Placer Group Number Sent with OLIF Copied

In this release, there is a new option to send a Placer Group Number with lab orders sent from the Orders I/F queue. This allows the LIS to simplify and more accurately group multiple orders into a single accession. This feature applies only to practices with OLIF (Outbound Lab Orders Interface) enabled.

When this feature is enabled, iKnowMed Generation 2 generates a Placer Group Number that is sent with orders to the LIS. The same Placer Group Number is sent for all orders for the same patient, perform date, perform location, and ordering provider. If an order is added after the initial orders are sent to the interface, the system checks for existing orders matching those criteria, and reuses the same Placer Group Number for any additional orders. The Placer Group Number is sent in the ORC-4 field of the HL7 ORM message which is sent to the practice LIS.

Please be aware that LIS installations for different customers have different configurations and rules for grouping orders. Before turning this feature on, it is important to coordinate with your LIS vendor to implement any needed rule changes to support the use of the Placer Group Number. Turning on this functionality, even for test purposes, could be ignored by the LIS or could cause issues with sending orders, therefore caution is needed. In addition, LIS vendors may charge the practice for making configuration changes, including changes for this new feature. Contact your LIS vendor for more information.

We encourage practices to reach out to the Lab Interface team iKMG2OLIFDirectExchange@usoncology.com to ensure the proper configuration and coordination in both iKnowMed Generation 2 and your LIS.