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. You’ll also find some helpful tips on how to streamline your requesting process to achieve the quick turnaround that your patients need.
Before you begin
You’ll 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.
Please note: If the lab you need is already in the list, but its details are incorrect or out-of-date, you won’t be able to edit it.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 or 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.
Once the lab has been configured and selected, you can create the request by following the steps below.
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.
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.
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 on the left indicate on the printed form whether the patient is currently fasting, pregnant, or undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
- The radio buttons in the middle allow you to specify whether the patient is to pay a private fee, the schedule fee, or is being bulk billed.
- The checkboxes on the right indicate whether the request is for cervical screening tests, and whether the request is urgent.
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!
The first thing to confirm is whether you’re printing to pre-printed request forms; if you’d like to print the request as a plain A4 printout, make sure you tick the Use Plain A4 tickbox at the bottom of the window. This will prompt Genie to use the Plain A4 or Plain A4 New Zealand template (where applicable).
For pre-printed forms, simply leave Use Plain A4 unticked and Genie will automatically select the appropriate template, based on various factors, such as your practice type and location.
All of the available templates can be edited by clicking the Edit Templates drop-down menu and selecting the template in question. This will open a window that will allow you to adjust the fields and text of the form, in case individual parts of the template aren't lining up properly with the pre-printed forms.
You can also use the Adjust Print Area arrows in the top-right of the main request window. This will let you shift the entire printout in any direction, pixel-by-pixel, to make sure that the form as a whole aligns with the printed information.
Finally, if your pathology stationary has labels on it, tick the Print Labels tickbox, which will format the request to print the patient information on these labels.
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.
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