/
OpenELIS Global Software Release Roadmap

OpenELIS Global Software Release Roadmap

Document URL: http://roadmap.openelis-global.org 

Version numbers: Major.Minor.DevState.Fix

For example for OpenELIS Global 3.1 release, it’s labeled 3.1.3.1

Major would now be 2. Minor would start at 0 and would go up anytime there's a new feature being added in. DevState is to communicate the internal development cycle we are in (0 = alpha, 1 = beta, 2 = release candidate, 3 = release). Fix is then any small change made to fix a bug or a security vulnerability.

 

Please be sure to use only versions that are tested for release as Alpha and Beta versions may have bugs. 

EG: 2.7.3.x is a released version, 2.7.2.x is a beta version and should only be used to preview new features or participate in bug testing. 

 

Please note that all dates are for code freeze, when the features are finished being developed. It is still necessary to go through documentation, regression testing and acceptance testing before it can be implemented in a lab. This process takes ~5 weeks to complete.  

Current Release (in Production at labs)

OpenELIS 3.1

  • OpenELIS 3.1.x Release Summary

    The OpenELIS 3.1.x series introduced several improvements, including bug fixes, UI enhancements, integration tests, and security updates. The releases focused on refining patient management, test reporting, and system responsiveness while ensuring better interoperability with external systems.

Release Notes

OpenELIS 3.1.0.0

  • Introduced Push Notification Service for real-time alerts.

  • Added support for querying Client Registry to retrieve patient data.

  • Improved API pagination for better data display.

  • Enhanced panel FHIR ordering for streamlined workflows.

  • Fixed patient report validation to ensure accurate test results.

  • Implemented user notifications for STAT orders.

  • Various styling and UI improvements for better usability.

OpenELIS 3.1.0.8

  • General bug fixes and stability improvements.

  • Minor version bump for performance optimization.

OpenELIS 3.1.0.7

  • Fixes for analyzer results to improve accuracy.

  • Minor UI adjustments for better user experience.

OpenELIS 3.1.0.6

  • Reverted a previous change to SpringContext.getBean() for stability.

  • Updated patient validation to support configurable regex.

  • Fixed sample editing issues in the older UI.

OpenELIS 3.1.0.5

  • Added provider integration tests for better system validation.

  • Introduced QR-style barcodes for improved tracking.

  • Hardened selectors for admin and batch order entry pages.

  • Implemented password expiry notifications for security.

OpenELIS 3.1.0.4

  • Improved header styling and global search bar responsiveness.

  • Added integration tests for patient services.

  • Enhanced multi-platform build support for Docker.

  • Fixed translation issues in French language settings.

For a full list of changes, you can check the official release page

Current Development Target (Development in Progress)

OpenELIS 3.2

🧪 Backend & Integration Testing

Goal: Achieve ≥60% test coverage for backend service layer
Roadmap Items:

  • Expand integration test suite for backend services using Spring Boot and REST APIs

  • Refactor existing tests to improve reliability and isolation (e.g., Cypress test isolation and stable selectors)

  • Implement data attributes and retry mechanisms to stabilize test execution

  • Harden Cypress scripts and improve logging for test diagnostics

🖥️ Frontend Migration to React

Goal: Migrate legacy test management UI to React
Roadmap Items:

  • Rewrite “Modify Tests” and “Add Tests” components in React + TypeScript

  • Refactor UI components to align with Carbon Design System

  • Add in-system notifications and ward management to GUI (future release goal)

📚 Terminology & Data Dictionary Integration

Goal: Enable semantic interoperability via Open Concept Lab (OCL)
Roadmap Items:

  • Integrate OCL APIs to populate OpenELIS Data Dictionary dynamically

  • Build initializer to parse collections or extracts from OCL

  • Replace manual Liquibase scripts with automated OCL ingestion

💳 Billing & ERP Integration

Goal: Connect OpenELIS with Odoo for billing workflows
Roadmap Items:

  • Develop integration layer between OpenELIS and Odoo ERP

  • Enable billing support within the OpenELIS order workflow

  • Ensure compatibility with existing inventory modules

🔬 Analyzer Integration & Management

Goal: Simplify integration of ASTM-enabled analyzers

Roadmap Items:

  • Add UI configuration panel for mapping ASTM-enabled analyzers

  • Enable dynamic analyzer setup and test code mapping via frontend

  • Improve visibility and management of analyzer connections and data flow

  • Align with existing HL7/ASTM messaging standards for interoperability

🌍 Multilingual Support & Translation Expansion

Goal: Improve translation coverage and add support for more languages

Roadmap Items:

  • Expand language support using Transifex (currently 50+ languages enabled)

  • Automate synchronization of backend and frontend strings

  • Encourage community contributions via Transifex platform

  • Implement review workflows to ensure translation quality and consistency

  • Track translation progress and gaps via Transifex dashboard

  • Currently, four languages are fully translated, and the time to add a new translation is down to less than a week for the entire process

  • Languages are compiled and added to the application nightly

Other new Features

Interoperability Roadmap

We use a fully featured FHIR R4 API, which allows interoperability with all other systems also using FHIR R4. This is a growing list of applications, with more being added all the time. We also have been working with some specific software stewards to ensure that the potential interoperability is tested and is working as expected. The software listed below is what we have heavily tested and are in production or are production ready. Those with “in progress” are those that are in current testing, but are expected to be working as intended as the APIs are compatible. For demo videos and more details, especially about the client registry and OpenMRS interoperability, please see http://healthinformationexchange.org

If you would like to be added to this list, please contact us at digit@uw.edu and we will be happy to work with you!

OpenMRS (in production) Electronic Medical Records 

Global Open Facility Registry - GOFR (in production)
Geoprism Geospatial Registry (in testing) Facility Registry

WHONET - Microbiology System (In Production) - specialized data export for WHONET 

SEDRI-LIMS -  Antimicrobial Resistance (In Production) in discussions

SORMAS Outbreak Surveillance System (in progress) To import lab results into case management

Google Open Health Stack (in production) To extract data from a central data warehouse and provide real time dashboarding. 

Open Concept Lab (in progress) Used to manage data definitions and allow semantic interoperability with other systems

Odoo (in Production) For inventory and Billing

Adobe Superset (in Production) - Open Source Dashboards and data visualization

OpenHIM (In Production)- Used to do routing, authentication and audit trail

OpenCR (In Production) - Client Registry to manage/import clients and perform deduplication

Future Release (To be scheduled)

 

Future Release Goals  (Unscheduled) 

Any item in Italic Bold is expected to be funded, the others are looking for sponsors

  • Creating a box of samples for referral to a reference lab

  • Add Symptoms to order entry

  • Add Westguard rules Dashboard

  • Support sample aliquoting

    • Add custom label configurations in test catalog management to include labels needed for the workflows (aliquot, freezer, incubator, etc)

    • Move control on the number/type of labels to the test catalog. EG: Test A will print 1 order label, 2 sample labels, and a freezer label

    • Add safety and preservation information to labels

  • Add Wards to GUI management

  • Links to the SORMAS disease outbreak management system

  • Turn Around Time report

    • Feature lead: CI design group

  • Lab activity report

    • Feature lead: CI design group

  • Overhaul Help menu

    • Break PDF user menu into individual sections to allow easy in app use 

      • Job Aids

    • Improve English user manual 

  • New non-conformity reports

  • Automatic updates for software

    • On first sign on, user can view release notes.

    • Release notes added to overhauled help menu

  • Add Insurance Information

  • Sample storage/disposal info – Add more metadata for lab sample storage and disposal.

  • Analyzer plugin mappings – Add result select‑list mappings to analyzer plugins.

  • Diagnoses in lab orders – Include diagnoses in lab order records.

  • Configurable sample sub‑options – e.g., fasting flag, configurable via data dictionary.

  • Freezer monitoring dashboard – Track freezer data and display in a dashboard.

Past Releases 

OpenELIS Global 3.0  (August 2024) 

OpenELIS Global 2.7  (March, 2023)

  • Billing and Inventory Functionality: 

    • Adopted the Odoo open source ERP/CRM system to provide this functionality

    • Configurable billing tab

  •  Updates of all core technologies

    • New versions listed below

    • Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS

    • PostgreSQL 14.5

    • Docker 20.10.18

    • Apache Tomcat 8.5

    • Java 11

    • Maven 3.8.5

    • Python 3.10.4

    • HAPI FHIR 5.4.1

  • Allow < > symbols in numeric results (important for lower/upper limit on analyzers)

  • Single sign-on capability

    • Using SAML / OAuth2

  • Reject Tests from reception

  • Can now search for tests on the order entry screen

  • Update the user interface to support React framework

    • This will provide the ability to design much more interactive UI elements

  • Ability to search by order date in the validation tab

  • Enhanced backups

  • New aggregate reports

  • Bug fixes to the analyzer and reflex workflows

  • More mature ASTM interfacing

  • Removed extraneous UI element on order entry

Other security fixes and enhancements

OpenELIS Global 2.6  (July, 2022) 

Features:

  • User Management Overhaul

    • Ability to set user access permissions by lab section

    • “Base permissions on User” capability

    • Simplification of roles

      • Reception, Results, and Validation are now configurable by lab section

    • Search usernames

    • able to filter users by active or not, admins, by test section

    • Tests available to order from order entry filtered by lab section

  • Implemented reporting range for tests in the test catalog

  • Patient reports by referring site and date

  • Add tests to the default catalog for Serology, Hematology, and Biochemistry Modules

  • Add Lists of physicians to the FHIR data structure, allowing requesters to be populated from the list. 

    • Populate provider information from the provider registry on the consolidated server

    • See this link for information on how to add providers to the consolidated server

  • Improve Reports

  • Improve labels in Admin section

  • Integration with Global Open Facility Registry (GOFR)

    • GOFR is now available as part of our Consolidated Server stack of application. It provides an great UI to manage a master facility list, and OpenELIS can be configured to update the list of facilities in it using the MFL.

    • Please click here to see a video demo 

  • All geographical fields (EG: address, city, region, district, etc) are now customizable from the user interface in the admin menu. 

  • Improved Integration with OpenMRS 

  • Repaired the facility search on the Organizations page

  • Added support to scan the sample labels (XXX.1, XXX.2, etc) in all fields where order numbers can be searched. 

  • Support order priority

    • STAT, ASAP, timed, future STAT, routine

    • Order priority will appear in workplans and order entry

    • STAT orders being received will alert those in the workflow at appropriate times

    • Order Priority.docx

  • Hide the reference value on the patient report for select list tests for added clarity. 

  • Finalized Quantstudio 3 support for COVID 19 analyzer interfaces 

  • OE now loads current values into the reference range when editing a test

  • Test name now wraps on the patient report to support longer test names. 

  • All countries now appear for nationality in patient registration

  • Redesigned Order entry page - Samples are together with the list of tests available now

  • Reflex Test Pop Up notifications

  • Add Native ASTM support

  • Add Methods to tests

OpenELIS Global 2.5  (November, 2021) 

Features:

  • Ability for OpenELIS to communicate with clinical lab analyzers via HL7

    • This enables bidirectional communication with analyzers, lab equipment can query OpenELIS for pending tests of the appropriate type, and import patient and sample data. The results are reported back to the LIS. 

  • Electronic Orders screen refactored to increase speed of searches when incoming samples are over 150,000 samples. 

  • GenExpert Analyzer interface via HL7

  • Ability to set the default number of barcodes for orders in the admin menu

  • Reporting Ranges are now implemented in the test catalog. 

    • If the result reported is outside of the reporting range, there is a pop-up which 

  • Current reference ranges now load when editing a test, also select list options are similarly retained. 

    • Previously, the reporting ranges and select list options were dropped when editing a test, now this has been fixed. 

  • Fix to analyzer import for flat files

  • Referred tests now no longer show a results date when no results are ready

OpenELIS Global 2.4  (September 2021) 

Features:

  • Complete redesign of the referral workflow:

    • These new features should help labs manage a large number of tests that will be referred to a lab for results. This should be extremely useful for sites where COVID sampling is happening and sent to a lab for analysis, or for the viral load testing as part of HIV care, but has many other uses as well. 

    • Now tests sent to reference laboratories can be sent and received electronically

    • Reception of referred samples can be accomplished by just scanning the barcode

    • Patient reports can be printed directly from the referral screen

    • Status of all referred tests can be seen in the tables

    • See the user manual for a complete representation of changes, or visit the demo

    • One step referral from both the order entry screen and the results entry screen

    • Default the sent date to the current date when referring a test

    • Default the ordered test to the selected test in the referral menu

  • Redesign of the electronic orders page

    • Search for incoming orders by passport number, national ID, referred lab number, etc

    • Enter an order directly from the electronic orders screen

    • View details of an incoming order 

  • Print patient reports by patient

    • Search for a patient and generate all reports for them in the patient report screen

  • Add checking to ensure that no characters that can cause a system error can be saved in the “Lab Number” field, even if validation is deactivated

  • Ability to designate a lab test as “In Lab Only”, creating the ability to designate an internal QA check test that is not reported on the patient report. 

  • Units / Wards in a hospital no longer need to have unique names

  • Result and validation screens capped to 99 results for faster loading

  • Biological Validation Screens: Created the ability to validate by accession number or by range of accession numbers. 

  • Increased the speed of results and validation screen loading

  • Increased the speed of saving results and validation screens 

  • QuantStudio 3

    • Create experiment files for QS3 with plate setup and results file import

  • Removed the non-interactive background images

  • Improved the new patient demographic import

    • First the system searches the local DB and displays any options, then it displays the options downloaded from the remote demographics server when they are ready

    • Previously, it would wait till all sources were finished before displaying results

  • Fixed various issues with the test catalog tools (significant digit fixes, switching test types, adding options to result entry)

  • Fixed various bugs, including the “Too many redirects” installer bug

  • Updates to patch potential security vulnerabilities

    • Did a full scan for vulnerabilities, both in source code and a scan of the application

    • Fixed security issues, updated any software moving to end of life, updated the target installation environment to Ubuntu 20. 

 

Consolidated Lab Data Warehouse Features:

  • Holds information about every OpenELIS test run in a national lab network

  • Serves the latest facility registry information, including wards

  • Now collects more of the OpenELIS data model in FHIR format, including sample information and codable concepts for lab results