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Lab Desk vs CGM LABDAQ
CGM LABDAQ is a long-standing US lab information system from CompuGroup Medical. Lab Desk is a newer cloud desk for small labs, with AI summaries and Stripe payments built in.
Who each is for
Decades in market, or built new for small labs.
CGM LABDAQ
CGM LABDAQ is owned by CompuGroup Medical. CGM says it has more than 30 years of LIS experience and serves about 4,000 labs across the US, including physician offices and clinics, independent labs and hospitals, plus forensic, veterinary and toxicology labs.
It can be hosted onsite or in the cloud by CGM. Options include the CGM LABNEXUS provider portal, a patient portal, autoverification, inventory, Medicare medical necessity checking and the Lab IQ dashboard.
Lab Desk
Lab Desk is built for independent and small labs in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
It covers patients, tests, orders and results, AI flags and plain-language summaries, secure result links, provider links and Stripe payments. Lab Desk is opening to labs through early access.
At a glance
Lab Desk and CGM LABDAQ compared.
| Feature | Lab Desk | CGM LABDAQ |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Independent and small labs | Physician office, independent and hospital labs, and more |
| Experience | Early access, 2026 | 30+ years of LIS experience |
| Labs served | Opening to early-access labs | About 4,000, per CGM |
| Deployment | Cloud, in your browser | Onsite, or cloud hosted by CGM |
| Published pricing | Yes, planned from USD 199 a month | Not listed on the product page |
| Analyzer interfaces | Generic ASTM, HL7 and CSV | 67 analyzer companies interfaced, per CGM |
| Provider access to results | Secure provider links | CGM LABNEXUS web portal |
| Results for patients | Secure private link | Patient portal option |
| Autoverification rules | No | Yes |
| Medicare medical necessity checking | No | Yes |
| Inventory management | No | Yes |
| AI plain-language summaries, approved by staff | Yes | Ask vendor |
| Online patient payments | Stripe, into your own account | Ask vendor |
| UK labs hosted in the UK | Yes | Ask vendor |
Based on publicly available information as of September 2026. Products change, so check details with each vendor.
Where Lab Desk is different
Newer, simpler, and cloud from day one.
Made for small labs
Built for small labs, and only small labs.
Lab Desk covers what a small lab does every day: patients, tests, orders, results, sharing and payments. It runs in your browser, so there are no servers to look after and no IT team needed.
- Set up your tests, panels, units and reference ranges once
- One order per visit, from ordered to shared
- Connect analyzers over ASTM or HL7, with CSV import as a fallback
AI that assists
AI summaries your staff approve.
Lab Desk flags results outside your reference ranges and drafts a plain-language summary for the patient. Your staff review every flag and summary before anything is shared. The AI never diagnoses, and patient data is never used to train AI models.
- High and low values listed for review first
- Summaries staff can edit before sending
- No decision is fully automated
Get paid directly
Patient payments go into your own Stripe account.
Connect your own Stripe account and add a payment link to any result or invoice. Funds go straight to you, in USD, CAD or GBP. Lab Desk never holds them.
- Cards and digital wallets supported by Stripe
- Platform fee of 1% on Starter, 0.5% on Growth, none on Pro
- Stripe's own processing fees are separate
Priced by orders, not seats.
Plans are sized by orders per month, from USD 199 for 1,000 orders with 5 users. Results are never blocked if you go over.
Hosted in your region.
US and Canadian labs use app.labdesk.app, hosted in the US. UK labs use uk.labdesk.app, hosted in the UK.
HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
Encrypted data, role-based access and an audit log, with a Business Associate Agreement for every US lab.
To be fair
When CGM LABDAQ might suit you better.
You want decades of track record.
CGM LABDAQ has been installed across the US for over 30 years. Lab Desk is just opening through early access.
You need a specific analyzer supported today.
CGM lists interfaces with 67 analyzer companies. Lab Desk offers generic ASTM, HL7 and CSV support, with no specific models targeted at launch.
You need specialist options.
Autoverification, Medicare medical necessity checking, inventory and toxicology tools are available with CGM LABDAQ. Lab Desk doesn't offer them.
Lab Desk is new.
Lab Desk is opening to labs through early access, so it doesn't have years of customers behind it yet. Early-access labs get founding-lab pricing, help with setup and data import, and a direct line to the team building it.
Frequently asked questions
Is CGM LABDAQ cloud or on-premises?
CGM says LABDAQ can be hosted onsite or in the cloud by CompuGroup Medical. Lab Desk is cloud only.
Will Lab Desk connect to my analyzers?
Lab Desk connects analyzers over ASTM or HL7, with CSV file import as a fallback, using a small connector app on a lab PC. Growth includes 2 interfaces and Pro includes 5. Tell us your analyzers and we'll check before you commit.
Does Lab Desk work for labs outside the US?
Yes. Lab Desk serves labs in the US, Canada and the UK, with USD, CAD and GBP payments. UK labs are hosted in the UK.
Does Lab Desk's AI diagnose patients?
No. It flags results outside your reference ranges and drafts plain-language summaries. Your staff review and approve every flag and summary.
Manage patients. Share results. Get paid. All from one desk.
Join early access and be one of the first labs on Lab Desk.