> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Lab Order Object

> An order for a vendor to perform lab tests for a patient, recording what was ordered and whether results have come back.

## In the EHR

Providers create lab orders from the [Lab Order Form](/articles/Regular-Lab-Order-Form) in a patient's chart. A lab order is a chart document: it records which tests were ordered, for which patient, by which provider, and tracks whether results have come back. The vendors a practice can order from, and the collection sites available for each, are set up separately. See [Managing lab vendors](/articles/Managing-lab-vendors).

## Working with lab orders via the API

Two behaviors to know before you build against this object.

**Creating an order records it in the chart; sending it to the vendor is separate.** A successful `POST` places the lab order in the patient's chart, where a provider can review, sign, and send it. Electronic transmission to the lab vendor happens from the Lab Order Form, so `submissions` remains empty on orders created through the API. If your workflow needs the order transmitted, plan for a provider to complete it in the chart.

**Deleting an order archives it.** `DELETE` marks the order archived rather than removing it. The order stays retrievable by its id and continues to appear in list responses, with the order's top-level `deleted_date` set to the time it was archived. Check that top-level `deleted_date` when you need only active orders.

## Field notes

* `submissions` records electronic transmission of the order to the vendor, known as eOrdering.
* `resolution.state` drives closing the loop in the chart.
* `content` is documented separately. See [The Lab Order Content Object](/articles/rest/orders-api/lab-orders/the-lab-order-content-object).