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In the EHR

Providers create lab orders from the Lab Order Form in a patient’s chart. A lab order is a chart document: it records which tests were ordered, for which patient, by which provider, and tracks whether results have come back. The vendors a practice can order from, and the collection sites available for each, are set up separately. See Managing lab vendors.

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Working with lab orders via the API

Two behaviors to know before you build against this object. Creating an order records it in the chart; sending it to the vendor is separate. A successful POST places the lab order in the patient’s chart, where a provider can review, sign, and send it. Electronic transmission to the lab vendor happens from the Lab Order Form, so submissions remains empty on orders created through the API. If your workflow needs the order transmitted, plan for a provider to complete it in the chart. Deleting an order archives it. DELETE marks the order archived rather than removing it. The order stays retrievable by its id and continues to appear in list responses, with the order’s top-level deleted_date set to the time it was archived. Check that top-level deleted_date when you need only active orders.

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Field notes

  • submissions records electronic transmission of the order to the vendor, known as eOrdering.
  • resolution.state drives closing the loop in the chart.
  • content is documented separately. See The Lab Order Content Object.