder-oriented workflows for state programs. | NBS work lives in the same platform as the rest of the lab. | Sticky specialty program for state PHLs. |
| Shipped | |
Reportable condition catalog Surveillance & epidemiology | Jurisdiction-aware reportable conditions driving ELR/eCR triggers. | Know what is reportable without a paper list. | Public-health-native, not hospital-native. |
| Shipped | |
Sealed federation & trust registry Surveillance & epidemiology | Cross-org trust nodes and sealed share primitives without bilateral DB trust. | Verify a partner package without their database login. | Network moat for multi-jurisdiction PHL systems. |
| Shipped | |
Cross-org referral & custody Surveillance & epidemiology | Inbound/outbound referral records with sealed custody handoff path. | County to state to reference without losing the chain. | Reference lab and hierarchical network story. |
| Shipped | |
Director command center Command center & operations | Single view of criticals, QC, ELR lag, backlog, and agent approvals. | Start the day knowing what is on fire. | Leadership dashboard for demos and APHL rooms. |
| Shipped | |
Priority inbox Command center & operations | Multi-kind alerts: critical values, QC fail, ELR reject, signals, agent approvals. | One place for what needs me, with optional email/SMS. | No more refresh-and-hope operations. |
| Shipped | |
Today focus rail Command center & operations | Schedule- and backlog-driven module prioritization for the open shift. | See which modules matter on this shift without hunting the sidebar. | Workforce UX modern LIMS buyers expect. |
| Shipped | |
KPIs & analytics Command center & operations | Per-lab and tester KPIs, TAT, volume, and operational widgets. | See backlog and TAT without a BI project. | Bureau reporting and modernization metrics. |
| Shipped | |
Labs, staff & schedules Command center & operations | Lab master, departments, tester roster, weekly schedule grid. | Know who is on which bench today. | Full lab ops platform, not a results-only tool. |
| Shipped | |
Conrad, the Salus Agentic voice Human-supervised AI | One live persona. Conrad drafts accessioning, results, QC, ELR, surveillance, and operations work. | A governed worker that drafts; humans sign and transmit. | Category story: agentic PHL, not a generic chatbot. |
| Shipped | |
Human authority & kill switch Human-supervised AI | Agents draft and recommend; humans release results, declare outbreaks, and can pause personas. | AI never forces a release past you. | Legal and CLIA-safe AI positioning. |
| Shipped | |
Agent approval queue Human-supervised AI | Pending agent actions require human approve/reject with audit. | Clear queue of what AI wants permission for. | Governed automation, not shadow automation. |
| Shipped | |
AI model cards in binder Human-supervised AI | Persona model, autonomy, and permissions surface for auditors. | Show the surveyor what each persona can do. | Responsible AI proof, not slideware. |
| Shipped | |
Lab-scoped RBAC Admin, RBAC & multi-tenant | Roles, permissions, lab-scoped grants, JWT auth, permission-gated UI. | See only what your role allows. | Least-privilege HIPAA technical safeguard. |
| Shipped | |
SSO (OIDC) & SCIM Admin, RBAC & multi-tenant | Per-tenant OIDC login and SCIM user provisioning. | Enterprise login, no local password sprawl. | State IT and security checklist item. |
| Shipped | |
TOTP multi-factor authentication Admin, RBAC & multi-tenant | Optional TOTP enrollment and enforcement for accounts. | Extra factor on sensitive logins. | Security baseline for BAA conversations. |
| Shipped | |
Multi-tenant hierarchy Admin, RBAC & multi-tenant | Tenant isolation with lab hierarchy for state/county networks. | Work in your lab; directors see their network. | One platform for every lab in the state. |
| Shipped | |
Data import & export Admin, RBAC & multi-tenant | Functional import mapper and zero lock-in export of tenant data. | Bulk load partners and catalogs. | No hostage data: public-good credibility. |
| Shipped | |
Tenant branding Admin, RBAC & multi-tenant | Logo and letterhead configuration per organization. | Reports look like your lab. | Multi-tenant white-label readiness. |
| Shipped | |
Cryptographic chain of custody Trust, custody & compliance | Hash-chained custody with hybrid signatures and RFC 3161 timestamp anchors. | Prove the chain was not altered. | Court-ready evidence narrative for legal and CDC. |
| Shipped | |
Append-only audit trail Trust, custody & compliance | Auth and mutating actions logged with actor, resource, IP, user-agent. | Answer who changed what. | HIPAA audit controls evidence. |
| Shipped | |
Field-level PHI encryption Trust, custody & compliance | Application-level encryption for sensitive fields with blind indexes for search. | Search works without storing plaintext names at rest. | Defense-in-depth beyond volume encryption. |
| Shipped | |
Security incident workspace Trust, custody & compliance | Track and disposition security incidents raised by monitoring agents. | Ops and security share one incident list. | Incident response readiness. |
| Shipped | |
Free software for public-health labs Access model & deployment | No software license fee; full platform; unlimited users; no module tax. | Every module is available to the roles that need it. | Procurement story: stop paying per seat and per module. |
| Shipped | |
PHL self-attestation signup Access model & deployment | Eligible labs self-attest and provision with Conrad onboarding review. | Get a tenant without a six-month sales cycle. | Frictionless adoption funnel for founding labs. |
| Shipped | |
Postgres or Snowflake deploy Access model & deployment | Dialect-agnostic data layer; Snowflake Unistore as first-class option for HIPAA inheritance. | Same app whether IT chooses Postgres or Snowflake. | BYO Snowflake / SPCS story for enterprise and MCO verticals. |
| Shipped | |
Billing, claims & support hours Access model & deployment | Fee schedules, invoices, insurance ledger hooks, support-hour metering. | Finance sees specimen-linked charges. | Grants and cost recovery without a second system of record. |
| Shipped | |
17-language product UI Access model & deployment | Marketing and app locales spanning en, es, fr, de, it, pt, pl, tr, uk, ar, he, fa, hi, ja, ko, zh-CN, de-CH. | Work in your preferred language where locales are complete. | Global / WHO and multi-language state workforce appeal. |
| Shipped | |
Light/dark theme & skins Access model & deployment | User-toggleable theme with multiple skins, not locked light-only. | Comfortable for long night shifts. | Modern product polish. |
| Shipped | |
Statewide network roll-up (deepening) Command center & operations | Master-tenant child-lab KPIs, certifications, PT, signals, and readiness packs. | Bureau sees network health without calling every lab. | State system of systems pitch. |
| Roadmap | |
PHL capability directory (deepening) Surveillance & epidemiology | Discover labs by CLIA and offered tests for smart referral. | Find where to send a rare assay. | Network density increases with every lab that joins. |
| Roadmap | |
AMR, wastewater & genomic modules (roadmap) Surveillance & epidemiology | Specialty program modules planned after core network and ETOR/ELR excellence. | Future home for program-specific benches. | Honest roadmap for CDC program expansion conversations. |
| Roadmap | |
WHO IHR notes on catalog cards Surveillance & epidemiology | H5 and other IHR-relevant detections carry notification notes next to state ELR guidance. | See the international obligation on the same card as the bench method. | WHO-aware without claiming to be a national IHR focal point. |
| Shipped | |
One-click outbreak surge packs Tests & community content | Install a coded test pack from the community registry with destination lab already on the bundle. | New protocol without a change-order form. | Surge story APHL rooms actually ask for. |
| Shipped | |
Grant-category tagging Command center & operations | Tag volume, TAT, and interoperability work to ELC / PHEP / DMI categories for director export. Conrad never files a CDC report. | Operations produce the evidence the grant officer wants. | Funding conversation without claiming 100% reimbursement. |
| Roadmap |
See the matrix in a running lab.
The live demo is the proof. Features above map to real screens under app.salusagentic.com/Demo.