Ensuring a fast turnaround for diagnostic tests is one of the core components of patient care, so it’s important for pathology requests to be generated with speed and accuracy.
This article will guide you through the process of ordering pathology tests through Genie.
Pathology Request Templates in Genie v9.4.2 and above have now been changed to Custom Forms. This means a much simpler way to preview, edit, and streamline your pathology requests!
Before you begin
Provider details
To ensure that the correct provider details appear on the printed request, each requesting provider will need to nominate a default site of service in their User Preferences. For more information, see our Add a Site of Service article.
Laboratories
You’ll also want to ensure that you’ve entered the details of the lab you will be sending the request to. To do this, click the Laboratory drop-down menu at the top of the window, and confirm whether the appropriate lab is already configured. If the lab you need is not listed, select the New Provider option, and enter the lab’s details into the window that opens.
Note: If the lab you need is already in the list, but its details are incorrect or out-of-date, you won’t be able to edit it. To change this, you will need to hold the Alt / Option key on your keyboard, and click on the lab’s name to remove it from the list. You can then re-add it with the correct details.
To create a pathology request, first open the Pathology Request window by right-clicking the patient’s name or appointment and selecting the Pathology option.
Adding the tests
The list on the left shows various tests that can be requested. Locate the appropriate test in the list by scrolling, or by typing into the search field above the list. Once you’ve located the test, you can add it to the request by doing any of the following:
- Double-clicking the test
- Clicking and dragging the test into the box in the middle of the window
- Highlighting the test and clicking the
icon.
New tests can be added to and deleted from the list using the 
and 
icons, respectively.
Tip: To locate / add tests even faster, you can use the Favourites tab or select any Pathology Sets you've created. See the Favourites and Sets section below for more information.
Once you’ve added the required test(s), you can include a reason for the request using the box to the right. Click the Reason drop-down menu, and then select the reason from the list, or select the New... option to add a new reason.
Tip: If you're ordering the same test(s) you last ordered for the patient, you can simply click the Last Request button in the bottom-left, and both the request and reason information will be populated based on the previous request.
You will then need to use the options below to complete the request before printing it.
In Genie v9.4.2 and above, we have updated the existing pathology templates to custom forms. You can fully customise these, or alternatively create your own custom pathology request templates.
Choose a template
Open a pathology request 
for a patient and use the Template drop-down to choose the appropriate template for the selected laboratory.
If the pre-existing templates do not fit your pathology request paper, you can add a new template or edit an existing one using the steps below.
Add a template
- Open a pathology request for a patient, then click the blue plus icon to create a new custom form.
- Choose your desired date and time formats when prompted, then the custom form will auto-populate all appropriate fields on the left-hand side of the template.
- You can then use the Add Background
icon and add an A4 PDF as your background image if you have a high-quality copy of the request paper. Use the Picture from Library expression on the left to add in any additional images to your template (such as a letterhead or signature). - Use the Show/Hide Expressions icon <<>> if required to view all the default pathology fields (some may be appearing blank depending on the patient file you are in), then click and drag them into the appropriate place on the template.
- Give your template a name in the Title field at the top, then click the floppy disk icon
to save and close out of the form.
Edit a template
- Open a pathology request for a patient, then choose your form from the template drop-down.
- Click the pencil icon
to edit the template. - Add any additional information using the Fields/Expressions on the left, or click and drag fields around the page to their appropriate positions.
- Once you are happy with your changes, click the floppy disk icon to save, then close out of the form.
The checkboxes and radio buttons below the request and reason fields can be used to define different details about the request, including the patient’s treatment and billing information:
- The checkboxes at the top-right indicate on the printed form whether the patient is currently fasting, pregnant, or undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There are also checkboxes to indicate whether the request is for cervical screening tests, and/or whether the request is urgent.
- The radio buttons allow you to specify whether the patient is to pay a private fee, the schedule fee, or is being bulk billed.
If the Cervical Screening Test (CST) checkbox is ticked, a window will appear, prompting you to define key information about the test(s) using the checkboxes and radio buttons provided.
You can use the field at the bottom of the main request window to keep any interested parties apprised of the request. Just click the Copies to… button to search the address book, or the 
icon to choose from the list of interested parties in the patient’s demographics window.
If you or your clinic are making the same pathology requests week after week, searching for and selecting these can be cumbersome and time-consuming, especially when requesting multiple tests at a time.
To save time and minimise the possibility of user error, you can add tests to your Favourites list and create pathology sets for quick selection.
When you’ve located a commonly requested test in the list (under the All Tests tab), you can right-click the test and select Add to Favourites.
The test will then appear under the Favourites tab, with any others you’ve added, giving you a handful of common tests to choose from, instead of a long list.
To create a pathology set, first add all the required tests to the request box, per the Creating the Request section above. Once you have all the tests you need, click the Sets drop-down menu and select the Save Set… option. Give the set a name, and the set will appear in the list.
The next time you need to generate a request for the same group of tests, just click the Sets drop-down menu and select the set that you created; Genie will then populate the request box with the tests contained in the set.
Once you have added the test(s), selected the reason(s), and defined any extra details for the request, it’s time to print it!
You can use the Preview button to firstly preview your form and ensure the information is correct. This is also where you can load the correct provider number by using the Load Site expression on the left. If you do not use this feature, Genie will populate the default practice site's provider number on your form.
Once you are happy with your request, click Print from within the pathology request window, or the printer icon within the template.
Reprinting
If, for any reason, you need to reprint a pathology request, you can do so from the Investigations Audit. Just navigate to Open > Investigations Audit and locate the request in the list. Double-click the request to open it.
From here, simply click the Reprint button at the bottom. Genie will print an exact duplicate of the request, saving you from having to create a new one from scratch.