How to View Outstanding Requests
The Outstanding Requests screen shows all outstanding test requests that have not yet been completed. Use it to track pending pathology, radiology, and other test orders for a single patient or across all patients.
A request counts as outstanding until it is confirmed (results received) or deleted. The same screen also tracks outbound referrals, so referrals can appear alongside test requests. Use the type filters to show only what you need.
The Outstanding Requests screen is available in the HealthTrack desktop application only. Opening it from HealthTrack Web launches the desktop screen.
Open Outstanding Requests from the Requests window
- Open the patient's record and navigate to the Clinical Summary tab.
- Click Request on the right-hand side of the screen.
- In the Requests window, click Outstanding in the top-right corner.
You can also open the screen from a patient's outstanding-request alert.
View requests for the current patient
When opened from a patient record, the screen defaults to showing outstanding requests for that patient. The Patient toggle is selected in the filter bar.
View requests across all patients (practice-wide view)
To see outstanding requests for the whole practice rather than a single patient:
- Click the Doctor toggle in the filter bar (top-left of the screen).
- Select a doctor from the Doctor drop-down, or leave it set to All Doctors to see requests from all practitioners.
Switch between Doctor and Patient view at any time using the toggle in the filter bar. Doctor view with All Doctors selected is the practice-wide view. There is no separate screen for practice-wide orders; this screen covers both single-patient and whole-of-practice tracking.
Filter requests
Use the filter bar to narrow the results:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Select or clear Pathology, Radiology, and Test/Other to show or hide each request type. |
| Referrals | The screen also tracks outbound referrals. Clear Referrals to see test requests only, or select it to include referrals in the list. |
| Date range | Set the From and To dates to limit results to a specific period. The default range is the last 12 months. |
| Show Confirmed | Select to include requests that have already been confirmed. |
| Show Deleted | Select to include requests that have been deleted. |
| Inbound | Select to include requests made to your clinic. |
| Outbound | Select to include requests/referrals made by the clinic |
Click Refresh after changing filters to update the list.
If a request you expect to see is missing, check the date range and the Show Confirmed filter first. Requests older than 12 months are hidden by the default date range, and a request whose results have all arrived is confirmed automatically and no longer shows as outstanding.
The Req and Rcv columns
Each row shows a requested count (Req) and a received count (Rcv):
- Req is the number of tests ordered on the request.
- Rcv is the number of results received back so far.
A request with some but not all results back stays outstanding, with Rcv lower than Req. This is the quickest way to spot partially returned orders.
How requests are cleared
Requests normally clear themselves when results arrive; staff action is the manual path.
- When a result arrives electronically and matches the request, the received count goes up.
- Once everything requested has been received, or the laboratory reports the order as complete, the request is confirmed automatically. It drops off the outstanding list and the patient's outstanding-request alert is removed. Automatically confirmed requests are recorded as confirmed by the incoming feed rather than a staff member.
- Staff can also confirm a request manually at any time, for example when results arrived by post or the request will not be completed.
There is no follow-up automation for outstanding requests. HealthTrack does not flag requests as overdue, age them, or send reminders. A request that never receives a result stays outstanding until a staff member confirms or deletes it, so build a regular review of this screen into your practice's follow-up routine.
Patient alerts
An outstanding test request raises an alert on the patient's record. The alert is removed when the request is confirmed or deleted, and re-added if a deleted request is restored.
Actions
The following actions are available from the bottom of the screen:
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Delete Requests | Deletes the selected request(s) from the list. Deleted requests are not removed permanently; select Show Deleted to find a deleted request and restore it. |
| Confirm Requests | Marks the selected request(s) as confirmed (results received). |
| Export CSV | Exports the current list to a CSV file. |
| To Worklist | Sends the selected request(s) to the worklist. |
Each row also has a Shortcuts button with options to reprint the request or print a specimen label.
Confirming, deleting or restoring a request requires the DeletePathologyRequest permission, or being the doctor who made the request.
Use Export CSV to generate a spreadsheet of outstanding requests for reporting or follow-up.