Operations overview

Operations in Kashef

Operations is the part of Kashef where a patient request becomes traceable lab work. It starts when reception creates an order, continues through sample creation and movement, and ends only after the required results are entered, reviewed, released, and delivered through the correct channel.

Think of an order as the main clinical file. It holds the patient, visit type, doctor, selected tests, pricing, payment state, samples, result rows, and final delivery state. Samples and results do not live separately from the order; they are connected to it so every action can be audited back to the patient request.

The lifecycle at a glance

Most lab work follows this sequence:

1. Reception selects or creates the patient profile.
2. Reception adds tests or packages from the catalog.
3. Kashef calculates the price from the catalog, contract, special pricing list, and scheduled date.
4. The order is created with payment still pending so cashier work can happen separately.
5. Required samples are created or auto-created from the selected tests.
6. The collection team prints labels, collects, receives, routes, rejects, or transfers samples.
7. Technicians enter results at the parameter or test level.
8. Reviewers approve, reject, release, print, and send the results.

The system keeps these steps visible through order status, sample status, result status, and the order checklist. If a staff member is unsure what should happen next, the checklist and current queue are usually the first place to look.

Statuses and checklist progress

Kashef uses fixed workflow statuses to prevent unsafe jumps. Active orders usually appear as pending, dispatched, sample processing, results partial ready, results ready, or results waiting release. Terminal work is shown as complete or cancelled. The purpose is to show whether the order is still moving, blocked, ready for review, or closed.

The checklist groups the order into intake and payment, sample processing, and results and closure. It checks whether the order exists, whether payment is settled or intentionally allowed to continue, whether required samples have moved far enough, whether home visit dispatch is finished when relevant, and whether result release can close the order. Managers and operations users may be able to override a blocked step, but the reason is recorded in the activity log.

What each team owns

Reception owns patient identity, visit type, selected tests, doctor referral, contract choice, and notes. A small mistake here can affect pricing, sample requirements, and the final report.

Cashier or finance staff own payment collection, refunds, due balances, cashier reconciliation, and financial visibility. Operations can see payment state, but collecting or correcting money belongs in the finance flow.

Collectors and technicians own sample collection, barcode accuracy, receipt, routing, rejection, transfer, and result entry. Their work should always match the test catalog requirements.

Reviewers and managers own final clinical validation. They check abnormal flags, previous results, QC warnings, approval status, release groups, report printout, and patient delivery.

Daily operating rhythm

Start the day in the Operations Workbench. It shows four live previews: intake, sample, results, and dispatch. Use it to identify active work before opening individual orders.

Move next to the Orders list when you need a complete view of the order record. The Orders list separates ongoing tests, routed samples, finished tests, and cancelled tests, which is useful when staff are searching by order number or patient name.

Use the Sample Log when the question is about a tube, swab, container, barcode, stability, volume, rejection, transfer, or reroute. Use the Results Queue when the question is about entered results waiting for approval or release. Use Home Visit Dispatch when the order is a home collection and the field visit or carrier handoff is still open.

What to check before changing an order

Before editing or moving a record, confirm:

• The active branch is correct.
• The patient identity matches the request form, phone call, or portal request.
• The selected tests match the doctor request and the patient instructions.
• The pricing source makes sense for the contract or partner account.
• Samples were created for the tests that need them.
• Results are not already released before changing values.
• The current user has the right role for the action.

These checks matter because Operations combines clinical data, finance, sample movement, and patient delivery in one workflow.

When work is blocked

A blocked order is not always an error. It may mean payment is not settled, a sample has not been received, a sample was rejected and requires recollection, QC has warnings, or not every result row is approved. Read the visible blocker, open the related page, and resolve the missing step instead of changing the final status manually.

If the blocker is valid but the lab manager decides to continue, use the system override only when available and enter a clear reason. Avoid short reasons such as "ok" or "approved"; write what was checked and who approved the exception.

Related pages

Use Create orders for new patient requests, Samples and barcodes for sample movement, Results queue for result prioritization, and Review and release results for the final clinical gate.