The content in this article is relevant to eLabs
This document highlights the best and worst-case timelines for an electronic result (eLabs) to reach the OP system.
Faxed results have been inherently faster than electronic results and this is controlled by the labs and their internal processes. This can be due to the system process the labs use for results. When a result is faxed it's a one-to-one relationship (patient to result to practice) and can appear to be almost instantaneous whereas sending an electronic result has to go through their sub-system to get reported. A lab may choose to batch results and only send those batches electronically at certain intervals or at certain scheduled times of the day.
The following workflow comes into play only after the lab sends the result to CHC
Best Timeline
Once the lab sends the result to CHC it takes 60 seconds for the result to become available. The OP service makes calls to pull the file every 15 and 45 minutes on the hour. So if the result is available at least 10 seconds before the 15 or 45 minutes of the hour the result will be pulled.
Total time: 1 minute 10 seconds from the time the result reaches CHC from the lab).
Worst Timeline
Once the lab sends the result to CHC it can take up to 15 minutes to become available. Since OP pulls every 15 and 45 minutes on the hour, this process can take up to 29 minutes.
Total time: 44 minutes from the time the result reaches CHC from the lab.
