Lab Order Favorites | Canvas Medical

JessicaHerbert/lab-order-favorites

Lab Order Favorites

What it does

Lab Order Favorites lets staff save reusable lab orders - a single test or a multi-test panel from one lab partner - and drop them into a patient's note as staged lab order commands, one or more at a time.

A global configuration app (in the provider menu) to create, edit, share, tag, and bulk-upload favorites, and optionally set a default ordering provider.
An in-chart patient app to search favorites, multi-select, pick a target open note, and insert each as a staged Lab order command.
Saved test codes are re-validated against the instance's live lab catalog at insert time. If the lab partner is inactive or a code is no longer offered, that favorite is skipped (never a partial order) and the owner/editor can fix it in place.
Favorites can be personal or shared; shared ones are searchable by name, tag, author, test, or lab.

Problem it solves

Providers reorder the same labs constantly - a single recurring test or a standard panel from one lab partner - and rebuild each Lab order command by hand every visit. That is slow and error-prone, and a stale or wrong test code can reach the chart. This plugin turns a recurring order into a one- or two-click insert, validates every code against the live catalog first, and lets a group standardize on shared panels.

Who it's for

Ordering providers and clinical staff who place lab orders repeatedly, and practice/lab leads who want to seed and maintain a shared library of standard panels for the group.

How to install

Install with the Canvas CLI, pointing at the plugin package directory:

canvas install lab_order_favorites --host <your-instance>

The plugin declares the custom-data namespace canvas_medical__lab_order_favorites (granted automatically on install) and respects the lab partners and tests already configured in the instance - there are no seeded/default favorites. Populate them in the config app or via CSV upload.

To manage or remove it:

canvas disable lab_order_favorites --host <your-instance>
canvas enable  lab_order_favorites --host <your-instance>
canvas uninstall lab_order_favorites --host <your-instance>

Configuration options

Variable	Sensitive	Purpose
`SHARED_FAVORITE_EDITORS`	no	Comma-separated staff keys allowed to edit/delete shared favorites, in addition to each favorite's author. Empty = shared favorites are author-only. (The `root` superuser may always edit.)

Set it at install time if desired:

canvas install lab_order_favorites --host <your-instance> --variable SHARED_FAVORITE_EDITORS=<key1>,<key2>

Per-favorite settings (in the config app): lab partner, tests, tags, personal vs shared, an optional default ordering provider (active staff with a usable NPI), an optional default comment, default ICD-10 diagnosis codes, and a fasting flag.

Bulk upload (CSV)

one row per favorite; download the template from the config app:

Column	Required	Example	Notes
`name`	yes	`Annual Wellness Panel`	Favorite name
`lab_partner`	yes	`LabCorp`	Matched by exact name against active partners, else by partner ID; ambiguous names are rejected
`test_order_codes`	yes	`001453;322000;001065`	`;`-separated order codes, all for that partner
`tags`	no	`wellness;annual`	`;`-separated
`is_shared`	no	`true`	`true`/`false` (default `true`)
`fasting_required`	no	`false`	`true`/`false` (default `false`)
`comment`	no	`Fasting 8h preferred`	Default command comment
`diagnosis_codes`	no	`Z00.00;E11.9`	`;`-separated ICD-10

Upload validates every row against the live catalog and shows a preview (ready vs error rows) before import.

Screenshots

Manage favorites (config app)
In-chart insert and the resulting staged command - see What it does above.