Lab cases and referrals
Track work sent to a lab through to fitting, and referrals to or from other clinicians through to their outcome.
Lab cases and referrals sit on the Orders tab of the clinical record, in one list with prescriptions and letters, newest first — a lab case by its dispatch or due date, a referral by its submission. Both name the labs and clinicians kept under Settings → Professional contacts.
Lab cases
Click the + icon beside Orders, choose New lab case and pick the lab, the due date, the shade, the lab's reference and a note. Move the case along from the row's ⋯ menu:
| Step | What it records |
|---|---|
| Sent to lab | The dispatch date |
| Received | The date the work came back; the case joins the Lab returns worklist until it is fitted |
| Fitted | The fit date; the case is complete |
| Returned to lab | Work sent back; the case is closed and Re-send opens a new case that names it, so every dispatch keeps its own dates |
| Cancel | Any case not yet fitted |
A lab case is never deleted; cancel it instead.
Referrals
Click the + icon beside Orders and choose New referral. Choose the direction (outbound to another clinician, or inbound from one), the kind (private in-group, in-house or external; a UK practice also refers on the NHS), who it goes to or came from (a practitioner here or an external contact), the urgency (a UK practice also has the NHS two-week wait) and the reason. Submit it when the letter has gone; from then on the letter cannot be changed. From the row's ⋯ menu record Accepted, Booked and finally Completed with the outcome, or Rejected. Outbound referrals without an outcome appear on the Referral outcomes worklist.
Prescriptions
Draft a prescription with its items, issue and print it with a fresh sign-in, and void one that must not be dispensed.
Letters and the waitlist
Generate letters from templates and file them on the patient, and keep patients who are waiting for an earlier or specific appointment on the waitlist.