CDC Specimen Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal

About

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Specimen Test Order and Reporting (CSTOR) Web Portal is a central online resource to submit specimens, access test results, and view reports. CSTOR is available at no cost to CDC Infectious Disease (ID) laboratory partners (including the Association of Public Health Laboratories).

CSTOR Web Portal allows ID specimen submitters to:

• Request and obtain approval to send samples to CDC for testing.
• Submit specimen data and create shipping paperwork online.
• Validate specimen data and provide submitter support to correct errors and complete missing information.
• View and download test results and reports easily and securely online.

An alternative to CDC Specimen Submission Form 50.34, CSTOR removes manual processes and tracks the status of each submitted specimen. Connected to CDC's Enterprise Laboratory Information Management System (ELIMS), CSTOR accelerates specimen receipt, reduces processing time, and expedites delays.

Please review the CSTOR Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to learn more about the CSTOR Web Portal.

Specimen submitters

Approved primary submitters (i.e., global submitters) can submit specimens to CDC. Original or intermediate submitters are also able to submit specimens to CDC with State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL) approval. Original or intermediate submitters include:

• Private healthcare providers.
• Local public health and commercial laboratories.
• Hospitals, medical centers, and universities.
• Veterinary offices and animal clinics.
• Non-state and non-federal healthcare organizations that submit specimens to CDC for testing.

Original or intermediate submitters who are interested in onboarding are encouraged to visit the CSTOR Original Submitter Onboarding (COSO) page. On this page, original or intermediate submitters can learn more prior to completing the REDCap request form.

State health departments or federal organizations who are interested in submitting specimens to CDC via CSTOR and have not yet approved as global submitters can contact the Infectious Diseases Specimen Submission (IDSS) Help Desk.

Streamlining the specimen submission lifecycle

There are seven CSTOR modules to help global submitters submit, track, and access specimen information and test results. These include:

• Create test order requests: Manage test requests to CDC; CSTOR is updated with the latest test order directory.
• Submit specimens: Submit specimen data via a web form or import a batch of specimens using any Excel file.
• Ship packages: Create manifests and packing slips for specimen shipments.
• Check status: Track the status of test order requests, specimen submissions, and packages.
• View reports: View and download reports securely, and access test result data in a variety of formats; only accessible for state and federal level organizations.
• Manage organization: Manage your organization's information and add or remove users' access.
• Manage organizations in my jurisdiction: Administrators at state and federal organizations may add and remove users in their organization and edit data.

These modules are also available to original and intermediate submitters, with the exception of "View reports" and "Manage organizations in my jurisdiction." Please review the CSTOR Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Original Submitters to learn more.

If specimen-submitting organizations are interested in using CSTOR, please contact the CSTOR Team.

Users and onboarding

You can have as many Users/Administrators in CSTOR as desired; however, there must always be at least two active Laboratory Administrators. To onboard the initial two Laboratory Administrators, please contact the CSTOR Team. Once the initial two Laboratory Administrators are onboarded, they can add as many Laboratory Users or other Laboratory Administrators as needed. The Laboratory Users can be added in the 'Manage Organization' module within CSTOR.

Laboratory Administrators can do all the same actions for specimen submission and accessing reports as CSTOR users. The main difference is that they have added access to the CSTOR 'Manage Organization' module. In this module, Laboratory Administrators can add or remove users in their CSTOR organization and edit the organization level information. Refer to the Manage Organization User Guide within the CSTOR Training and Helpful Resources page for more information.

Access

Once fully onboarded, take the following steps to access the CSTOR Web Portal:

1. Click here.
2. Log in to your Secure Access Management Services (SAMS) account.
3. Go to "My Applications".

Training material

CSTOR training material can be found by clicking on the icon in the top right-hand corner within the CSTOR web portal. The icon is next to the user's name.

Training materials include both written user guides and CSTOR demos. If you have any additional questions not addressed in the training materials, please contact the CSTOR Team.

Contact

For test order-specific questions, reach out to the Test Order Point of Contact. This contact is listed within the test order's entry in the Test Order Directory. For general questions, please email the CSTOR Team.