Labs

You can order labs electronically from the patient's chart, send them to national and regional labs through the Junction integration, and review the results when they come back. If you work with a lab Junction does not connect to electronically, you can generate a paper lab requisition instead.

Prerequisites

Part 1: Turn on the lab orders module (EMR)

Lab ordering is a module, so it must be turned on for your organization. Follow the instructions here to turn on "Lab orders".

Part 2: Set up the Junction integration

Electronic lab ordering runs on the Junction integration, and Junction needs your account numbers with each lab you order from. Follow the instructions here to get set up.

Part 3: Add the patient's insurance policies (EMR)

If you bill labs to insurance, the patient's insurance policies need to be on their profile before you order — the lab order pulls its policy list from there. Follow the instructions here.

Steps

Step 1: Create a lab order (EMR)

To order labs:

• Go to the EMR (e.g. emr.avonhealth.com)
• Click on the hamburger menu on the top left corner > Patients
• Click on the "View Chart" button of the appropriate patient
• Click the "Labs" shortcut on the top bar
• Open the "Actions" dropdown and select "Order labs"

Avon creates a draft order named for today's date and opens it.

Step 2: Fill out the lab order (EMR)

Fill out the order:

• Name: A name for the order, for example "Blood Work for Annual Checkup"
• Patient: Confirm that the patient's name and date of birth are accurate
• Billing Type: Who is being billed for the labs — commercial insurance or the patient
• Insurance Policy: If you are billing commercial insurance, which of the patient's policies to bill. Avon shows the payer name, plan name, policyholder, member ID, and group number so you can confirm you picked the right one.
• Ordering Provider: The provider ordering the labs
• Order Details: Any notes for the lab
• Lab Tests Ordered: The tests you are ordering. For each test, select the test, add the diagnoses that support it, and answer any ask-at-order-entry questions the lab requires.

All information is autosaved as you go, so you can click "Finish and Go Back" and come back to a draft later.

Step 3: Submit the order (EMR)

When the order is complete, click "Order". Avon sends it to the lab through Junction and the order moves out of draft.

Step 4: Track the order (EMR)

A lab order moves through these statuses:

• Draft: The order has been created but not submitted
• Ordered: The order has been sent to the lab
• Requisition Created: The lab has generated a requisition for the patient
• Appointment Pending: The patient needs to book a draw
• Appointment Scheduled: The patient's draw is booked
• Partial Results: Some of the ordered tests have resulted
• Completed: All ordered tests have resulted
• Cancelled: The order was cancelled

Step 5: Review results (EMR)

Results are sent back to Avon automatically and appear in the patient's "Labs" tab alongside the order. Each result carries its own status:

• Partial: Not every test on the order has resulted yet
• Final: The result is complete
• Corrected: The lab has issued a correction to a result it previously sent
• Cancelled: The result was cancelled

Watch for corrected results — a correction replaces a value you may have already acted on.

Step 6: Download results (EMR)

To download a patient's lab results:

• Go to the patient's "Labs" tab
• Open the "Actions" dropdown and select "Download labs results"

Step 7: Create a lab requisition (EMR)

If you are ordering from a lab Junction does not connect to electronically, generate a lab requisition instead and send it to the lab yourself.

To create one:

• Go to the patient's "Labs" tab
• Open the "Actions" dropdown and select "Create lab requisition"
• Select an order set to pre-populate the requisition, or leave it blank to build the requisition from scratch

Follow the instructions here to fill out and send the requisition.

Step 8: View labs across your organization (EMR)

To see lab activity for every patient rather than one chart at a time:

• Go to the EMR (e.g. emr.avonhealth.com)
• Click on the hamburger menu on the top left corner > Labs

Step 9: Pull in labs from outside providers (EMR)

Labs run elsewhere — at a hospital, or by another practice — do not come through the Junction integration. To bring those into the chart, use health information exchange and import the "Labs" record type. Follow the instructions here.