Tracking Laboratory Costs

The Laboratory Cost feature allows you to record the cost charged by a laboratory for individual tests and track these costs against contract revenue.

Note: Laboratory costs can be configured by Admin users or those granted Finance edit and Manage company abilities.

Once enabled, laboratory costs are automatically recorded when an order is successfully sent to the laboratory. These costs can then be reviewed alongside revenue on the contract's Transactions page or downloaded as a CSV for financial reporting and reconciliation.

How to configure laboratory costs

Laboratory costs are configured against individual test codes within each laboratory.

Click on your Initials > select Manage account from the dropdown menu.
From the left sidebar, under Integrations, select Laboratories.
Click the relevant Laboratory name.
Select the Lab order codes tab.
Locate the required test and click the three-dot menu at the end of the row.
Select Edit.
In the Cost field, enter the amount charged by the laboratory for the test.
Click Update to save your changes.

The configured amount will be displayed in the Cost column against the relevant test.

Costs are entered in your company's currency and can include up to two decimal places.
Leaving the Cost field blank means no cost will be recorded for that test.
Entering 0.00 records the test as having zero cost.
To remove an existing cost, clear the Cost field and click Update.

Note: Changes to laboratory test costs only apply to orders sent after the change. Costs already recorded against previous orders remain unchanged.

How to enable Laboratory Cost Tracking

Once test costs have been configured, laboratory cost tracking must be enabled for the relevant laboratory.

Click on your Initials > select Manage account from the dropdown menu.
From the left sidebar, under Integrations, select Laboratories.
Locate the required laboratory.
From the Count lab cost drop-down menu, select When the order is sent.
Click Save.

Once enabled, costs will be recorded automatically when laboratory orders are successfully sent.

To disable laboratory cost tracking, change Count lab cost to Off and click Save.

Note: Laboratory cost tracking is not retrospective. Only orders sent while Count lab cost is enabled will be included. Orders sent while the setting is Off will not be counted if tracking is subsequently enabled.

How are Laboratory Costs Recorded

Once Count lab cost is enabled, laboratory costs are automatically recorded when an order is successfully sent to the laboratory and its status changes to Exported.

The system calculates the total cost of each order based on the individual tests included and their configured costs. These costs are recorded against the associated medical and contract, allowing them to be tracked alongside revenue.

Costs recorded depend on the status of the laboratory order:

Exported: Costs are recorded for each test with a configured cost.
Draft: No cost is recorded until the order is successfully sent.
Error: No cost is recorded until the order is successfully sent following a successful retry.
Repeat orders: Each new order is costed separately.
Cancelled or archived medicals: Costs already recorded remain unchanged, as the laboratory has received the order.

Note: If an order contains tests without a configured cost, only those tests with a cost will be included.

How to view laboratory costs against a contract

Laboratory costs can be reviewed alongside contract revenue, providing visibility of the costs associated with laboratory testing.

How to view Laboratory Costs

From the top bar, click on More > Contract management.
From the left sidebar, select Organisations.
Open the relevant Organisation.
Select the required Contract name.
From the left sidebar, select Revenue.
Open the Transactions tab.

The Transactions page displays:

Laboratory cost: The total laboratory cost associated with the transactions displayed.
Laboratory cost entries: Individual entries for laboratory orders, identified by a grey label.
Lab cost column: The total cost associated with each laboratory order.

Each laboratory cost entry represents one order and includes the laboratory name, order reference and number of tests with a configured cost.

Note: Laboratory costs are recorded separately from revenue. The Forecast and Actual revenue figures are not affected.

How to filter laboratory costs

The Transactions page allows you to search and filter laboratory cost entries.

Use Date from and Date to to review costs recorded during a particular period.
Use the Search field to find entries by laboratory name, test code, test name or order number.
Apply other filters as required.

Important: The Laboratory cost total reflects the transactions currently displayed. Certain revenue-specific filters, including Forecast, Product, Product bundle and Category, exclude laboratory cost entries. Clear these filters to view laboratory costs.

How to download laboratory costs

Laboratory costs can be downloaded for financial reporting, reconciliation and further analysis.

Navigate to the relevant contract.
From the left sidebar, select Revenue > Transactions.
Use the Expense filter to segment laboratory costs from contract revenue.
Apply any other required date filters or search criteria.
Click Download CSV.

Note: Laboratory costs are categorised as Expense to distinguish them from Revenue generated through products and add-ons.

Unlike the Transactions page, which groups laboratory costs by order, the CSV provides an individual entry for each test with a configured cost.

CSV columns explained:

Column	Description
Source	Identifies the transaction source. Laboratory cost entries are recorded as LabOrder.
Description	Displays the laboratory and test details.
Account Type	Identifies transactions as revenue or expense.
Cost Amount	Displays the cost of the laboratory test.

Note: Laboratory costs are recorded in the Cost Amount column and are not included in the Forecast or Actual revenue columns.

Additional Information

Laboratory cost tracking is designed to capture the cost of individual laboratory tests associated with medicals and contracts.

It does not currently support:

Forecasting future laboratory costs.
Additional operational expenses, such as travel, accommodation or screening costs.
Different laboratory prices by contract or testing volume.
Laboratory invoice reconciliation or payment processing.

Note: Laboratory invoices should continue to be reviewed and reconciled through your organisation's usual financial processes.

Troubleshooting

Why is no laboratory cost displayed for an order?

Check that the order has a status of Exported, that laboratory cost tracking was enabled when the order was sent, and the relevant tests have configured costs.

Will changing a test cost update previous orders?

No. Updated costs only apply to orders sent after the change.

Will costs be removed if a medical is cancelled or archived?

No. Once an order has been successfully sent to the laboratory, the recorded cost is retained.

Why does an order show fewer tests than expected?

Only tests with a configured cost are counted. Tests without a cost are excluded from the laboratory cost entry.

Why is the Laboratory cost total showing €0.00?

Check whether any filters are applied. Certain revenue-specific filters exclude laboratory cost entries. Clear these filters to view the total.

Can laboratory costs be used to calculate contract margins?

Yes. The Transactions CSV includes both revenue and laboratory costs, allowing finance teams to calculate margins. Margin calculations are not currently displayed directly on the Transactions page.

Are laboratory costs recorded when results are received?

No. Costs are recorded when an order is successfully sent to the laboratory, not when results are returned.