Set Up and Use the IDEXX VetLab Station Integration (ICP Method)

Depending on your country of operation, the IDEXX VetLab Station integration may be a paid add-on to your Provet Cloud subscription. Please contact Provet Cloud sales or support for more information.

Setup

Note that some parts of this procedure are fairly technical, and knowledge of your network setup and software installations is required. You may need additional help from your local IT specialist. In some cases, your local IDEXX representative may also help.

The integration is often set up during the implementation process. Please contact your Provet Cloud implementation specialist or Provet Cloud support for further information and assistance.

  • Windows computer

    You need a Windows computer (all versions of Windows 10 or 11 recommended) in the same local area network as the IVLS and its devices. The computer must be separate from the IVLS computer.

    The computer is needed to host the applications that maintain the integration, and it must be running while the integration is needed. However, it can also be used for other tasks (for example, using Provet Cloud) because the software it hosts runs in the background. It is common for a clinic to dedicate an always-on computer in the laboratory for the integration which laboratory technicians and other employees can also use.

    The computer and the network should follow the general Provet Cloud system requirements for optimal performance.

    Internet access

    All devices need internet access.

    The image below depicts the simplest possible solution. Often, the network setup is more complicated, especially in a hospital environment. You may need help from your local IT technician to determine the required actions.

    Make sure that the devices are in the same local network.

    2022-07-28_18-05-54.png

  • Usually, IDEXX InterLink has already been installed by an IDEXX representative and should run in the background. If it is already installed, proceed to step 3. Check and adjust integration settings in the IVLS. Otherwise, continue as follows:

    1. Download the Interlink application and start the installer.
    2. Select Yes when prompted with 'Do you want to integrate this software with your IDEXX VetLab Station?'
    3. Make sure that Auto-detect is selected.
    4. Name the connection as 'Provet'.
    5. Do not change any default path settings and select Next until the installation is complete.

    interlink-setup.png

    If you experience any issues with the InterLink download or installation process, contact your local IDEXX customer support. If the download link on this page does not work, contact Provet Cloud support.

  • This step is needed to make sure that the IVLS integrates properly with the InterLink program.

    1. Select Settings from the main menu screen of your IVLS and go to the Practice Management tab.
    2. For Requisition ID, select the Display option. You can also select Required if you want the staff to always enter the request ID when starting new analyses manually (without a request that arrives from Provet Cloud).
    3. Select Other from the tab options and then select Configure.
    4. In the configuration, ensure that Auto-Connect is selected and name the integration as 'Provet'.
    5. Select OK to save.
    6. Restart the IVLS.

    Once the IVLS has fully restarted, you will see a 'Provet' icon at the bottom of the screen. The icon is green if the integration connectivity was successful. If the integration icon is not green, it indicates either a network or an installation problem. You may need to reinstall IDEXX InterLink if it was installed with unsuitable installation options (see above).

    New test requests from Provet Cloud will appear on the Pending tab.

  • The IDEXX InterLink Cloud Plug-In is needed for retrieving IVLS results and forwarding them to Provet Cloud.

    Download the application and start the installer. Do not change any default path settings and select Next until the installation is complete.  

    If you experience any issues with the Cloud Plug-In download or installation, contact Provet Cloud support.

  • This step is needed so that Provet Cloud can successfully send requests and receive results from the ICP program.

    1. After the installation, the ICP program can be found on the computer's desktop. Open it and go to the General and IVLS Settings tab.
    2. Leaving the ICP running, also open your Provet Cloud and go to Settings > General > Integrations > IDEXX VetLab Station connection. The IVLS connection settings in Provet Cloud are department (location) specific.

    icp-image.PNG

    vetlab_settings.jpg

    a. Enable the integration in Provet Cloud and create a password.

    1. In the IDEXX VetLab Station connection settings in Provet Cloud, select the Enable IDEXX Vetlab Station connection checkbox.
    2. Create a custom password in the Password field.
    3. In the ICP settings, enter the same password in the Password field.
    4. For the other options under the IVLS connection settings in Provet Cloud, keep the default settings and save.

    b. Copy the request and result URLs to the ICP settings.

    In the IDEXX VetLab Station connection settings in Provet Cloud, copy the URLs from Work Request Service URL and Results Service URL and paste them to the respective fields in the ICP settings.

    c. Configure the unit ID.

    Unit ID is the technical ID of the department (location) in Provet Cloud. If your clinic only has one department, you can skip this step (the default setting '1' is used). Otherwise, check your department ID from the top of the Integrations page in Provet Cloud and enter it in the Unit ID field in the ICP settings. If a single laboratory (single IVLS) is used by more than one department, list the unit IDs separated with commas, for example, 1, 2, 3.

    vetlab_settings2.jpg

    d. Enable auto-send and autostart.

    In the ICP settings, select the Result auto-send enabled and Autostart checkboxes. This ensures that results are automatically sent to Provet Cloud and that the ICP program automatically starts every time the computer is started.

    e. Adjust other settings if needed.

    If you typically make a large number of laboratory requests, we recommend lowering the Archive Days setting. Archiving a large number of results may slow down the ICP, and some laboratory results may not return from the IDEXX to Provet Cloud.

    When finished, select Save Settings in the ICP settings.

  • In Provet Cloud, go to Catalog > Items and set up or edit the laboratory items in your item list. There are two relevant laboratory item settings: the IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis checkbox and the Code field.

    IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis setting

    Make sure that the IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis checkbox in Item options is selected. When an item with this setting is added to a laboratory referral on a consultation, the laboratory referral is sent to the IVLS. A referral is sent to the IVLS if there is at least one IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis item on the referral. A referral will not be sent to the IVLS if there are no IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis items on the referral.

    These analyses can also be part of any laboratory panels you create or use. If you use a panel that includes at least one IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis laboratory item, the referral is sent to the IVLS.

    Code field

    The item Code field is used for matching incoming results with the laboratory items that are included in referrals and consultations in Provet Cloud. The results are shown on the item rows on the consultation and referral pages. See more about viewing laboratory referrals and results.

    During the initial setup, entering codes is optional. You can either create all items with codes if the information is available, or let the system create the required laboratory analysis items automatically. For example, the integration can be implemented so that only one laboratory item is initially marked as an IVLS analysis item. When that item is used and the results come back, all the necessary items are created automatically for showing the results. You can decide how to set up your laboratory items. If you need help, contact your Provet Cloud implementation specialist.

  • 1. Find and prepare a test sample.

    For full testing, it is recommended that you use an actual, physical sample. For example, you can use a leftover blood sample from a previous patient.

    2. Create a test consultation and add a laboratory item to create a referral.

    1. In Provet Cloud, create a test consultation and go to the Diagnostics > Laboratory section.
    2. Select the plus-button next to the laboratory section heading and find and select an IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis.
    3. Select Save.

    4. Process the referral on IVLS.

    1. On your IVLS, check the main menu Pending list for the incoming laboratory referral. The referral is expected to be available within 30 seconds after it was created in Provet Cloud.
    2. Select the referral and process it in the IVLS as usual.

    5. Confirm that the results arrive to Provet Cloud.

    Once the analysis is complete in the IVLS, confirm that test results have arrived in Provet Cloud:

    • The Referral # shows the referral number in green, indicating that the referral is complete.
    • The Result column shows the numerical results.
    • The Unit column shows the units.
    • The Reference value column shows the reference values generated by IDEXX.

Laboratory Referral Workflow Using the IDEXX VetLab Station Integration

  1. When you add a laboratory item that is designated as an IVLS analysis to a consultation in Provet Cloud, a laboratory referral is automatically created. The referral contains the client and patient information and the required analyses.
  2. Provet Cloud sends the referral to the ICP.
  3. InterLink retrieves the request from ICP and sends it to the IVLS. The request appears on the IVLS screen and can be processed with the actual physical sample as usual.
  4. Once the results have been generated by the IVLS, InterLink receives them from the IVLS as a referral result file and makes it available for the ICP.
  5. ICP sends the file to Provet Cloud, and Provet Cloud matches the referral and the results with a referral in Provet Cloud. The results are shown on referrals and consultations. In addition, a result PDF file with graphs may be available with the referral.

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Matching Results with Referrals and Items in Provet Cloud

The results come from the IVLS to Provet Cloud in a referral result file as numerical values matched to analysis codes. Some code examples include ALB, ALT, AST, CA, and GLU. These codes are created by IDEXX.

1. Referral number

First, Provet Cloud attempts to match the incoming results with a referral in Provet Cloud based on the referral number. The referral number was automatically generated in Provet Cloud when the referral was created.

If Provet Cloud does not find a match, the results will not be available in Provet Cloud (the transfer does not happen).

If Provet Cloud finds a match, it moves on to match individual results with laboratory items based on the item code.

2. Item code

Provet Cloud tries to match the result codes with the Code field of laboratory items (analyses) in Provet Cloud. The item code must match the code in the results exactly.

If Provet Cloud finds a laboratory item on the matching referral with a matching code, it connects the result with that item.

If Provet Cloud does not find a match, it looks for a laboratory item with a matching code from the department's item list. If it finds a matching item, it adds the item to the referral (and to the consultation) and connects the results with it. If it does not find a matching item, it creates an item with the matching code and name, adds it to the referral, and connects the results with it. The price of this automatically created item is zero. Note that these items appear on invoices unless you hide them using the Do not print zero price laboratory item rows print setting.

See Also

Create a Laboratory Referral

Overview of Laboratory Integrations

View Laboratory Referrals and Results

Edit or Delete a Laboratory Referral

Add Laboratory Analysis Results

Approve Laboratory Analysis Results

IDEXX VetLab Station integration does not work after changing the computer that hosts the ICP and InterLink

The patient's weight is wrong on the analysis result document

Results are arriving under a wrong consultation or patient

The results have not arrived in Provet Cloud

The request does not arrive to the IDEXX VetLab Station

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