Run a lab test from order to bill

This guide follows one blood test from the moment the doctor asks for it to the moment it’s billed and the lab is paid. Each step links to the detailed page.

Before you start, the lab must be set up: the test in the catalog, the laboratory created, the test offered with a Price, and lab staff on its Team.

1. The doctor orders from the appointment

During the visit, on the appointment page, select Actions › Request lab order › Create a new order. The patient and the visit are already filled in. Pick the Laboratory, tick the tests, choose the Priority and select Place order.

Ordering from the appointment matters: it connects the order to the visit, so it appears in the appointment’s Lab orders section and is picked up when the visit is billed. See Ordering tests.

2. The lab collects and processes

Lab staff see the order on Laboratory › Lab orders (under In progress) or in the Lab worklist widget.

1. Collect specimen (if the lab has a collection step).
2. Start processing, or Send to lab for an external lab, with its reference number.

If the specimen is unusable, Reject specimen sends the order back to Ordered for a new sample.

3. Results are entered and checked

1. Enter results, one row per test. Numeric results are flagged against the reference range automatically.
2. Save and mark as resulted.
3. If the lab uses second-person verification, another verifier selects Verify.
4. Release results (or it happens automatically if the lab releases automatically).

See Processing and results.

4. The doctor and patient see the results

Released results show on the order, the appointment and the patient’s Laboratory tab. If Show in patient portal is on, the patient sees them under My lab results. Critical values show in the Critical lab results widget. See After release.

5. Bill the patient

On the appointment, select Generate Invoice. The lab order is added as a line at the lab’s price, together with the visit and any treatments or supplies. Review, then issue and take payment. See Bill a visit in one click.

Tip

You don’t need to wait for results to bill. A lab order is added to the invoice as soon as it’s placed, unless it’s cancelled or voided.

6. Pay the laboratory (external labs)

If the clinic pays this lab, the order’s lab fee becomes due when the specimen is sent or when results come back. Periodically, open the laboratory’s Orders tab, tick the unpaid orders and select Pay # orders. See Paying laboratories.

If something goes wrong

Problem	Fix
The lab order isn’t on the invoice	It wasn’t connected to the appointment. On the order, change what the tests belong to, then generate the invoice again, or add the order to the invoice by hand.
A result was released wrong	Correct it. Don’t order again.
The order was placed on the wrong patient	Void it, or cancel it if no results are in yet, and place a new one.