Introduction

What is IDEXX VetLab Station (IVLS)?

The IDEXX Vetlab Station is a laboratory information management system created by IDEXX. It connects, manages, and communicates with one or more IDEXX analysers, such as LaserCyte, ProCyte Dx, Catalyst Dx and LaserCyte Dx.

What Does the Provet Cloud Integration Offer?

Provet Cloud offers seamless two-way integration with your internal IDEXX VetLab Station (IVLS). This has several advantages.

You can make a laboratory referral from Provet Cloud, which sends the information of the owner, patient and requested tests directly to the IVLS for selection and use. You won't have to enter patient info into IVLS manually if it exists properly in Provet Cloud.

Completed results from the IVLS are automatically transferred into the patient record within Provet Cloud. You won't have to type results into Provet Cloud manually or use prints and scans.

Is the Integration Included in My Subscription?

IDEXX VetLab Station integration is part of the Provet Cloud Internal Laboratory Integrations add-on module. Contact our sales team to discuss pricing. Sales team contacts can be found on our home page. There are also some hardware and network requirements, be sure to check these below under instructions!

Instructions

This tutorial guides you through the process required to set up the connection. Some parts of this tutorial are quite technical, and knowledge of your network set-up and software installations is required. Additional help may be needed from your local IT specialist.

Integration setup may require in-person assistance. Our Provet Cloud support team is always available to assist with the setup process. Please contact our support team through the built-in help button to request support consulting assistance.

1. Check Hardware and Network Requirements

The main prerequisite for the integration is that you need to have a Windows 10 computer that is in the same local area network as the IVLS and its devices, and all devices need to have internet access. The computer is needed to host the applications that maintain the integration.

The computer needs to be running while the integration is needed (when the clinic is open), but it can be used for other tasks like using Provet Cloud itself since the software it will host needs to run in the background. It is common that the clinic dedicates an always-on computer in the laboratory for the integration, while laboratory technicians and other employees can also use the device. The computer and the network should follow the general Provet Cloud system requirements for optimal performance.

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

2. Install IDEXX InterLink

Once you've determined that the network setup is suitable, you can proceed with installing and setting up the two required programs on the computer.

The first of these is IDEXX InterLink - a program developed by IDEXX and it is sometimes already installed by the IDEXX representative who delivered the devices. If it is already installed, proceed to step 3.

1. Download the application from THIS LINK and start the installer.
2. Answer 'Yes' when prompted with the question "Do you want to integrate this software with your IDEXX VetLab Station?"
3. Make sure that 'Auto-Detect' is selected.
4. Title the connection 'Provet'.
5. Select 'Next' as prompted until the installation is complete, ensuring no path settings are altered from the default selections provided.

3. Check and Adjust Integration Settings in IVLS

This is needed so that the IVLS would integrate properly with the InterLink program.

3.1. Navigate to the Practice Management Settings

Select 'Settings' from the main menu screen of your IVLS to open the settings menu, and select the 'Practice Management' tab.

3.2. Set Requisition ID to 'Display'

On the bottom part of the 'Practice Management' tab in settings, set the 'Requisition ID' to option 'Display'. You may also select 'Required' if you would prefer that staff always inputs the request ID when starting new analyses manually (without the request that arrives from Provet Cloud).

3.3. Select Network Connection and Configure

Select 'Other' from the tab options and then select the 'Configure' button.

3.4. Select Auto-Connect and Name the Integration

In the configuration, make sure that 'Auto-Connect' is selected and name the integration as 'Provet', then select 'OK' to confirm and save.

3.5. Save and Restart the IVLS

Select 'OK to confirm and save. Restart the IVLS to ensure that setting adjustments would come into effect.

Once your IVLS has fully restarted you will see an icon titled 'Provet' in the lower portion of the screen. This icon should be green if the integration connectivity is successful. Any new test requests from Provet Cloud will appear in the 'Pending' tab for selection and use.

You can also check this older video that shows the steps to adjust the settings:

4. Install IDEXX Interlink Cloud Plug-In (ICP)

The second needed application is IDEXX InterLink Cloud Plug-In - a program developed by Provet Cloud specifically for retrieving IVLS results and forwarding them to Provet Cloud.

Download the application from THIS LINK and start the installer.

Follow the installer process, selecting 'Next' as prompted until the installation is complete. Ensure no path settings are altered from the default selections provided.

5. Adjust InterLink Cloud Plug-In (ICP) and Provet Cloud Settings

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

5.1. Open the ICP and Provet Cloud Integration Settings

After installation, the ICP application can be found from the desktop of the computer. Open it, and navigate to the 'Settings' tab.

Leaving the ICP running, also open your Provet Cloud account. Navigate to Settings > General > Integrations > IDEXX VetLab Station connection.

5.2. Enable the Integration from Provet Cloud and Create a Password

Open the 'IDEXX VetLab Station connection' in Provet Cloud settings for editing and select the 'Enable IDEXX Vetlab Station connection' checkbox to enable the integration from Provet Cloud perspective.

Also, create custom a password by filling the 'Password' field. In ICP settings, enter or copy the same password into the 'Password' fields.

The other options under the IVLS connection settings in Provet Cloud can stay on their default states.

5.3. Copy Request and Result URLs to ICP Settings

Under the IVLS connection settings in Provet Cloud, find the settings 'Work Request Service URL' and 'Results Service URL' and copy the URLs (web addresses) to the respective fields in the ICP settings.

5.4. Configure Unit ID

Unit ID refers to the technical ID of the department in Provet Cloud. If your clinic only has one department, you can skip this setting as the default setting of '1' is already correct.

If this is not the case, you need to check your department ID from the integration settings in Provet Cloud, and enter the same number to the 'Unit ID' field in the ICP settings.

If a single laboratory (single IVLS) is used by more than one department, you need to list the unit IDs, separated with commas, for example, 1, 2, 3.

5.5. Enable Auto-Send and Autostart

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

Finally, select 'Save Settings' from the ICP settings.

6. Set Up or Adjust IVLS Laboratory Items

This is needed so Provet Cloud would know which laboratory referrals are meant to be sent to the IVLS through the integration.

In Provet Cloud, navigate to Settings > Items & Lists > Items. Find or create the laboratory analyses that will be done using the IVLS devices.

On laboratory items:

1. Enable the 'IDEXX Vetlab Station analysis' checkbox.
2. Select an appropriate 'Laboratory group' for easier filtering.
3. Optionally, fill the 'Analysis method' field with the device that performs the analysis.
4. Select 'Save' to confirm and save.

7. Understand and Test

The general workflow of the integration is as follows:

1. A laboratory analysis that is designated as an IDEXX VetLab Station (IVLS) analysis is used in Provet Cloud (added to a consultation).
2. Provet Cloud sends the request to the Cloud Plug-In (ICP). It contains patient info and the required tests.
3. InterLink retrieves this request and sends it to the IVLS. The request appears on the IVLS screen and it can be then processed with the actual physical sample as usual.
4. Once the results are generated by the IVLS, the InterLink retrieves them from the IVLS makes them available for the ICP.
5. ICP sends the results to Provet Cloud and the process is finished.

7.1. Find and Prepare a Test Sample

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

7.2. Create a Test Consultation

In Provet Cloud, create a test consultation and navigate to the laboratory section on the consultation page.

7.3. Add an IVLS Analysis

1. Select the plus-button next to the laboratory section heading to being the laboratory referral process.
2. Use the dialogue to find an analysis that is designated as an IVLS analysis.
3. Select the plus-button on the row to add that analysis to the referral.
4. Select 'Save' to confirm and create the referral.

7.4. Process the Referral on IVLS

Check your IVLS main menu 'pending' list for the incoming laboratory referral. It is expected to be available within 30 seconds after creating the referral in Provet Cloud.

Select the pending referral and process it in the IVLS as usual.

7.5. Confirm Result Arrival

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

• The 'Referral ID' should now be in green colour, indicating that it's complete.
• Numerical results should be seen under the 'Result' column.
• Units should be displayed under the 'Unit' column.
• Reference values generated by IDEXX should be under the 'Reference value' column.

Troubleshooting

The Request Is Not Arriving at the IVLS

1. Check that the referral that was created in Provet Cloud contained an analysis designated as an IVLS analysis. If it did not contain it, the request was not created based on the referral as expected.
2. Check that the IDEXX InterLink Cloud Plug-In (ICP) is running on the designated computer and that it's set up correctly. It should display the work request in the appropriate window and have it in its work request folder.
3. Check that the IDEXX InterLink is running on the designated computer and the status in the application and the taskbar is 'Green'.
4. Check that all devices have a proper internet connection.
5. Restart the computer and the IVLS.
6. If these steps do not reveal issues or solve the problem, contact Provet Cloud support.

The Results Are Not Arriving in Provet Cloud

1. Check that the 'Provet' device status is 'Green' on the IVLS home screen. If it is not green, it indicates a connection or installation problem between the IVLS and the InterLink application on the computer. In that case, try restarting the IVLS and the computer first.
2. Check that the IDEXX InterLink Cloud Plug-In (ICP) is running on the designated computer and that it's set up correctly. It should display the results in the appropriate window and have the results as a file in its results folder. Try restarting the computer.
3. If these steps do not reveal issues or solve the problem, contact Provet Cloud support.

The Results Are Arriving Under the Wrong Consultation or Patient

1. Check that the unit IDs are set up correctly.
2. Contact Provet Cloud support.

See also

Item creation