Add or Update Lab Cases and Link Them to Appointments

In dental practice management, linking lab cases with patient appointments is a critical process for ensuring smooth workflow and accurate tracking of treatments. This feature helps manage laboratory work efficiently, aligns it with patient care schedules, and improves overall practice efficiency. When creating Lab Cases there are multiple ways to do it.

Let's see how to create, link, edit, print, and filter those.

Watch this video for a step-by-step explanation.

Topics Covered

• Create a New Lab Case
• Update or Filter Lab Cases
• Update a Lab Case with a Received Date

Create a New Lab Case

Here are the different ways to add a Lab Case:

Method 1

• Select the patient using the Global Search Bar.
• Click +Lab.

Method 2

Another way to add a Lab Case is from the System Menu.

• Navigate to the System Menu > select Lab Cases.

• Click +Add Lab Case.

Method 3

You can also add a Lab Case from the Appointment slide-out.

• Navigate to the Scheduler > left-click the intended Appointment tile to open up the Appointment slide-out.

• Select +Lab on the top right.

OR

• Click +Add on the Lab Cases section on the left.

Note: The Lab Due By on the Patient Overview page will display Lab Case(s) by their due date(s). When multiple Lab Cases are added, then the Lab Case with the closest due date will be shown on the left.

Once you are in the Add Lab Case modal:

• Enter the details of the lab work that you would like to submit.
  • Lab: Select the Lab to which this case will be sent.
  • Appointment: Select the patient's appointment to which this Lab Case is related. (In this case, it is already linked).
  • Location: Select the location of the lab case. If an appointment is selected, this option will be greyed out as the appointment location will be selected.
  • Provider: Select the patient's Treatment Provider to which this Lab Case pertains.
  • Sent Date: Choose the date that the Lab Case is sent.
  • Due Date: Select the date this Lab Case will be due.
  • Received Date: Choose the date this case was received. (Can skip and enter the date later)
  • Lab Cost: Enter the cost of the Lab Case.
  • Reference#: Can be entered as desired.
  • Tooth#: Select the tooth number and its position.
  • Tooth Shade: Color of the tooth.
  • Notes: Enter any notes you deem necessary. 
• Click Save when you are ready to save the lab details.

Update or Filter Lab Cases

Edit or Link a Lab Case

Once you have added your Lab Case, you can edit the details, like linking to a new Appointment, changing the Tooth Shade, the Lab, Provider, etc. Let's see how.

• To view All, Existing or Pending Lab Cases, select the relevant tab at the top left.
• To edit, click on the three-dot menu of the desired lab case. This will open up the Edit Lab Case pop-up.

• Make the necessary changes and click Save or Save and Print, as required.

Note: If a larger note is added to a lab case, you can click and drag to expand the Notes field for a better view without needing to scroll.

• To view the Lab Case details, you can also hover your mouse over the Appointment on the Scheduler.
• You can also see a label on Appointment tile as LAB indicating the appointment has a lab case linked to it.

Filter Lab Cases

• Navigate to the System Menu > select Lab Cases.

• To view and select All lab cases, or those Without Appointment.
  • By default, it will display the lab cases With Appointment.
• Select the date range, as desired, which can include Sent, Due, and Received Dates to sort accordingly.

• By default, the last updated lab case will be shown on the top of the grid.
• To sort Lab Cases by Appointment dates, you can sort them with three clicks on the Appointment column.
• The first click shows results in the Ascending order, the second in the Descending and the third click reverts it to the original order from before sorting the list.

Update a Lab Case with a Received Date

Updating a lab case with a received date is an essential task in healthcare management, ensuring that lab results are tracked accurately and efficiently. This process helps maintain the patient records and ensures timely follow-up on diagnostic tests. Let's see how to update a lab case with a received date using some simple steps!

• Navigate to the System Menu > select Lab Cases.

• Locate the intended Lab Case.
• Click on the Three-Dot Menu.
  • Click Edit. 

• Enter the correct Received Date.
• Click Save.

Practices can use this simple guide to add a lab case and link it to an appointment in CareStack.