Chain of custody

Every specimen between your needle and a result deserves a trail. The custody tracker at the bottom of Portal → Paperwork & Signatures builds one for you: start a chain when you collect, log each handoff as it happens, and the timestamp locks in the moment you press the button.

This is your internal record. It does not replace the federal custody and control form, an accredited collector’s procedures, or your lab’s own chain-of-custody requirements.

Starting a chain

Choose Start CCF collection and record the client, donor, or company name, then the collection type:

Drug screen on a federal custody form
Legal DNA or paternity
Clinical specimen
Other

The custody form number, courier, and tracking number are all optional and can be filled in later. The moment you save, the collection step is stamped.

Logging the steps

Each collection type gets its own ordered checklist of custody steps, starting at the collection itself and ending once the lab has the specimen. The steps you see depend on the type you chose when you started the chain.

Press Log next step and the current time is stamped onto the next step in the rail. Completed steps show their time right on the badge, so the whole handoff history reads left to right. When the final step is logged, the chain closes itself out as Complete.

Courier and tracking number stay editable while a chain is active. Add them when the pickup actually happens rather than guessing at collection time.

What you see at a glance

Three counters sit above the list: active chains, chains completed in the last 30 days, and every chain you have ever run. Active ones show first, with their full step rail and stamped times; finished ones fade back but stay on the record.

Related: e-signatures, requisitions.