Tags are lightweight, customizable labels you can attach to orders and requisitions to make them easy to find, prioritize, and track. They enable fast filtering on worklists/grids and support operational workflows without changing clinical or billing data.

Why use tags

• Prioritization and triage: Surface urgent items (e.g., STAT/ASAP), “At Risk” for TAT, or “Critical” follow-ups.
• Workflow routing: Identify send-outs, recollects, missing documentation, or billing holds.
• Communication: Signal tasks like “Client Call,” “Provider Callback,” or “Follow Up.”
• Reporting: Slice operational metrics and TAT by tag for process improvement.

Tag types and behavior

• Manual tags: Created/applied by users on the fly for immediate needs.
• Predefined tags: Standardized, reusable labels maintained by admins for consistency.
• Rule-based/system tags: Auto‑applied when conditions are met (e.g., ICD missing → “Billing Hold”; critical result → “Critical”; specimen QNS → “Specimen Issue”).

Filtering and views

• Filter grids by one or more tags and combine with status, department, date, or client.
• Save common filters as views (e.g., “Today—ASAP,” “Billing Holds,” “Recollect Needed”).
• Use dashboards to show real‑time counts by tag for queue management.

Governance and data hygiene

• Naming conventions: Keep short, clear, and action‑oriented (e.g., “ASAP,” “Billing Hold,” “Recollect”).
• Avoid PHI in tag names; use the notes field if case‑specific context is needed.
• Audit trail: Record who added/removed a tag and when; include optional reason/comments.
• Lifecycle: Define closure criteria (e.g., tag auto‑removes when ICD received or recollect logged).

Automation ideas

• Missing info: No ICD, no auth, missing AOE → “Billing Hold” or “Info Needed”
• Quality/specimen: Hemolyzed, QNS, wrong container, expired specimen → “Specimen Issue”
• Priority: “STAT,” “ASAP,” “At Risk” (TAT threshold)
• Send-out logistics: “Send‑out,” “Courier Route A,” “Requires Dry Ice”
• Billing: “Medicare,” “Workers Comp,” “COB Needed”
• Follow-up: “Provider Callback,” “Client Call,” “Pending Records”
• Compliance: “Critical Closed-Loop Pending” until callback documented

Interoperability and scope

• Tags are usually internal and not transmitted on HL7/claims. If external visibility is required, map specific tags to comments or custom segments intentionally and sparingly.

Recommended starter set

• Priority: STAT, ASAP, At Risk
• Task: Follow Up, Provider Callback, Client Call
• Quality: Recollect, Specimen Issue (QNS/Hemolyzed)
• Billing: Billing Hold, Needs ICD, Auth Needed, COB Needed
• Logistics: Send‑out, Courier Route A/B
• Safety/alerts: Critical

Used well, tags provide a flexible, low‑overhead way to manage work, drive accountability, and surface the right orders at the right time—without overloading your core data model.