Departments & Profiles

Organize your laboratory's operational structure with Departments and sell bundled services with Testing Profiles. Together they control how work flows to benches and how receptionists quote packages.

Screen	Route	Permission
Test Departments	/admin/test-departments	departments
Testing Profiles	Part of catalog workflow	profiles

Departments

Departments represent physical or logical sections of the lab — Hematology, Microbiology, Molecular, Histopathology, and so on.

flowchart TB
    INV[Invoice created] --> SAM[Sample registered]
    SAM --> DEP{Department}
    DEP --> H[Hematology queue]
    DEP --> B[Biochemistry queue]
    DEP --> M[Microbiology queue]
    H --> RES[Results entry]
    B --> RES
    M --> RES

Department fields

Field	Purpose
Name	Display label on screens and reports
Code	Short identifier for filters
Sort order	Queue ordering in bench views
Active	Hide without deleting historical data

Assigning tests to departments

Each catalog test links to exactly one primary department. When a sample is collected:

1. Tests on the invoice determine required specimens.
2. Samples appear in department-specific worklists.
3. Pending and delayed sample reports group by department.

Multi-site labs

Pair departments with collection centers so each branch routes work correctly while sharing one catalog.

Testing profiles

A profile is a pre-defined bundle of catalog tests sold at a package price — ideal for health checkups, antenatal panels, and corporate screening.

flowchart LR
    subgraph Profile["Executive Health Profile"]
        T1[CBC]
        T2[Lipid]
        T3[LFT]
        T4[RFT]
        T5[Thyroid]
    end
    REC[Reception] --> Profile
    Profile --> INV[Single invoice line or expanded lines]

Creating a profile

1. Open the profiles management area (requires profiles.create).
2. Enter profile name, code, and bundle price.
3. Add member tests from the catalog.
4. Optionally set marketing description for printed materials.
5. Activate when ready for invoicing.

Profile vs individual tests

Aspect	Individual tests	Profile
Pricing	Per-test default	Bundle override
Workflow	Flexible ordering	Standardized panel
Reporting	Per-test TAT	Worst-case or profile TAT
Discounts	Rate lists per test	May apply to profile line

Department view permission

The departments module is labeled Department View in the permission matrix. Bench staff typically receive:

• departments.view — see department filters
• samples.view/edit — process worklists
• results_entry.view/create/edit — enter results

Catalog administrators need departments.create/edit to restructure the lab.

Medicine groups (catalog parameters)

Related but distinct: Medicine Groups (/admin/medicine-groups) group prescription parameters and structured fields. Use them when:

• Prescribing clinicians select drug classes on registration
• Result templates share pick-list options
• Corporate clients require custom metadata capture

Permission: catalog_parameters.*

Operational reports

Department and profile configuration feeds:

Report	Connection
Test performance	Volume by test and department
Turnaround time	TAT by department
Top tests	Includes profile members when expanded
Labs report	Activity across branches

Best practices

Practice	Benefit
Keep department count manageable	Clear ownership per bench
Align profile codes with marketing	Easier CRM campaigns
Review profile pricing quarterly	Margin protection
Document outsource tests per department	Correct routing to reference labs

Renaming departments

Renaming is safe for display, but changing codes after go-live may break saved report filters. Communicate changes to staff.

Related documentation

• Test Catalog
• Laboratory: Samples
• Operational Reports
• Collection Centers